Pacific Ocean to be Heartbeat of Auckland Festival 2009

The restless and turbulent energies of the Pacific Ocean, which connect the peoples and cultures that share it, are metaphors for Auckland Festival 2009, the fourth incarnation of the city’s biennial arts festival, which will take place on 5-22 March. 

Festival director David Malacari tonight unveiled five major works from local and international artists that set the scene for an outstanding arts and cultural event.

‘The shape of this Festival has evolved out of a consideration of the dynamic energies of the oceans that connect Auckland to the great cultures of the Pacific, and the world,’ Malacari said.

‘The ocean laps at our feet, it hurls itself at our shores, it throws ships on the rocks, it carries them swiftly from place to place, it provides us with food.  It brought the tangata whenua to these islands to create the rich culture in which later immigrants take so much pleasure and pride, and which marks us out as New Zealanders.’

Auckland Festival 2009 also announced a new partnership with New Zealand Post as the Festival’s major sponsor.  Malacari said he was delighted to be working with New Zealand Post, which is well known as a strong supporter of community, cultural and literary events around the country.

The Festival’s commitment to presenting the very best of New Zealand artists is reflected in the announcement of two major shows: the world premiere of Gathering Clouds, a new work by leading dance company Black Grace, and an ambitious programme of work by the great American composers from the Auckland Philharmonia, conducted by Eckehard Stier.

Auckland Festival 2009 will also see two great international companies make their Auckland debuts.  The dynamic, contemporary, Japanese company Ishinha brings its unique, spectacular performance style to New Zealand for the first time, with the mesmerizing Nostalgia.  Robert Lepage’s company Ex Machina, one of the world’s most exciting producers and a long-time favourite of New Zealand audiences, will be presented in Auckland for the first time with the acclaimed production The Andersen Project, created for the 200th anniversary of Hans Christian Andersen.

The Festival will also present a surprise sell-out hit at last year’s Edinburgh Festival, Siren.  Created by UK sound artist Ray Lee, Siren is a contemplative installation performance that exists on the border between the performing and visual arts.

Malacari describes the five announced shows as a ‘taster’ of the more than forty productions and concerts (with over 200 performances) that, along with a rich and exciting visual arts programme across the city, will have Auckland buzzing next March.  Auckland Festival 2009 will also feature a bigger, better, bolder Red Square, based at the Aotea Centre, with a series of shows in the Festival Club and Speigeltent, and an array of free events for the whole family - something for everyone to enjoy and participate in. 

New Zealand Post Chief Executive John Allen said the Auckland Festival provided New Zealand Post with an outstanding opportunity to celebrate arts and culture within New Zealand’s largest and most vibrant city.

‘Auckland is home to a cross section of our Group business activities, important customers and to many of our staff and their families.  We are particularly pleased that the Festival traditionally presents innovative arts and culture events that are accessible to all sectors of the community throughout the greater Auckland region.’

John Allen said the strong youth component of the Festival fitted extremely well with New Zealand Post’s other community support programmes, aimed at literacy development for children and young adults.

The full programme for Auckland Festival 2009 will be released in November.


ABOUT AUCKLAND FESTIVAL 2009

Auckland Festival 2009 (5-22 March) will be Auckland’s fourth Arts Festival, a biennial event that has become a firmly established part of New Zealand’s arts and cultural calendar.  The Festival will again present outstanding work from the Pacific & New Zealand, including world premieres and international work never before seen in Australasia.  A bigger, better, bolder Festival Hub and an array of free events for the whole family will mean that there is something for everyone to enjoy and participate in. 

AK07, the 2007 Festival, drew critical, public and media acclaim, presenting more than 100 events, including dance, music, cabaret, burlesque, theatre, ballet, film, public forums and visual arts.  From the huge event at the Auckland Domain, the pyrotechnic performance A Little More Light by Groupe F, watched by a record 200,000 spectators, the 2007 Festival created a sense of excitement and buzz throughout the city.

2007 saw a record number of shows sell-out, including seasons of Taki Rua’s Strange Resting Places, Tusiata Avia’s Wild Dogs Under My Skirt, Black Graces’ Amata, Silo Theatre’s Ensemble Project, the New Zealand Symphony Orchestra presentation of Mahler 2-The Resurrection, Jennifer Ward-Lealand’s Falling in Love Again, plus international sell-out shows; Max Black, 10 Days on Earth, La Clique, Eddie Perfect and the Spaghetti Western Orchestra.  Red Square, the lively hub where artists and public gathered at The Famous Spiegeltent, the Festival Club and the Spiegel Bar and Café throughout the event, added another dimension to the 2007 Festival, and will be back in 2009. 


AUCKLAND FESTIVAL 2009 KEY PEOPLE

Auckland Festival Board:
Richard Waddel (Chair), Victoria Carter (Deputy Chair), Rick Carlyon, Ilona Rodgers, Vivienne Bridgwater, Heather Shotter, Roger King, Roger McDonnell and Toni Millar.

Festival 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.  He has written work for cabaret, presented film and book reviews for newspaper and radio programs in Perth, Brisbane and Adelaide, and produced and directed corporate documentaries.  David previously worked for the Adelaide Festival for over 12 years, and has directed and has produced festivals of Australian performing arts in India, New Horizons (1996), and London, Heads Up (2000).  He joined the biennial Auckland Festival in late 2004, and has led two Auckland Festivals, 2005 and 2007.