Reichhold Center for the Arts

Mission Statement: 

To support programs that preserve and enhance the artistic heritage and cultural foundations of the Virgin Islands, the wider Caribbean and the Americas, and To enrich the cultural and social life of the University of the Virgin Islands and its community with programs and performances drawn from across the globe that exemplify the best human artistic expression and, in so doing, to be recognized as a center of excellence of the University.

About the Center:

The Reichhold Center for the Arts is nestled within the lap of a natural valley whose mouth opens to the crystal blue waters of John Brewer's bay on the island of St. Thomas, United States Virgin Islands. This unique amphitheater of wood, limestone, copper, steel and concrete plays host to a wide range of concerts and performances, from Ray Charles to the Moscow Ballet, catering to our mission of enriching the cultural and social life of the people of the Virgin Islands.

The facility is constructed in two levels. The upper level consists of a proscenium stage, orchestra pit, two star dressing rooms, and ample backstage working space and storage areas. At the lower level you can find the chorus dressing rooms, rehearsal spaces, an art gallery, and inherited African Art display, Digital Media Institute, storage rooms, and the offices of the permanent professional staff of the Center and their supporting personnel.

The theater has 1196 seats in both the covered and open-aired sections. The lower area has 356 upholstered seats and is protected by a high-wing canopy roof which also accommodates sound and lighting equipment and acoustical clouds. The upper seating area has 840 seating places on newly constructed wooden contour benches in three sections, separated by dividers of natural stone and boulders and planted with low flowering shrubs. Rain protection during performances is provided by large shelters behind the upper seating areas and on a broad promenade between the upper and lower seating areas.