DATE: Sunday, May 18, 1997                  TAG: 9705170052

SECTION: DAILY BREAK             PAGE: E1   EDITION: FINAL 

SOURCE: BY CRAIG SHAPIRO, STAFF WRITER 
                                            LENGTH:  117 lines

ARTS FESTIVAL FULFILLED HOPES OF ORGANIZER FOR BOOSTING REGION

GARRISON KEILLOR provided all the proof that Rob Cross needed.

Last Saturday at sold-out Chrysler Hall, during a live broadcast of ``A Prairie Home Companion,'' the host of the popular public radio program told his nationwide audience of 2 million all about Norfolk. He tossed in a few words about Virginia Beach, Williamsburg and Portsmouth, hometown of one of the guests, R&B legend Ruth Brown.

``It was a two-hour commercial for the region,'' Cross, director of the Virginia Waterfront International Arts Festival, said this week.

``I was thinking, `The festival is doing exactly what they asked us to do: Get the area some cultural recognition on a national level and create an event that the community can take pride in.' ''

Marketing Hampton Roads outside the area was only one goal of the 18-day festival, which concluded its maiden run last Sunday. Another was to bring in world-class artists from a variety of disciplines.

With a roster that included the Mark Morris Dance Group, Garth Fagan Dance, the Stuttgart Chamber Orchestra, ``minimalist'' composer Steve Reich and pianist/funnyman Victor Borge, Cross never doubted the level of talent.

``I can't stress how happy I am with the artistic quality of all the concerts,'' he said. ``A lot of times when people are on tour two or three weeks straight and come in for one night, they think, `Oh, God.' I think a lot of the artists got caught up in the festival. They realized they were part of something special and rose to the occasion.

``What reinforced that for me was seeing the same people come out night after night. They might be ballet fans, but they went to see contemporary dance. They might like jazz, but they went to see Inti-Illimani,'' the Chilean world-music ensemble.

``Sometimes, they went to performances not remotely related to anything they might normally attend.''

The turnout for the festival was generally good, Cross said, but three events exceeded his expectations.

He figured on 2,500 to 3,000 for the International Military Tattoo; about 6,200 filled Norfolk's Scope for the pageant of music and marching April 25. The tattoo coincided with the XLIV International Azalea Festival, which, Cross said, ``already had a built-in audience that lined up perfectly with the audience we were trying to serve.''

The 10-day Lunchtime Chamber Music Series, held in venues from Virginia Beach to Williamsburg, was a consistently popular draw. The Virginia Symphony's ``Tchaikovsky Spectacular,'' staged under a big tent at the College of William and Mary's Sunken Garden, sold all 2,000-plus seats.

Cross said the lunchtime series and the symphony concert attest to another festival goal - to promote intra-regional cooperation.

``I think we found the right niche,'' he said. We did the right event in the right place. We had a lot of help from William and Mary (with the Tchaikovsky program) in direct-mail marketing to students' parents.''

The chamber music series gave the staffs of participating venues - among them the Peninsula Fine Arts Center, The Chrysler Museum of Art, the Virginia Marine Science Museum and the Contemporary Art Center of Virginia - something extra to offer their members, he added.

Not that there weren't a few surprises during the festival's run.

Cross found out how great demand is for tents and chairs in early May, the peak graduation season. Seats for the ``Tchaikovsky Spectacular'' and Inti-Illimani concert, held at the Norfolk Botanical Garden, were snagged at the last moment.

Booking Circus Flora for 18 performances at Friendship Park near Nauticus was probably overly ambitious, Cross said. The circus was an artistic success, but attendance was spotty, due in part to the starting time - 7:30 weeknights - and because school was in session.

``If we had jammed it into one long weekend, we probably would have sold out,'' Cross said.

The festival, which began April 24, was timed to tie in with productions scheduled by local arts groups. The Virginia Stage Company ended its season with ``Always . . . Patsy Cline,'' Virginia Opera produced ``Oklahoma!'' and the Virginia Symphony gave two performances of ``Carmina Burana.'' The Theatre of the Millennium, a new company founded by Michael Curry, director of the Hampton Arts Commission, presented its first local production.

Exhibits at area museums, home and garden tours, outdoor art shows and family festivals were also included in the VWIAF brochure.

The intention was to showcase what Hampton Roads has to offer.

``Local arts groups were incredibly generous with their time, staffs and equipment in helping us - since we're not a producing company - make this event successful,'' Cross said, adding that their collective experience also went a long way. ``They were trying to make sure it worked and came off professionally by anticipating things we might have forgotten.''

Virginia Opera added a performance of ``Oklahoma!'' and Chrysler Hall was close to sold out for ``Carmina Burana.''

Tickets for ``Always . . . Patsy Cline'' were gone two weeks before the final performance April 27.

``I hope `Patsy' helped to drive ticket sales for him (Cross) at other venues,'' said VSC managing director Steve Martin.

In turn, the festival provided a helping hand when the stage company decided to bring back the revue and original cast this summer. Fliers announcing the added shows were inserted in the programs for ``Prairie Home,'' Circus Flora and Borge.

``Rob does believe in supporting local arts institutions,'' Martin said. ``His willingness to help us promote the extension of `Patsy Cline' is indicative of his commitment.''

Martin said the VSC and Virginia Symphony are planning a co-production of ``A Midsummer Night's Dream'' for next year's festival.

Cross is thinking about 1998, too. Foremost, he'll try to balance the schedule between those artists who will bring back the festival's first-year patrons and those who will attract first-timers. Among the requests he's had are for traditional ballet and choral music.

Several sponsors have already signed on for next year, Cross said.

``Two have said they want to give more because the festival is doing what it said it will do,'' he said.

That would include putting Hampton Roads on the cultural map.

``It will be a building process,'' Cross said. ``We got more articles and mentions in national publications than I expected the first year. It still takes time to arrive before anyone thinks of us in terms of Santa Fe, Aspen and Tanglewood.

``I think a lot of that can be achieved as the community takes pride in the festival. They'll be our best salespeople.'' ILLUSTRATION: Color photo KEYWORDS: THE VIRGINIA WATERFRONT INTERNATIONAL ARTS FESTIVAL

AFTERMATH

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