Music, Movies, Arts, Culture and Family Fun In Major Free Event Programme For Auckland Arts Festival 2011
Auckland Arts Festival today announced a comprehensive line-up
of free events for arts lovers of all ages and interests as part of
the 2011 Festival, which takes place 2-20 March.
Free events complement Auckland Arts Festival's main ticketed
programme, with main bill artists such as U Theatre of Taiwan, the
Lautten Compagney, Witi Ihimaera, Douglas Wright, Jack DeJohnette,
Sarah Lucas, and more adding free performances, workshops and talks
to their Festival schedules.
Auckland Arts Festival Artistic Director David Malacari says he
is delighted by the 2011 line-up of arts and entertainment
experiences - many involving the very best international and local
practitioners.
"Free events are a key element in engaging the wider community,"
David Malacari says. "They introduce new audiences to the
arts, often people who have never had the opportunity to enjoy the
wonderful experiences on offer at a major multi-arts festival.
"This free programme is an invitation to all Aucklanders (and
New Zealanders) to get involved in the Festival; for Festival
novices to take the plunge into a new world, and for experienced
festival-goers to add something new and different to their Festival
experiences."
Free daily activities are centred at Aotea Square, which will be
reinvented as the Festival Garden, an inviting performance and
entertainment space with four hubs; the glamorous Spiegeltent, the
Garden Theatre, the TV3 Garden Stage, and the Stoneleigh Bar.
The Garden boasts plenty of space to chill out on the lawn or under
an umbrella, and soak up the Festival atmosphere. Free to
enter, and open late into the night during the Festival, the Garden
is home to a mix of free and ticketed events.
New to Auckland Arts Festival in 2011 is the TV3 Garden Stage
which hosts a free daily music programme of top local and
international acts. Starting at 5pm on weekdays, and 2pm in
the weekend, the line-up encompasses world music, contemporary and
classical music. Artists include Flip Grater, Sean Donolly,
Barons of Tang (on their way to WOMAD), LUPIN, the Lautten
Compagney, Arte Kanela, NZTrio and a host of well known local
DJs.
Four free programmes of short films from top Kiwi filmmakers
will screen under the stars in the Festival Garden, as part of
Movies in Parks. And on weekday lunchtimes, the Spiegeltent
is host to the 'In Conversation' series, with some of the
Festival's most exciting artists sharing their ideas and
inspirations.
The middle weekend of Auckland Arts Festival features two major
free events for the whole family. On Saturday 12 March (the
evening of Pasifika) galleries and museums across greater Auckland
open their doors until midnight for the inaugural White
Night festival. A must-attend for contemporary art buffs
and a great evening out for families, White Night sees
Auckland Museum, Auckland Art Gallery, MOTAT, Auckland Library, the
Voyager Maritime Museum, all the galleries in the Festival
programme, plus a host of other venues and institutions hosting
special exhibitions, family activities, and performances -
including a line-up of events presented in partnership with the
Pasifika Festival.
Parents should mark Sunday 13 March in their diaries now; for
the middle weekend of Auckland Arts Festival the arts enthusiasts
of tomorrow take over the Festival Garden. From 10am-4pm, the
Free Festival Garden Party has activities, music, performances,
Storytime in the Spiegeltent and more. Ticketed events for
families include the New Zealand Symphony Orchestra's Family
Concert, musical magician Lindsey Pollak's brilliantly
inventive Passing Wind concert, and the spectacular
Vietnamese Water Puppets.
Auckland Arts Festival Chief Executive David Inns says that the
depth and breadth of the free programme is made possible by the
support of a dynamic family of funders and sponsors, including
Auckland Council, the ASB Community Trust, The Lion Foundation, Pub
Charity, Heart of the City and TV3.
"The free programme is part of our commitment to ensuring
accessibility to Auckland Arts Festival for all Aucklanders, and is
made possible by the terrific partnerships between the Festival and
its sponsors and funders - and other cultural institutions."
Auckland Arts Festival offers local arts practioners the chance
to get up close and personal with the cream of the arts community,
with a programme of free and low cost workshops that the public are
welcome to attend - for free - as observers. Artists involved
include Gregory Maqoma, Jack DeJohnette, Massive Company, the
Lautten Compagney and more.
