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 | The Festivals Roundup. How was it for you? As Adelaide goes slowly back to normal, we reminisce on the fun fuelled four weeks when too much culture is never enough, with the three festivals in March all buoyed by record ticket sales. More than half of the Festival of Arts shows were sold out in the final days and the Persian Garden became a stunning riverbank venue. WOMAD hosted thousands more that got on the global beat and the Fringe surpassed its previously freakish box office record of 2002. With more modes of 'entertainment' than ever, the internet generation is stepping out for some live culture, and there ain't nothing bad in that! We had more places to go, more shows to see, and much revelling about the parklands. The festivals now take over a large part of our fair city. The Fringe Festival is the largest of them; an all in arts extravaganza where anyone with an idea can stage a show. The icing on the box office boom was the state election, held (perhaps strategically) on the last weekend of the Festival and Fringe, which confidently installed the Labor government who promised an annual Fringe Festival. It's something incoming Festival Director Christie Anthony has been talking about for years. "Adelaide can certainly sustain an annual event, and by going annual we will be able to put in place the infrastructure for the organisation to be able to deliver year after year," she enthuses. The arts passionate Anthony was not set to commence in the role until June, however this is being reviewed in light of an annual Fringe. "Currently everything winds down and then cranks up again slowly... there will be strategy for the long term growth, and that is the vision I pitched to the Fringe. I am still looking forward from 2008 onwards. As for next year, the board is yet to determine what type of event it will be, but it will be some kind of boutique Fringe I imagine, and then slowly it will roll on to become a strong huge annual festival. I don't want the expectation that we will kick off next year with a huge festival, but without question, it is the right time in the international calendar, it works closely with the neighbouring New Zealand and Asian festivals. In the long run I think that this will be an enormous festival annually." The already huge Fringe program is very dense, making it a publicity battle for the attention of punters. This makes it very hard for artists just starting out who have to be writer, singer, director, producer and marketer. Like Amy Bodossian, who staged her first one woman show 'Deep Fried Love' at the 2006 Fringe, a witty and indulgent show punctuated with a sassy soundtrack of her original songs. "It was very rewarding, the whole experience. It was pretty bloody hard because I did it all myself. I did publicity, and I wrote it, staged it, directed it and produced it by myself. I basically did that so I could learn all aspects of it, so everything from here on in will be easier. And it was fun. And challenging. And what you don't get in money you get in experience," she quips. The show just broke even, and some mix ups meant that the show was listed as cancelled in the first few days, almost half of the seven date season. Smaller shows can fall through the cracks left by international comedy juggernauts. And some can fall heavily. Acrobat's van and everything in it went up in flames on the way over from Victoria, yet they managed to go on with the show, delighting children and adults alike with their take on circus life in their show with the Snuff Puppets Circus Ole. It was performed in the wonderful Sideshow Paradiso, a group of carnival style venues spilled across the road from the Garden Of Unearthly Delights and apt winner of the Spirit of the Fringe Award for the fun filled carnie atmosphere they infused into the East End. But the greatest tale of clearing hurdles must be Higher Ground, an ambitious venue housed in the old Imax cinema off Rundle Street. Co-ordinators Dush Kumar and Susie (?) were still defending their plans for the multi arts space (and the 2006 Fringe Club) in court against developers and the Council the month before it was due to open. Higher Ground launched as lighting rigs were still going up, but staged some great theatre and music. "We were blown away by support from artists and audiences alike, particularly impressed with 'Highway Rock And Roll Disaster' - an award winning show and we were stoked to host them. The Pants were the new upcoming show and high quality work that is really setting a standard for what is to come," states Ali Gordon, publicist for the venue. "Every one who came was having a great time. Anyone could drop in and have a laugh, that is how we want the venue to continue, to be a high quality enjoyable event space." Higher Ground is set to continue bringing a little bit of the Fringe into the off season, with plans to facilitate local theatre and cabaret year round, as well as attract acts from interstate and further afield. And it won't be as long between Fringe binges from now on, and Anthony is excited to be leading the Fringe festival into this new era. "There is no question that around the world festivals are enormously valuable to our society, for our culture, where we are in the world and to further create this culture for creativity annually will help everybody. "And Adelaide audiences are inquisitive and intelligent. We draw artists and creative people here and they springboard away and back, like I did. So I think because we have those intelligent and inquisitive people here the program can afford to grow in all areas, in theatre, comedy, cabaret, in all those mixed genres we don't have words for yet," she says excitedly. "But the beauty of the Fringe is that even as Director I cannot dictate that, it is an open access festival." Bring it on!  | |
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