Howard Walker, Staff Reporter
A section of the south stand at the Trelawny Multi-purpose Stadium where the opening ceremony for CWC 2007 will be held. - Claudine Housen/Staff Photographer
The Local Organising Committee (LOC) of ICC Cricket World Cup (CWC) has hired the services of two world renown lighting consultants for the opening ceremony on March 11.
Martin Lewis, the event producer told The Gleaner, that he would not be divulging any names at this time but will do so at a press conference set for January 31.
What he did reveal was that one of the consultants has worked at the Olympic Games and the other at the American Super Bowl.
"They will be working with local suppliers, mostly local crew and the production team. It's a lot more to it than just the opening ceremony," said Lewis.
He continued: "It's going to be a great show. I want to tell everybody to buy their tickets early."
Lewis' production team was given US$2 million to make the opening ceremony one of, if not the best in the history of the World Cup.
Members of Lewis' team include Brian St. Juste, Delano Forbes, Lawrence Tulloch, Carol Lawes, Monica Lawrence, Peter Ashbourne, L'Antoinette Stines, Bert Rose, Jerome Hamilton and Lisa Jenoure.
According to Lewis, there will be some 1,500 performers involved in the show, and although there will be some from each of the Caribbean islands, due to the cost the majority of them will be Jamaicans.
"The budget is small so we cannot afford to bring in a lot of bodies, neither to prepare nor to perform," said Lewis.
The plan, therefore, is to have one overall theme representing the entire region, the theme will be "Caribbean Energy", and it will depict the common culture that binds the region together - the music, the dance, and the heritage of the people."
Set for Sunday, March 11 at the Trelawny Multi-purpose Stadium, which is now in its final stages of construction on Jamaica's north-west coast. The opening ceremony is scheduled for two hours and to start at 5:00 p.m.
Each participating country will assign a representative for the organisation of the opening ceremony, but Lewis' team, which includes some of the best people in dance, the dramatic arts and television production, will have final editorial and production control.
Lewis, described by head of the CWC LOC Robert Bryan as "very experienced at pulling together events", is noted for his involvement in a range of high-profile shows and music festivals, including Reggae Sumfest and the Air Jamaica Jazz & Blues Festival.
The opening to be attended by players and officials from all 16 World Cup teams will be televised live across the globe.
In addition to the World Cup opening, Jamaica will host four warm-up games at the Trelawny Stadium, as well as seven World Cup games, including the tournament opener and a semi-final at Sabina Park.
LEWIS
