Dec. 15, 2001 – If you want to watch STARfest from start to finish, be at the Reichhold Center for the Arts on Tuesday, Jan. 8, at 5:30 p.m.
No, they haven't changed the performance time from the traditional Mother's Day weekend. But the Reichhold Center is introducing its first-ever STARfest video — of last spring's 7th annual talent extravaganza.
More than 30 talented Virgin Islanders sing, dance and otherwise strut their stuff on the professionally edited video, which runs about two hours and "contains the whole show," Reichhold marketing person Dionne Carty said.
"We are especially proud of this project, as it is the first time the Reichhold Center has successfully produced a video of this caliber," Reichhold director David Edgecombe said. "It effectively showcases the exceptional talent and outstanding production values of STARfest 7."
STARfest was an Edgecombe initiative in his first year as director of the center on the University of the Virgin Islands St. Thomas campus. From the start, his intent was to provide a vehicle not only showcasing local artists but offering performers the kind of artistic, technical and promotional support — and audience accommodations — that they couldn't get anywhere else locally.
And when he says the Reichhold produced the new video, that's just what he means. It's the work of the center's in-house Digital Media Institute, formerly called the Digital Video Institute, which is under the supervision of Denise Humphries.
The public is invited to the viewing, and admission is free. The way to acquire a copy is to become a donor to the Reichhold Center. "The videos are a thank-you for donors of $20 or more," Carty said, with the proceeds to go toward production of STARfest 8 next spring.
And, she suggests, wouldn't they make great gifts for off-island family and friends?
Tickets for STARfest 8, supported by WSTA Radio and the V.I. Council on the Arts and the National Endowment for the Arts, will be available for purchase Tuesday evening, too.
The viewing date was changed from Dec. 18. To learn more, call the Reichhold box office at 693-1559.