Auckland Arts Festival also runs a major schools programme,
offering amazing arts experiences at low cost ticket prices to
primary and secondary school students - to date more than 4000
tickets to events as diverse as Maguy Marin's May B and
The Manganiyar Seduction have been snapped up by schools
as far afield as Kaikoura. Other free and low cost events can
be found in the Auckland Fringe - a satellite fringe festival that
is a joint venture between Auckland Arts Festival and THE EDGE.
TOP TEN WAYS TO FESTIVAL ON A BUDGET
Visit www.aucklandfestival.co.nz for the
latest details
1.
Drop by the Festival Garden in Aotea Square after work (from 5pm),
or in the weekends (from 2pm) to enjoy a free music concert from
top international and local acts performing on the TV3 Garden
Stage. Styles range from contemporary to classical to world
music. The Stoneleigh Bar will be open for a glass of wine in
the sun.
2.
Put White Night (12 March) into your diary, and plan to
make the most of a magical evening when Auckland's museums and art
galleries will stay open until midnight, with special exhibitions,
family activities, performances and refreshments. A free bus
connects activities taking place across greater Auckland.
3.
Check out the bargains in the main programme - with ticket prices
for headline acts starting as low as $27.50 (Ihimaera) or
$37.50 (The Manganiyar Seduction) there's something to
suit every budget. Visit www.aucklandfestival.co.nz for the full programme and
ticket prices.
4.
Bring a sandwich or pick up some sushi, and spend weekday
lunchtimes in the glamorous Spiegeltent, listening to some of the
top creative minds in the business talking life, ideas, arts, and
culture. Expect humour, controversy, inspiration - and even
the odd impromptu performance.
5.
Get the whanau together and head to Aotea Square for the free
Family Day Garden Party (March 13) a special day of art, music,
activities and stories for younger arts lovers.
6.
Pick up the Festival's Visual Arts Guide and spend quality time
with spectacular works by top local and international artists in
the Festival programme. Exhibitions run throughout the
Festival and all are free of charge.
7.
Make the most of Auckland's balmy March nights, and enjoy a
selection of New Zealand's best short films on the Movies in Parks
screen.
8.
Poke your head into the workshops and masterclasses for a unique
behind-the-scenes look at the creative processes of top Festival
talent.
9.
Last minute ticket deals and 2 for 1 specials are a great way to
see Festival shows without blowing your budget. During the
Festival (2-20 March) keep an eye on www.aucklandfestival.co.nz, 'like' the Festival on
Facebook (Auckland Festival) and follow @AklFestival on Twitter for
the latest information.
10. Check out
the Auckland Fringe programme for a bevy of free events
(www.the-edge.co.nz/fringe.aspx).
Media enquiries:
Rachel Lorimer
Senior Publicist
021 436 503
rachel.lorimer@aucklandfestival.co.nz
FESTIVAL GARDEN
Situated in Aotea Square, the Festival Garden will be the heart
of the 2011 Auckland Arts Festival. Supported by Auckland
Council and Heart of the City, the Garden features a fabulous
programme of free music and movies, as well as great areas to
relax, grab a drink, or simply lie back in the sun, and contains
the Spiegeltent (home of Smoke & Mirrors), the Garden
Theatre (built especially for the wonderful Vietnamese Water
Puppets), the TV3 Garden Stage and the Stoneleigh Bar.
Free music on the TV3 Garden Stage
From 2pm on weekends and 5pm on week days the TV3 Garden Stage
presents a series of concerts from top local and international
musicians.
In the contemporary music line-up, two of New Zealand's most
talented singer/songwriters will premiere new material ahead of
forthcoming album releases. Grand Rapids, the new band from
Goldenhorse's Ben King, will be performing as a full band for the
first time, playing songs from the album, Faintheartedness
ahead of its release in April. LUPIN is the solo project of
Victoria Girling-Butcher, best-known as singer /songwriter for the
now-disbanded Lucid3 and who has, over 15 years, earned a
reputation as one of NZ's key popular music composers.
LUPIN's debut album, produced by Wayne Bell and Jol Mulholland,
will be released in May and the Festival performances will be the
Auckland debut of songs from the record.
