Culture: Help on the way for Ward?

The works at the Ward included repairs to the changing room and 13 bathrooms, as well as exterior and interior painting, fumigating and plumbing.

Ms. Grange noted that the project, which started a few days ago “will continue in the weeks and months to follow”.

“We will not abandon this project, as it is a priority of ours at central and local government,” she pointed out, noting that she will be seeking additional funding from the Government for the undertaking.

Mayor of Kingston, His Worship Senator Delroy Williams, for his part, noted that everything must be done to restore the Ward.

He said that for a city to prosper and be wholesome, creative spaces must be nurtured and preserved.

“We cannot move forward as a city without the creative talent of our people being explored; it’s very difficult.  That is why the renovation of this theatre is important,” he noted.

Mayor Williams, who is also Chairman of the KSAMC , said the objective is to make Kingston the pearl of the Caribbean.

 “That is why the KSAMC gives you its commitment that we will complete the Ward, we will have it operational, and that the first performance at the Ward will be something truly spectacular,” he pledged.

Mayor Williams also commended the “unyielding efforts” of volunteers and private- and public-sector partners in the restoration project. 

The Ward Theatre was built in 1912 by Colonel Charles James Ward, then Custos of Kingston, and he presented the building as a gift to the people of Jamaica.