MECA tour taking authentic dancehall vibe overseas

Entertainment guru and publisher Michael Dawson is using 'MECA Weekend Tour' to spread the local dancehall club vibe internationally.

The CEO of the popular Marketplace Entertainment Center for the Arts (MECA) night club, told THE WEEKEND STAR that his aim is to merge music and theatre for a greater appeal to the youth.

"What we doing now is MECA Weekends where we'll spend Fridays [to] Sundays in different cities - they invite us there...wi bring di 'dolly' dem, di deejays, some of the events such as Sandz, Champaign Saturdayz, Dolly Sundayz and Strictly 2k...and wi set up our banners, the little sections and whatever intrigue people at MECA we try to duplicate it...and I think the brands speak for itself," said Dawson.

"I want to bring young people back to theatre so hence the dancehall production because I don't want to lose that tradition too because people don't go to theatres much and it's sort a challenging now but that's what we want to do," he added.

The crew have already made stops in Miami, Toronto and New York and is looking forward to bring the vibes and entertainment to London, Las Vegas and Atlanta. Dawson shared that the club hopping tour, which started last May, will end in November, and was inspired from international supporters requesting the local, "authentic vibe" they experienced at MECA. He also revealed that after spending most of his life living in the US, dabbling in music and theatre arts was his personal passion, and a way for him to stay connected to his local roots.

"I used to listen to a lot of '90s dancehall music because I'm a '90s baby' and most of the items, even the sound systems in MECA are inspired from the '90s [style]. It was just my way of staying connected to home while I was abroad studying and it even helped me to appreciate the love I have for music and the culture even more," he shared.

Dawson, who also manages Oliver Samuel's and Basil Dawkin's productions, has created productions for the MECA brand which also saw them touring. Dawson is also set to produce a staged play to recreate Marcus Garvey's story and Dancehall Queen Carlene's life story with a 90's dancehall synergy.

He believes that though there are various forums to allow young talent to pursue the arts, enough is not being done to make the 'theatre world' attractive. With the strong influence of music and the impact it has on especially the younger generation, Dawson said he believes that merging the music with the creative art form will appeal more to the young theatre enthusiasts.

The club owner, who is also Vybz Kartel's business partner, said with the deejay's new approach to life and his mature demeanour, they are also in talks about expanding the local theatre space, with the possibility of the 'Worl Boss' being featured in one of his featured series.