Described as one of New Zealand's most beloved indie-folk
artists, and recently nominated for a Folk Tui award, Flip Grater's
music and performances have drawn glowing reviews across the
world. Her Festival performance will be a wonderful
opportunity to hear her perform tunes from across her
songbook. Other contemporary music highlights include The
Phil Edwards Band playing tracks from their new album,
Slow Borders (released March 2011),Sean Donnolly (SJD)
playing with Chris O'Connor and James Duncan, Andrew Keoghan, and
2008 Pacific Songwriting Competition winner, Lisa Crawley.
The TV3 Garden stage will also showcase global sounds.
Described as Australasia's foremost flamenco troupe, Arte Kanela
will bring a captivating hour of dance, guitar and song to the
Festival Garden - an absolute must for flamenco lovers.
Hailing from South American, Bobbito Brazuka (Brazil) and Jennifer
Zea (Venezuela) will perform a sultry set of Bossa and Latino
Soul.
The music line-up also features a couple of late nights of gypsy
madness. From Australia, and on their way to WOMAD in New
Plymouth, Barons of Tang are bringing their 'deathcore gypsy' to
the TV3 Garden Stage. Lead by Leon Radojkovic, the musical
madman behind Festival show Live Live Cinema: Carnival of
Souls, local act, Dr Colossus' gigs are legendry, and the band
has been described by the NZ Herald as "Balkan music
titans." Both bands will perform 11 till midnight spots,
Barons of Tang on Friday 4 March, and Dr Colossus on Saturday 12
March.
Two significant musical trios offer classical and jazz fans two
great free treats. NZTrio, this country's leading exponents
of contemporary classical programming brings you
songs/dances - an hour-long exploration of their favourite
dance-inspired music from around the world for violin, cello and
piano. Enjoy the sophisticated and sultry sounds of the South
American tango, some gritty Brazilian blues, cool New York club
stylings, an Australian 'maninya' and the Mediterannean/Kiwi
vitality that comes from the pen of NZ's own John Psathas. Gimel, a
trio lead by prolific composer pianist Jonathan Bresser brings
together jazz, classical music and improvisation in what promises
to be a unique and absorbing concert.
Pasifika Festival Concerts on the TV3 Garden
Stage
The flavours of Pasifika come to Auckland Arts Festival,
with performances from 'In Your Own Language' and the
'Best of Auditions' on the TV3 Garden Stage. Running
1.30pm-3pm, Monday 7 - Thursday 10 March (the week
leading into the main Pasifika Festival), this partnership links
Auckland's two biggest cultural events.
Free Movies as part of the Auckland City Music in
Parks programme
Over four nights, the Festival Garden will screen some of New
Zealand's best short films. Thursday 11 March from 10-11.30pm
and Monday 14 March from 8-9.30pm, a selection of finalists from
this year's Show Me Shorts film festival, which showcases
outstanding Kiwi short film making talent, will be screened.
Saturday 12 March from 10-11.30 features a special programme of
Homegrown Dramatic Digital Shorts, a selection of digital
films curated by MIC Toi Rerehiko, while Sunday night (8-9.30)
showcases the best of Auckland's entries in the annual Hamburg
Animation Award over the last three years.
WHITE NIGHT
For one evening, Saturday 12 March, Auckland's museums and
galleries will stay open till midnight, featuring special
exhibitions, activities and performances. White
Night is a must-attend event for contemporary art-lovers and
an exciting night out for the whole family.
With participating galleries and museums including the Auckland
Art Gallery, the Auckland Central City Library, MOTAT (Museum of
Transport and Technology), the Auckland Museum and the Voyager New
Zealand Maritime Museum, as well as many other public and private
galleries, White Night is a perfect follow on from the
day's Pasifika Festival at Western Springs. Free
buses will connect the key venues and arts precincts, providing
access to the many locations.
In the central city area, highlights include hands-on
opportunities and performances at the Auckland Art Gallery, trips
on the steamship, SS Te Puke at The Voyager Zealand Maritime Museum
as well as a performance by the Royal New Zealand Navy Pipes and
Drums band. Up on K-Road the local cutting edge contemporary
art galleries, will be buzzing with music, performances, walks and
films including a special evening at Alleluya Café presented by the
Audio Foundation, An Evening of Lovely Listening, with
music from DJs Jon Bywater, Matthew Crawley, Teddy Wong, Rosy
Parlane and more. Performances will take place at Rebel Yell
Gallery - live speed painting - and Artspace, where Jim Allen's
"Parangole Capes" will be performed as part of a 30th
anniversary revisiting of his seminal work, Contact.
