Minshall (1980s)
"Danse Macabre" (1980)
"The River" (1983)
With 2002 Emmy Award |
PETER MINSHALL
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| DATE OF BIRTH: |
1941 |
| PLACE OF BIRTH: |
Georgetown, British Guiana (Guyana) |
| EDUCATION: |
Queen's Royal College
Central School of Art and Design, London, England
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CAREER: Minshall's family moved to Trinidad from British Guiana when he was very young. His artistic talents were displayed when he was in high school and became heavily involved with fund-raising theatre productions at Queen's Royal College. In 1976, he designed for Stephen Lee Heung who took Band-of-the-Year honors with "Paradise Lost." In 1978, he formed his own Carnival band, the Callaloo Company, and, in 1982, he was awarded a fellowship by the Guggenheim Foundation. As a designer and choreographer, Minshall creates theatre beyond the confines of auditoriums and concert halls. He makes the streets of Port-of-Spain, Trinidad, his stage during Carnival with unique designs that feature "dancing mobiles," the most famous of which were his male and female characters "Saga Boy" and "Tan Tan," respectively. His work was displayed in 1987 at the 19th International Biennial Exposition of Contemporary Art in Sao Paolo, Brazil, and at the 1993 Edinburgh Festival in Edinburgh, Scotland. Other countries where his work was displayed were Barbados, Canada (Toronto), England (London), France (Nimes, Paris), Jamaica, Japan (Tokyo), and the USA (Miami, San Francisco). He won the Large Band-of-the-Year title five times (1979, 1987, 1995, 1996, and 1997). Minshall took a break from competition from 2003 to 2005, but returned in 2006 to win the Medium Band-of-the-Year title. The following is a listing of Minshall's Carnival presentations:
- 1978 - "Zodiac"
- 1979 - "Carnival of the Sea," 1st
- 1980 - "Danse Macabre"
- 1982 - "Papillon"
- 1983 - "The River"
- 1984 - "Callaloo"
- 1985 - "The Golden Calabash: Princes of Darkness and Lords of Light"
- 1986 - "Rat Race"
- 1987 - "Carnival Is Colour," 1st
- 1988 - "Jumbies"
- 1989 - "Santimanitay"
- 1991 - "Tantana"
- 1993 - "Donkey Derby"
- 1994 - "The Odyssey"
- 1995 - "Hallelujah," 1st
- 1996 - "Song of the Earth," 1st
- 1997 - "Tapestry: Threads of Life," 1st
- 1998 - "Red"
- 1999 - "The Lost Tribe"
- 2000 - "M2K"
- 2001 - "This Is Hell"
- 2002 - "Picoplat"
- 2006 - "Sacred Heart," 1st, Medium Band Category
His Carnival success gained him worldwide recognition and he went on to design and choreograph the following international events:
- 1987 - Opening Ceremonies of the Pan-American Games, Indianapolis, Indiana, USA
- 1992 - Opening Ceremonies of the XXV Summer Olympics, Barcelona, Spain
- 1994 - Soccer World Cup Finals, Chicago, Illinois, USA
- 1996 - Opening Ceremonies of the XXVI Summer Olympics, Atlanta, Georgia, USA
- 2002 - A 12-minute segment (Fire Within) at the Opening Ceremonies (February 8, 2002) of the Winter Olympics in Salt Lake City, Utah, USA
Minshall also worked with the French composer Jean-Michel Jarre in the presentation of two concerts in Paris, France: Concert at La Defense on Bastille Day 1991; and UNESCO's Concert for Tolerance at the Eiffel Tower in 1995. |
AWARDS:
- 1987 - Trinidad & Tobago Chaconia Medal Silver (for Culture)
- 1991 - Honorary Doctor of Letters, University of the West Indies
- 1996 - Trinidad & Tobago Trinity Cross (for Art and Culture)
- 2001 - Prince Claus of the Netherlands Award ($270,000TT) for outstanding contributions to Carnival
- 2002 - 2001-2002 Emmy Award, Academy of Television Arts and Sciences 54th Annual US Primetime Emmy Awards, "Outstanding Costumes for A Variety or Music Program"/Opening Ceremony of the 2002 Olympic Winter Games (Shared award with 4 other costume designers)
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| Compiled by Ronald C. Emrit |
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