Supercity Arts Festival set to Delight, Thrill and Entertain in 2011
Aucklanders are invited to leave the everyday behind and be
transported to rich new artistic worlds with the next Auckland Arts
Festival, which takes place 2-20 March, 2011.
The infinite possibilities of the universe, the thrill of
discovery, and the excitement of travel to exotic worlds are
metaphors for the fifth Auckland Arts Festival, says Artistic
Director David Malacari, who today unveiled five highlights of the
upcoming Festival.
"Our Festival progamme celebrates the limitless universe of the
human imagination - of creativity, ideas and dreams," says
Malacari.
"Like all world-class Festivals, our goal is to inspire people
to enlarge their horizons, visit captivating new creative worlds,
and have exhilarating cultural experiences."
The biennial Festival, which began in 2003, will celebrate its
fifth birthday in 2011 and will be the first major arts and culture
event of the Auckland Supercity. The Festival is a celebration of
arts and culture for the entire region.
"The Auckland Arts Festival is the City's only multi-arts event
and its only major arts festival," Malacari says. "Each
Festival we build a stronger presence across greater Auckland and
increase our impact in the central city."
The five works announced today span four continents, and reflect
the range of serious, innovative work and broad appeal events that
make the Festival a celebratory 19-day party - a blend organisers
say is tailored to Aucklanders' desire to be challenged as well as
entertained.
Two significant works from India and Vietnam will bring the
energy and colour of traditional music and performance to Auckland,
with a 21st Century twist. Described as a
theatrical spectacle and a joyous, musical feast, The
Manganiyar Seduction is a dazzling concert of Rajasthani music
presented in a visually seductive set inspired by Amsterdam's red
light district and the Hawa Mahal or 'Palace of the Winds' in
Jaipur.
The Thang Long Troupe will bring the enchanting
thousand-year-old art form of Vietnamese Water Puppetry from the
paddy fields of Red River Delta to a temporary, manmade pond in the
new Aotea Square. Their show, a magical and exhilarating experience
for both adults and children, headlines the Festival's family
programme.
La Odisea (The Odyssey) is a theatrical treat from
Bolivia's Teatro de los Andes. Cinematic in scope, La
Odisea is a wonderful retelling of Homer's Odyssey in
which Ulysses is a Latino immigrant abroad, seeking to return to
his family in Bolivia. Astonishing performances, live music
and song, and dynamic staging are hallmarks of this captivating
South American production.
Malacari announced a major Festival commission, a new dance work
from choreographer Douglas Wright, one of this country's most
important artists. Wright describes rapt - his
11th full-length - as a work that "celebrates the dark
radiant energies of the body [with] haunting unforgettable dances
of serenity and power." rapt will be performed on
the Civic stage by a company that features many of New Zealand's
best international dancers.
Classical music is an important strand of the Auckland Arts
Festival programme, and 2011 brings Aucklanders a rare opportunity
to hear Baroque music played by one of the world's outstanding
period ensembles, The Lautten Compagney.
The Berlin-based Baroque ensemble will present two programmes;
Timeless, their Echo Klassik award-winning performance of
the music of Tarquinio Merula and Philip Glass, and Handel with
Care, a concert of the evocative music of George Frederic
Handel.
Malacari also announced the return in 2011 of Auckland favourite
the Spiegeltent, which will be situated in The Festival Garden, a
reinvented Festival hub designed to make the most of the new-look
Aotea Square precinct.
The Festival Garden will be a dynamic environment with its own
performance spaces - including the Spiegeltent, the Vietnamese
Water Puppets' pond, cafes and bars. Programming for the
Spiegeltent and Garden will be announced in November.
The rest of the 2011 Festival programme - an estimated 40
separate productions involving more than 500 artists, visual arts
exhibitions, seminars, workshops and family activities - will be
finalised in the coming weeks. The full programme will be
launched in November, when tickets sales will open.
The Auckland Arts Festival enjoys major support from New Zealand
Post, Colenso BBDO, Creative NZ, ASB Community Trust and the
Ratepayers of Auckland
ABOUT THE AUCKLAND ARTS FESTIVAL
The 2011 Auckland Arts Festival (2-20 March) will be Auckland's
fifth Arts Festival, a biennial event that has become a firmly
established part of the Australasian and International arts and
cultural calendar. The Festival will again present
outstanding work from many of New Zealand's foremost artists, and
international work never before seen in this country, across
theatre, music, dance and the visual arts. An exciting
line-up of music and cabaret centred around the Festival Garden, a
strong education programme and an array of free events for the
whole family, mean that there will be something for everyone to
enjoy .
Over the past four festivals, the Auckland Arts Festival has
built a reputation for presenting top quality work from around the
world, which would otherwise not be seen in Auckland.
Highlights include the marvellous 2007 display from pyrotechnic
artists Group F, the 2009 theatrical masterworks by Japanese
company Ishinha, and the legendary Robert Lepage's company Ex
Machina, sell-out cabaret sensations La Clique in both 2007 and
2009, and many more.
The Festival prides itself on developing and presenting the very
best in New Zealand work. At the 2009 Festival,
Aucklanders were captivated by local commissions like
Sleep/Wake, The Kreutzer, and The Arrival, which
has become an international success story, playing at Arts
Festivals in Wellington, Hong Kong, and Australia.
The 2011 Festival will be the first major arts and culture event
of the new Supercity. The event's official title has become The
Auckland Arts Festival, a small but significant name change that
clearly defines the Festival's position as the region's pre-eminent
multi-arts event.
KEY PEOPLE
Auckland Festival Board:
Rick Carlyon, Victoria Carter, Roger King, Roger MacDonnell,
Toni Millar, Jim Moser, Ilona Rodgers, Heather Shotter, Fred Ward,
and Richard Waddel.
Artistic Director: David Malacari
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 previously worked for the Adelaide
Festival for over 12 years, and has 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 the world as a
lighting designer and production manager with many companies
including The Sydney Dance Company. David joined the Auckland
Festival in late 2004, and was Festival Director for three Auckland
Festivals; 2005, 2007 and 2009.
Chief Executive: David Inns
David Inns joined Auckland Arts 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.
### ENDS ###
MEDIA ENQUIRIES:
For interview requests, print quality images and other
enquiries, please contact:
Rachel Lorimer
Senior Publicist
021 436 503
rachel.lorimer@aucklandfestival.co.nz
www.aucklandfestival.co.nz