Tulloch vs Goliath? - Theatre man takes on Chuck in St Andrew North East

When theatre practitioner David Tulloch announced the closure of the Phoenix Theatre in January, no one thought that representational politics would be his next move. However, recently, he was appointed the People’s National Party’s (PNP) caretaker for the St Andrew North East constituency. This fulfils his lifelong dream, and creates history as the first Jamaican theatre practitioner to run for public office.

In a telephone interview with The Gleaner, the history-making thespian spoke about his decision.

“Truth be told, my two greatest passions in life are people and progress. And I guess that’s why I have been in theatre for so long. Because you get to interact with a lot of people at different levels, and you have the opportunity to be progressive. The ultimate bearing are people and progress, as in politics.”

Tulloch is the son of a politician. He grew up watching his father, former Tourism Minister Francis Tulloch, “being a politician, being a minister of government, how he treated the poor and how he helped the needy”. This, he says, influenced his decision.

LIFETIME DREAM

Representational politics has been Tulloch’s lifetime dream, too. But he did not see it coming this early in his life.

“I was reading The Gleaner and saw where the [PNP] general secretary [Julian Robinson] said that he was having trouble finding a candidate to go up against [the Jamaica Labour Party’s Delroy Chuck.”

So, Tulloch, who resides in the constituency, offered to take on the challenge.

“I just took it, especially knowing that the theatre was closing down, and I was at a crossroad and wondering what was going to be my next move. And, miraculously, this opportunity presented itself.”

With degrees in literature and business management, plus a wealth of experience in theatre since childhood, and staging back-to-back productions, Tulloch believes his theatre experience has prepared him in a number of ways for this new challenge.

“I think theatre has played its part in preparing me for the job. You have to understand people in theatre and so, understanding people, to running a business, helping the less fortunate, especially those who come to you because they are unemployed, [are experiences] we can bring to the table.”

He also believes there is a lot that he can offer the constituency. There has been no trajectory for upward movement; and, he says, that a more innovative approach will move the disengaged constituents into voting.

He sees the challenge akin to the David versus Goliath story, but believes that numbers are on his side.

“He [Chuck] has been the sitting MP for the last five terms. I know that there are certain parts of the constituency that know and respect him for the work that he has done, but there is another side that feels neglected. The electorate are 19,000-plus, but only 8,000 turn out to vote. He gets 5,000, with the challenger getting 3,000. There are 11,000 uncommitted voters,” he noted.

And so, as in the plots of his many plays, Tulloch has served suspense: Will he be the David who defeats Goliath?