PRIZES for major competitions such as Soca Monarch, Chutney Soca Monarch and Panorama will be increased to $2 million from next year, Arts and Multiculturalism Minister, Winston "Gypsy" Peters, announced yesterday.

The minister was speaking after handing over a $1 million cheque to officials of the Little Carib Theatre in Woodbrook yesterday. The cheque was part of the Government's promise to help renovate the theatre which was initially made by the People's National Movement administration in 2008 but halfway into construction, funding was stopped.

"The budget is going to be read in a couple of days and you are going to hear that (money was allocated)...so to answer your question specifically, they are going to get the $2 million prize money as promised," he said.

Prime Minister Kamla Persad-Bissessar had promised during the People's Partnership final rally at the Aranjuez Savannah on May 23, one day before the general election, to increase the prize money while campaigning.

This year, the first prize for the Chutney Soca Monarch was $100,000, and this was won by Ravi Bissembhar. The first prize for the Soca Monarch was $600,000, won by JW and Blaze and the top cash prize for Panorama was $1 million, won by the Silver Stars pan group.

When asked about bandleader Brian MacFarlane's request to give masmen more money, Peters did not say if they would consider it but added that all involved in mas-making would be given the necessary resources needed to make things easier for them, including moving Carnival back to the Queen's Park Savannah.

"We are going to ensure the necessary resources are spent on Carnival to make Carnival what we want it to be and to take it back to the people," he said.

As for the $1 million given to the Little Carib Theatre, Peters promised to give an additional $1.5 million in order to complete the renovations currently taking place on the building.

"This is an important institution in the life of Trinidad and Tobago" and what is happening is that we are now doing the budgetary allocations for all the ministry's needs and as soon as we get that, we will see about that. You can rest assured that it will be done and the work will be finished," he said.

The minister categorised the Little Carib Theatre as the place that helped mould the life of a lot of the artistic people in Trinidad and Tobago and was worth preserving.

"The Little Carib Theatre is important to the artistic fraternity of Trinidad and Tobago and more than anything else to the memory of a woman who has given most of her life to dance and theatre in our country—Beryl McBurnie— so this is worth it, more than worth it, it's even worth more than the National Academy for the Performing Arts (NAPA)," he said.

Chairman of the theatre, Michael Germaine, said they were gratified that the ministry had been assisting with the money to complete the renovations since the project started in April 2008 and actually was supposed to take ten months.

Nevertheless, he hoped that with the Government's continued support, the theatre would be able to host a show by November.

"It's going to be a very modern theatre in terms of sound and lighting and hopefully we will have been able to keep the ambience of the performing stage that is so loved by the artistes," he said.

www.panapparels.com