“IT WILL be an exciting 30 minutes.”
So said Norvan Fullerton, artistic director of the Malick Folk Performing Company, who will produce and direct the half-hour segment at the opening ceremony of the Fifa Under-17 World Championship from 11.30 a.m. today at the Hasely Crawford Stadium, Port of Spain.
Fullerton will first direct “Playing in Paradise”, then “Mr Beats saves the day” which, he said, will show the conflict between bad and good. Both theatrical plays were written by Belmont Boys Secondary principal Felix Edinborough.
Fullerton explained that the dramatisation will be a “colorful and active” display that would have the legendary guardian of the forest, Papa Bois, and his followers “show paradise in times of peace and tranquillity”.
However, Fullerton explained “this peace” is broken by Blue Devils and other evil characters and forces Papa Bois to turn to the gods for assistance.
That’s when Mr Beats, a hummingbird character that is the official mascot of the September 13-30 tournament, makes his grand entrance on the stage along with 100 miniature versions carrying silver footballs.
The silver footballs are supposed to symbolise the light that, according to Fullerton, will “dissipate the darkness of the evil characters and make them powerless”.
The characters will be portrayed by a number of organisations.
Rosalind Gabriel, leader of this year’s Junior Carnival band of the year, and Edinborough’s Belmont Boys will have key roles in the theatrical drama, as well as pupils from the St Mary’s Home for Children and Sacred Heart Girls School.
The Kilamanjaro School of Arts and Dexter Stewart’s School of Dance will provide the Moko Jumbies, while the Paramin Blue Devils will play themselves.
There will also be performances from the Callaloo Tan Tans and Tan Tanettes, the Clico Shiv Shakti dancers and Carib Vikash School of Dance, together with Marsha Charles Dance Company. And Fullerton’s Malick Folk Performing Company will also play an instrumental part.
Music will be provided by the combined bands of the T&T Defence Force.
The official programme follows immediately after.
As a gesture in tribute to the Ministry of Education’s decision to allow some 5,050 students from schools in Port of Spain and environs time off to come and support Trinidad and Tobago’s Team 2001 in their match against Croatia, Fifa vice-president Jack Warner said Education Minister Kamla Persad-Bissessar will now give the welcome adress at high noon.
Minister Persad-Bissessar will be followed by Minister of Sport Manohar Ramsaran, while Prime Minister Basdeo Panday will deliver the feature address.
However, Fifa president Sepp Blatter is no longer part of the programme. Because of the closure of American airports following Tuesday’s terrorist attack in the US, Blatter will not arrive in Trinidad in time.
Blatter’s predecessor, Joao Havelange, who was expected to fly in last night, will attend today’s ceremony.
Before the T&T/Croatia match, which starts at 1 p.m., the National Anthem will be sung by Calypso Monarch Denyse Plummer and Witco Desperadoes will play the Croatian anthem.
Warner, who is also head of the Local Organising Committee (LOC), said yesterday that tickets for the covered stand have been “sold out”. He added, though, that “tickets for the grounds are still available, so if you come there early you will get”.
But fans can also see the opening ceremony and T&T vs Croatia match live on TTT from 11.30 a.m.