Inspired by the successful LATE series, the Auckland Museum's
event will feature great Pacific beats and a panel discussion that
aims to both celebrate and explore the notion of Auckland as the
first city of the Pacific - in collaboration with the Pasifika
Festival. In Parnell, as well as dealer galleries keeping
their doors open and hosting activities, a special programme of
street-based projects has been curated. Special White
Night treats in Ponsonby include a "knit in" at Art Station
and opera performance.
Activities extend far beyond the central city. Regular
buses will run White Night audiences from Aotea Square to
MOTAT, and to TeTuhi and Fresh Gallery in South Auckland. Te
Tuhi is staging a special Carnival which includes a free
performance from Steve Abel and the Chrysalids. For those
based on Waiheke Island, or who would like to make the journey
across, the Oneroa township, including the Waiheke Community
Gallery, Artworks Theatre, Tivoli Books-Art-Film, the Whitakers
Musical Museum, the Once Upon an Island StoryCentre and others will
come alive with special exhibitions, performance and
activities.
The White Night programme is being released on Feb 28.
(/events/white-night.aspx
)
FAMILY DAY
The Festival Family Day on Sunday 13 March offers great live
performances, workshops,
free music and craft activities to entertain the entire
family. Headlining the day is the Free Festival Garden Party,
a celebration of the next generation of kiwi talent.
Activities include a fabulous interactive art project with
celebrated New Zealand artist, John Reynolds. I'm Just
Saying invites kids to help create an artwork inspired by the
power of Twitter and protest banners. In the Spiegeltent,
well-known New Zealanders will bring their favourite children's
storybooks to life in sessions that carry on throughout the
day.
Music is also a feature of the day with the Kiwileles,
a gathering of ukulele orchestras from Auckland primary and
intermediate schools brought together by the NZ Ukulele Trust
taking over the square for an en-masse performance. Young
artists who have excelled in the Play It Strange secondary
school songwriting competition are performing on the TV3
Festival Garden Stage, followed by
Band of Strangers - aspiring teen performers joined by
iconic Kiwi musicians Karl Stevens, Nick Atkinson and rising star
Annah Mac. The NZSO is performing a full-orchestra family
concert of movie title themes - children's tickets are only
$17.50. Imaginative instrument maker Linsay Pollak will
present his wonderful show, Passing Wind, with children's
tickets just $15.
Free or low-cost workshops offered as part of family day include
costume making, physical theatre, face-painting and wacky hair-dos
for kids, and the New Zealand Post's Vietnamese Water Puppets
design competition.
ARTS AND MINDS
Arts and Minds is a series of talks, master classes and
workshops offering festival-goers a deeper insight into the
creative processes of the Festival's national and international
artists.
In Conversation, a series of free lunchtime discussions
involving Festival artists, is held in the Spiegeltent on weekdays
throughout the Festival. Sessions to look forward to include:
Te Radar chairing a how-to-guide for arts reviewing with some of
the city's most knowledgeable critics; Roysten Abel on his Indian
musical spectacular, The Manganiyar Seduction; members of
UrbanYOUTHMovement and Massive Company sharing their perspectives
on emerging artists; and members of the French Jerome Bel company,
including local performers, discussing Bel's unique process.
The 2011 workshops - some free, some with an associated cost -
offer participants the chance to learn from some of the world-class
artists performing at Auckland Arts Festival. Artists
including the Gare St Lazare players, Gregory Maqoma, Massive
Theatre and Linsay Pollock.
The Arts & Minds programme will be released on 1 Feb (/arts-and-minds.aspx).
SCHOOLS PROGRAMME
Auckland Arts Festival's schools programme is a key part of its
mission to makes the Festival as accessible as possible across the
commuity. Over the course of the Festival, thousands of
school students, from as far afield as the South Island, will take
part in the programme which includes heavily subsidized tickets -
from just $10 - special Festival packages, artist talks and
workshops. The Festival has programmed special sessions of
performances, just for schools, which offer students the unique
opportunity to talk to cast members afterwards. Free guided
tours of the visual arts programme are also available.
