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Karen Hadfield.
 "There
is such fantastic spirit and will on the part of everyone involved,"
says Karen Hadfield, putting into words what will stay with
her, I feel, as an enduring memory of her time as Artistic Director
of the 2004 Adelaide Fringe.
On the balmy Friday opening night of WOMAD, I'd spotted a figure lurking nearby as we waited for Youssou N'Dour to take the stage, and figured 'let's get a report from the frontline'; how is the Artistic Director coping now that her big event draws to a conclusion'?
"It's going very very well, I'm happy with the number of people who are out and about and enjoying themselves," she says diplomatically - and enthusiastically.
"People are always asking me 'what's the must see show?', but I have to say there's not one that stands out."
Indeed, it's a common conversation to be having around Adelaide these past few weeks, and I've found a wonderfully high standard at all the Fringe events I've attended.
"There's going to be something in the style that you want to see," she says by way of answer to that question, acknowledging the enormous breadth of the Fringe activities.
"The hardest thing for me is actually doing my office day job and getting out after work to see all the shows - a lot of artists want me to see their work and come to their shows, and there just isn't the time."
Tell me about it.
Regrets? Hadfield has had a few.
"Producing the lounge and club ourselves has taken a high toll in resources; I set a large challenge to the staff and they've measured up to it. But I don't think we necessarily need to build a Fringe Club ourselves, it's a lot of work."
And yet, Fringe Club notwithstanding, it has been the events organised by, and curated by the Fringe itself which are an acclaimed success, among them the visual arts component, curated by Gus Clutterbuck.
"It has been fantastic," she agrees, "for example the youth and education program has been curated - to get that whole balance. It's about getting the right mix to what is essentially an open access event."
Discussing this, I'd asked about the danger of the Fringe turning into a comedy season as smaller theatre groups and the like are squeezed out of venues. "I think there's a balance between comedy and non-comedy, and comedy shows draw in the people. My hope is that people will take a risk and go and see something else as well."
The final question suggests itself: what is in store for Karen Hadfield in the last week of this year's Fringe? "I'm looking forward to going out and seeing a lot more shows, and catching up on a lot of the ones I've not yet seen," she says with a smile.
Alex Wheaton
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