THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1996, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Sunday, January 7, 1996 TAG: 9601060113
SECTION: VIRGINIA BEACH BEACON PAGE: 14 EDITION: FINAL
TYPE: Cover Story
SOURCE: BY MARY REID BARROW, STAFF WRITER
LENGTH: Medium: 71 lines
In a boost for the humanities side of the arts and humanities in Virginia Beach, a group of volunteers has established a Virginia Beach Forum, which will debut Feb. 9 with CNN talk-show host Larry King.
Establishing a Virginia Beach Forum was the brainchild of Kathy Katsias.
``Kathy has talked about it for years,'' said forum chairperson Shirley Barondess. ``This is something she had always wanted to do for Virginia Beach.''
``We should probably start a Virginia Beach Forum, I told Shirley,'' Katsias said, ``and Larry King would be a great kick off.''
There was method behind Katsias's idea. Barondess's son, Mark Barondess of Sandground Barondess & West in Vienna, Va., is Larry King's attorney. So Mom called son.
`` `Well, Mom, let me see,' he told me,'' Barondess said. `` `You raise the money and I'll get him there.' ''
Barondess and Katsias went about putting together a Virginia Beach Forum Board to plan for King's appearance and to look into a second program for the fall. Now the board is an incorporated, non-profit organization of 30-plus citizens who have been meeting weekly since September. They represent a cross section of the community, from doctors, lawyers, CPAs and business people to community activists, who bring their expertise to the fledgling forum free of charge.
Among their most pressing jobs now is to raise the money beyond ticket sales to pay the forum's costs. Tickets to Larry King are $25 apiece, which should cover King's speaking fee of $25,000. King will donate the money to the Larry King Cardiac Foundation.
The board is hoping to cover other costs, such as theater rental, program and promotions, by offering a number of sponsorship levels from $100 to $2,500. Each sponsorship includes recognition in the program as well as tickets to the fall forum, among other perks.
Katsias, who serves on the forum program committee, said suggestions for the fall forum include a range of public personalities such as athletes, mystery writers and even musical groups. The forum board is not wedded to any format, she explained. The board not only will consider an off-beat topic like a musical group but also an unusual venue, perhaps Virginia Beach's new amphitheater, which is planned to open in April.
Katsias said the small number of seats at Pavilion limit the number of programs the forum can offer because speaker fees are so high and ticket prices must be so expensive to cover them.
The popular Norfolk Forum, which has been operating for decades, offers four speakers a year for a season ticket price of $60. That, said Katsias, is because Chrysler Hall can seat 2,500 people to Pavilion's 1,000.
The Virginia Beach Forum does not plan to compete with the Norfolk Forum, Katsias stressed. ``I've been a member of the (Norfolk) forum for many years,'' she explained. ``It's always a rush to get your money in for the following year or you don't get tickets.
``Since tickets are not readily available to the Norfolk Forum,'' she went on, ``It's time to give an alternative.''
Barondess is excited about the possibilities.
``We are going to take a paint brush and continue painting good stuff into Virginia Beach,'' Barondess said. ``This is the kind of fuel we have to feed to the people so the city can continue to grow.'' ILLUSTRATION: Staff photo by CHARLIE MEADS
Kathy Katsias, left, and Shirley Barondess are key players in the
forming of the Virginia Beach Forum, which is bringing CNN talk-show
host Larry King to Virginia Beach Feb. 9.
by CNB