Teachers can contact schools@aucklandfestival.co.nz
for more information.
ABOUT AUCKLAND ARTS FESTIVAL
Auckland Arts Festival is the region's biggest celebration of
arts and culture. The biennial Festival, which began in 2003,
will celebrate its fifth birthday in 2011 with a dazzling line-up
of more than 75 separate events involving over 500 artists -
concerts, productions, arts exhibitions, and programmes of
seminars, workshops and family activities.
The Festival's hallmark blend of serious, innovative work and
broad appeal events, plus an accessible ticketing policy, ensure
that it is a celebration for the whole region. Major Festival
events take place all across the city - in West Auckland, The North
Shore, and South Auckland and in the central city - as well as
site-specific sculptural works that respond to our unique
geography.
Since its inception, Auckland Arts Festival has built a
reputation for presenting top quality work from around the world,
including a spectacular fireworks display by pyrotechnic artists
Groupe F, theatrical masterworks by Japanese company Ishinha, and
the legendary Robert Lepage's company Ex Machina, and sell-out
cabaret sensation La Clique. The Festival prides
itself on developing and presenting the very best in New Zealand
work, including the magical 2009 theatre piece, The
Arrival, which has become an international success story,
The Songmaker's Chair, by Albert Wendt, and the Michael
Parmenter retrospective, Commotion.
Auckland Arts Festival is governed by the Auckland Festival
Trust, a board chaired by Victoria Carter. Trustees are Rick
Carlyon, Roger MacDonnell, Toni Millar, Jim Moser, Ilona Rodgers,
Heather Shotter, Fred Ward, and Richard Waddel. The
Festival's executive team is Artistic Director David Malacari and
CEO David Inns.
Sponsorship is crucial to presenting an event of this
size. Major Sponsors and Funders for 2011 include Core
Funder: Auckland Council; Gold Sponsors: New Zealand Post Group,
TV3 and Colenso BBDO; Key Funding Partners: Creative New Zealand,
ASB Community Trust, The Lion Foundation, Pub Charity, THE EDGE and
Heart of the City; Silver Sponsors: Westpac, Auckland Airport, The
Radio Network and Stoneleigh; Bronze Sponsors:
PricewaterhouseCoopers, Formica, Wilson Parking, Russell McVeagh
and OGGI.
David Malacari - Artistic
Director
David Malacari has over 30 years experience in the cultural
sector in various roles with some of the region's leading theatre
and dance companies. David worked for the Adelaide Festival
for over 12 years, and directed and produced festivals of
Australian performing arts in India, New Horizons (1996),
and London, Heads Up (2000). He has written work for
cabaret, presented film and book reviews, produced and directed
corporate documentaries, and toured extensively as a lighting
designer and production manager with many companies including The
Sydney Dance Company and the Aboriginal Islander Dance
Theatre. David joined the Festival in late 2004, and was
Festival Director for three Auckland Festivals; 2005, 2007 and
2009.
David Inns - Chief
Executive
David Inns joined the Festival in 2009 when the position of
Festival Director was split into two roles; Artistic Director and
Chief Executive. David has more than 25 years experience in
senior arts administration roles, internationally and within New
Zealand. He was Chief Executive of the New Zealand
International Arts Festival Trust (2002-2009), Executive Director
of the Taranaki Arts Festival (1998-2002) and Technical Director of
Assembly Theatre, Edinburgh, Scotland, part of the annual Edinburgh
Festival (1995-2002). He was part of the team which secured WOMAD
for Taranaki and was the event's Technical Director. David
has a background in teaching and a lifelong involvement in and
passion for the arts.
Victoria Carter LLB - Chair,
Victoria Carter has a law degree and over 25 years
experience in communications, business and public relations. As
an Auckland City Councilor in 1998, Victoria helped get the
Festival restarted, and has been an active Trustee since 2001. An
Accredited Director of the Institute of Directors, she is a
Director of JUCY Rentals, The Aotea Board of Management,
Kidicorp and Auckland Racing Club. Victoria is an enthusiast
for the vital contribution a Festival makes, economically and
culturally, and in many other ways to create a livable
city.
Media enquiries:
Rachel Lorimer
Senior Publicist
021 436 503
rachel.lorimer@aucklandfestival.co.nz