Dream Star wraps up preliminary preps
ORGANISERS of the annual Dream Star talent search show yesterday said they were finalising the adjudication of over 2 000 entries submitted by contestants across the country to choose the 40 lucky ones for the semi-finals ahead of the grand finale scheduled for December 19 in Harare.
The auditions of the seventh edition of the Jacaranda Culture and Media Corporation (JCMC)-run competition roared into life in June online due to the COVID-19 restrictions on gatherings.
In an interview with NewsDay Life & Style the competition’s spokesperson Tinashe Kitchen said a new category, Viewers’ Choice, had been added to the competition whose semi-finals would be held next week.
“Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, we decided to revamp our Dream Star approach and implement a fully online competition for 2020. We have been airing our episodes since mid-October,” he said.
“We are now preparing to air episodes eight and nine before we move on to the announcement of the top 40, and the semifinals where we will also reveal our 2020 Dream Star judges.”
Kitchen said the new normal under the global pandemic had inspired them to be more creative in conducting the competition.
“Working online has been challenging, it has forced us to be a bit more creative in how we attract people to audition, but it has also allowed us to reach people in parts of the country who don't normally get the opportunity to audition so in that sense, it has been a great experience,” he said.
The winner of this year’s competition will pocket US$4 000, while first and second runners-up will be US$1 500 and US$750 richer, respectively with all other finalists set to receive US$250.
Dream Star is considered the best talent show in the country hosted by JCMC in partnership with China Africa Economic and Culture Exchange Research Centre and the Chinese Embassy.
Through its partners, Dream Star has in the past years obtained scholarships for young artistes at Chinese tertiary institutions as well as avail employment opportunities to them in the Asian country.