Williams laments over Naparima Bowl

Williams believes that this government and previous administrations have used the theatre, cultural fraternities as well as the sporting arena as political pawns and as a result they all continue to suffer drastically. “I don’t like politics or politicians. I say that without apology.

All politicians do is come to the people making a heap of promises when they need to get elected into office and once they are successful they have no need to care for the people or their needs until elections come up again.

“Back when the Bowl burned down in 1977 it took 13 years before the NAR Government rebuilt it. At least they rebuilt it and the UNC did some work, but this PNM Government has done nothing but close the Bowl again,” Williams said as he expressed his bitterness over the recent closure of the Naparima Bowl.

Born November, 22, 1948, Williams grew up in Point Fortin where he attended the Bryden Anglican Primary School before moving on to the Point Fortin Intermediate School. Williams went off to work at Naparima Bowl as soon as he finished his secondary education picking up duties of supervisor in 1970. He remembered the fire that destroyed the Bowl on Sunday, February 6, 1977.

This marked the beginning of 13 years of promises and broken promises from the then administration until in 1990 when in the midst of recovery from the insurrection of July 27, 1990, the lights of the Naparima Bowl shone once again on October 20, 1990. This was a joyous occasion for Williams who during the 13 years that the Bowl was inactive saw many of the south’s top thespians and other theatre folk migrate to Port-of-Spain.

“We in San Fernando lost some great people during that time. People like Errol Fabien, Dennis Hall and Penelope Spencer went off to Port-of-Spain in search of work and they were very successful. I remained in the south although people were telling me to come to Port-of-Spain. It was hard because the Bowl burned down just when the boom years were ending and ‘there was just not any finances to rebuild at the time’ we were told,” Williams said.

Although he has never acted, Williams loves the theatre arts and has over the years become skilled at every other aspect of theatre apart from the actual acting.

He is considered a genius lighting technician and has worked with many of the theatre companies across Trinidad including the Malick Folk Performers, Les Efants, Arawak Dance Company, Baggasse Productions, Richard Ragoobarsingh Productions as well as for the likes of Ralph Maraj and Norvan Fullerton and the Ministry of Culture.

Williams believes the closure of the Bowl for repairs was unnecessary and he hopes that it will not take another 13 years to reopen it. He fears that this just may be the case as not much seems to be happening.

“They did not need to close the Bowl because the auditorium could have still been used while they were doing other work. Right now the auditorium is being used as a storeroom, and this has me very annoyed. I decided to leave when they closed the bowl.

“That was the last straw. The artistes are suffering because there aren’t any proper theatre spaces. The Arts Council Building is inadequate for theatre and so too the school spaces. The authorities have no regard for the artistes,” Williams said.