Talented Jamaicans in reggae, jazz, and comedy are being invited to audition for entry into the Tourism Entertainment Academy (TEA).

The TEA is an initiative of the Ministry of Tourism, being implemented by the Tourism Enhancement Fund (TEF) in partnership with Edna Manley College of the Visual and Performing Arts.

It aims to prepare local entertainers, not just for stage performance but for long-term careers within Jamaica’s growing tourism sector.

Auditions will be held from June 17-19 at Grand-A-View Restaurant and Event Place in Montego Bay, St James, from 9:00 am to 6:00 pm.

Director of research and risk management at TEF and TEA Project Lead Gis’elle Jones-Shepherd told
JIS News that each audition day will focus on a specific genre, so participants should pay close attention to the scheduled dates.

“June 17 will be reggae auditions; June 18, jazz auditions; and June 19 will be the comedy auditions. So, we need people to register on the respective days because we will be constituting the audition panels based on those areas,” she said.

Interested persons are invited to visit https://calendly.com/tourismenhancement/tea to register. If no slots are available for the required day an e-mail is to be sent to beinspired@tef.gov.jm.

She advised that once auditions are completed, successful entertainers will embark on a 20-week programme.

“There will be 10 weeks of training in three areas — cultural authenticity, the art of performance, and professionalism for entertainers — then they will move into five weeks of rehearsals… and then five weeks of live performances,” she outlined.

Jones-Shepherd indicated that musicians will learn approximately 150 songs during rehearsals to build their repertoire, while comedians will receive training in script writing and delivery.

The programme will conclude with a grand showcase and graduation ceremony.