WITH a mission to uncover and nurture the vibrant talent of Tobago, the Tobago Star Quest Committee is ready to show the country the gifts found in the people of the villages of the island.
John Arnold, professional event planner, educator and head of the Tobago Star Quest Committee told Newsday the talent competition was a collaboration with Tobago Updates and Exclusive Ideologies.
The inaugural competition was modelled after America’s Got Talent, where the auditions were taped and the judges determined who would move on to the next stages.
“The auditions have been truly thrilling. We’ve been blown away by the raw talent coming from the villages. Tobago has so much potential and we’re honoured to provide this stage for our local stars to reach new heights.
“This was across the communities of Tobago because it’s a community effort. We wanted to get all the villages involved and, luckily for us, we were able to get people from Argyle, Charlotteville, Belle Garden, Castara, Lambeau, Plymouth, Canaan – we really have a nice cross-section of Tobago.”
There were 38 semi-finalists including singers, dancers, musicians and a magician, and they were split into two. The first semi-finals is scheduled for November 14 at the Shaw Park Complex at 7 pm and the second will be on November 28.
[caption id="attachment_1119611" align="alignnone" width="471"] Darrel "Creed Black" Douglas is a soul reggae artist, singer and songwriter from Argyle Village, Roxborough, Tobago. -[/caption]
Ten will be picked for the finals on December 14.
Both semi-finals will be live with a live band. There will be a cover charge of $50 and Arnold hopes people would come out to support. The competition will be taped and shown on television one week after each live show.
He said there will also be coaching sessions during the final round, designed to enhance contestants’ performances and foster their growth as artists, ensuring they deliver their best on stage.
The main sponsor was the Ministry of Sport and Community Development but assistance was also provided by the Tobago House of Assembly and a few corporate sponsors.
Arnold said with the end of the now defunct local talent show Scouting for Talent, which ran in the 1970s, 80s and 90s, and was briefly re-introduced in 2023, there was no stage for amateurs to showcase themselves.
He said post-covid19, creatives were looking for a way to get things “back to where they were,” and the committee was trying to make that happen.
Arnold always had a passion for developing talent. He used to host a programme for children 12 years old and under called Children’s Showcase, which ran on Tobago television for 13 years.
[caption id="attachment_1119610" align="alignnone" width="802"] Tiny Pinie, also known as Pineapple Express, is one of the semi-finalists in Tobago Star Quest. -[/caption]
He then had one for children eight years and under but that too was cancelled because of a lack of support and funding.
“So when the idea came with this one (Tobago star Quest), we got the suppor
