DATE: Friday, March 14, 1997                TAG: 9703140622

SECTION: LOCAL                   PAGE: B5   EDITION: FINAL 

SOURCE: BY TONI GUAGENTI, STAFF WRITER 

DATELINE: VIRGINIA BEACH                    LENGTH:   76 lines

MORE MINORITY ACTS TARGETED FOR AMPHITHEATERAN ADVISORY BOARD WILL HELP IDENTIFY GROUPS THAT APPEAL TO AFRICAN-AMERICANS.

Representatives from the NAACP and Cellar Door Productions of Virginia will work together to book more minority acts at the GTE Virginia Beach Amphitheater, both sides decided Thursday.

Cellar Door and the NAACP agreed to meet because the NAACP was concerned about the number of minority acts performing at the outdoor arena, which opened last year.

In 1996, of the 36 acts that played the amphitheater, two were black.

This year's tentative schedule, which was released last month, has Tina Turner scheduled to perform at the 96-acre site off Princess Anne Road.

``The meeting was very productive,'' said Sandra Smith-Jones, president of the Virginia Beach NAACP chapter. ``We'll be discussing diversity in the acts that they bring to the amphitheater.''

Smith-Jones said both sides agreed to form an advisory board, which will probably consist of no more than five NAACP members. The board will help Cellar Door identify diversified groups that could play at the 20,000-seat arena.

``We feel good about the partnership,'' Smith-Jones said. ``There will indeed be diversity in 1997.''

The meeting lasted about 90 minutes and was held in Virginia Beach Mayor Meyera E. Oberndorf's conference room at the city's Municipal Center, which is minutes from the amphitheater.

Karlton Hilton, a local NAACP member who attended Thursday's meeting, said the chapter was responding to complaints lodged last year by African Americans about the lack of minority groups playing the venue.

``We kind of felt since last year that we would like to have more of an opportunity to go down to the shows - shows that we would like to see ourselves, from an African-American point of view,'' Smith-Jones said.

Hilton said diversifying the acts will attract people from all over Virginia and beyond.

``We're talking about regionalism,'' Hilton said. ``What's good for citizens is good for business.''

Hilton talked about attracting entertainers from across the board - including jazz, rhythm and blues, rap and mainstream.

Smith-Jones said Bill Reid, Cellar Door's president, explained during the meeting how acts are booked.

Reid could not be reached for comment after the meeting, but he said earlier that Cellar Door this year is trying to book ``urban acts that appeal to both blacks and whites.''

``It defies logic that we wouldn't do Whitney Houston or Janet Jackson. Of course, we would,'' Reid said. ``We'll have Tina Turner. So if we could get Gloria Estefan, we would.''

But, he explained, neither Houston nor Jackson will be available for an amphitheater appearance this year, because neither one is ``on tour this year.''

Generally, Reid said, artists only tour when they have a record to promote, since it is very costly to organize a road tour.

It costs a performer $1 million to $2 million to organize a road show because of the need to hire six to 10 tractor trailers to carry equipment, backup musicians and sound and lighting technicians, Reid said.

Performers will only go on a tour when a promotion will benefit record sales, he said.

Reid added that not all acts are ``appropriate for the amphitheater. Some would only sell 1,000 tickets, and some are better suited for the Boathouse, the Hampton Coliseum or the Pavilion.

``The interesting thing about this is that we're in the business of running an amphitheater. We owe the city $735,000 every year. We also have a huge debt service on $8 million that Cellar Door owes on the amphitheater. It's in our best interest to book anybody who'll sell tickets.''

In addition, Reid said, Cellar Door doesn't want to muscle in on events such as the annual Hampton Jazz Festival, which attracts major African-American jazz artists every year.

Those who attended the meeting applauded its outcome.

``I`m pleased that folks were willing to come to the table, and there has been a partnership hammered out,'' Oberndorf said. MEMO: Staff writer Bill Reed contributed to this report.

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