THE current pandemic caused by the spread of the novel coronavirus is forcing members of the entertainment fraternity to become more creative in the ways in which they bring their products to an audience which is not able to access in traditional ways.

Enter Whirlwind Entertainment and its Internet portal Jamaica Online TV.

That production house is partnering with local comedienne Andrea “Delcita” Wright to premiere its streaming service and take local comedy to the homes of lovers of the local theatre genre all over the world on Father’s Day, June 21, with Father Says It Best.

According to head of Whirlwind Entertainment Michael Dawson, the restrictions on movement and mass gatherings due to COVID-19 have forced creatives like himself to rethink the way they do business at this time and moving forward.

“Things have truly shifted. Jamaica Online TV has been around for about five years and during this time we have been doing tests and running local programmes, news and documentaries, but this is our first big venture. At this time of the year acts such as Delcita and Oliver are usually involved in their overseas tours, especially in the strong Caribbean pockets of North America and England. This year that is not possible and so we have come up with a way to take the theatre to them,” he noted.

“The best way to explain it is to say this is like a pay-perview event – just like boxing back in the day. Patrons will purchase a ticket, log on, and watch Delcita in action live from Kingston as she entertains on Father’s Day. Yes, you have other entertainers doing stuff online, but this will be different. It is not a Facebook and Instagram feed, but rather high-quality from our facility in Jamaica,” Dawson added.

He noted that, based on his experience, there are a number of underserved Diaspora communities all over the world who are not able to access local entertainment, as a promoter will not take a play to their town or city due to small numbers.

However, he noted that with a product like Jamaica Online TV the persons in these areas can receive their entertainment in the comfort of their homes.

“We are getting requests from persons in Milwaukee in the US, Brussels in Belgium, and Calgary in Canada – which is fantastic. The members of the Diaspora in those communities would not have an opportunity to share in the culture due to their small numbers, so a service like this facilitates them. We have requests from Qatar… Africa is also a developing market segment with links from Botswana, Namibia and Ghana, but the USA, Canada and the UK remain our strongest supporters.”

Dawson and his team have tapped into the traditional promoters of Jamaican theatre in these markets and will have them promote next Sunday’s debut presentation through their own mailing lists and other channels of communication.

“We have engaged dozens of promoters all over the world and we are using them to sell tickets to the Father’s Day event. They will earn, as they are assigned a vendor code and will receive a percentage of the sales generated from their specific code. The Diaspora is starving for entertainment from local theatre. Usually at this time of the year they would have received their dose of theatre during Easter, Memorial Weekend as well as Mother’s and Father’s days. That was not possible this year due to COVID-19. The charities which support local theatre through their benefit nights are also on board selling tickets,” Dawson explained.

Ahead of the production, Jamaica Online TV will be paying tribute to a number of special Jamaican fathers who are defying stereotypes and making a mark on the lives of their children.

Father Says It Best follows the trials of a Jamaican schoolteacher who is involved in a long-distance relationship which is beginning to go south.

Her student, Delcita has become drawn into the couple’s affair of the heart and gets to pick sides.

Dawson is optimistic that this new venture will be successful and already has plans for his next such venture.

“Oliver Samuels is next. He is the king of Jamaican comedy and [is] loved all over the world. Traditionally he would have kicked off his annual tour in Canada, but that did not happen this year so we just have to take theatre to them. It is a new dimension which we just have to embrace. COVID-19 did not cause this, it simply advanced it. Even prior to the pandemic we were seeing where tours were being reduced or even cut in some instances due to mounting costs for travel and venue rentals etc. This is an opportunity for us to expand and expose local theatre to a global audience,” he said.