MAJOR AUSTRALIAN FESTIVALS COMMISSIONING SITE 2020 Brisbane Festival is an initiative of the Queensland Government and Brisbane City Council 1/ 2/ WELCOME On behalf of the Confederation of Australian The Confederation has had the privilege of CAIAF acknowledges the traditional International Arts Festivals, welcome to the Major administering the MFI fund since 1995 resulting owners of the land on which we gather, the Australian Festivals Commissioning Site. in the development of hundreds of new Turrbul and Yuggera people. We recognise Australian works. and respect their cultural and creative As we are all acutely aware, 2020 has been heritage and acknowledge their ongoing deeply challenging for the global cultural sector. Over the next two days we are delighted to be contribution to our shared future. When the pandemic hit earlier this year, the able to share with you projects in varying states Confederation met to consider how best to of development. The work of the selected artists The 2020 Major Australian Festivals respond within available resources and the scope is seen to be ready for further development and Commissioning Site is produced by of the Australian Government’s Major Festivals presentation, and we commend them to you for Brisbane Festival for the Confederation Initiative (MFI) fund. Simultaneously, many of your consideration. of Australian International Arts Festivals, our Festival members were recalibrating their funded by the Australian government’s I thank the Brisbane Festival for hosting this traditional festival formats and offerings against Major Festivals Initiative (MFI) through event in the midst of delivering a newly designed a backdrop of a constantly changing horizon of Australia Council for the Arts. Festival. To those joining around Australia and health and border restrictions, artist and audience abroad, I am delighted that you have joined us expectations; each of us are now looking towards in commissioning the next crop of exciting new MFI COMMISSIONING a very different 2021. Australian work. SITE 2020 The $1.5 million annual MFI fund supports the commissioning of new Australian works RICHARD EVANS PRODUCTION TEAM by the seven major multi-artform capital city CHAIR Melinda (Min) Collie-Holmes international arts festivals. The Confederation Producer/MC member Festivals, co-commissioners and Jess Audsley production partners collectively contribute Associate Producer 50% of their own funds towards seeding, developing and producing new work, resulting Craig Wilkinson/optikal bloc in approximately $3 million worth of work being Vision Mixer supported each year. Once commissioned, Chelsea Chua member Festivals and other presenters go on to Programming Intern fund the presentation of these works, all of which are presented nationally and some of which go on to tour internationally over many years. 3/ DELEGATES CAIAF RISING ASSOCIATE MEMBERS Richard Evans Gideon Obarzanek AUCKLAND ARTS FESTIVAL Chair Co-Artistic Director Shona McCullagh Julia Herne Hannah Fox Artistic Director Secretariat Co-Artistic Director David Inns Chief Executive ADELAIDE FESTIVAL Kath Mainland Neil Armfield AO Executive Director NEW ZEALAND FESTIVAL/ TAWHIRI FESTIVAL AND EXPERIENCES Co-Artistic Director Mark Burlace Meg Williams Rachel Healy Deputy Executive Director Executive Director Co-Artistic Director Rose Harriman Marnie Karmelita Elaine Chia Curatorial Manager Creative Director Executive Director Lucy Forge Angela Green Lesley Newton Executive Producer Head of Programming Head of Programming Ally Harvey Tess Appleby Deputy Executive Producer FUNDING PARTNER Program Manager PERTH FESTIVAL AUSTRALIA COUNCIL FOR THE ARTS Kate Hillgrove Iain Grandage Alice Nash Program Manager Artistic Director Executive Director Arts Investment Andrew Donovan BRISBANE FESTIVAL Nathan Bennett Director Multi-Year Investment, Arts Investment Charlie Cush Executive Director Chief Executive Officer Anna Reece Jade Lillie Head of Sector Development Louise Bezzina Executive Producer Artistic Director Norman Armour SYDNEY FESTIVAL North American Representative Kate Fell Wesley Enoch Program Director Festival Director DARWIN FESTIVAL Olivia Ansell Felix Preval Incoming Festival Director Artistic Director Christopher Tooher (CAIAF Treasurer) James Gough Executive Director Acting CEO Vivia Hickman Vanessa Wright Executive Producer Program Producer TEN DAYS ON THE ISLAND Lindy Hume Artistic Director Jane Haley Chief Executive Officer Vernon Guest Executive Producer 4/ NATIONAL DELEGATES ADELAIDE FESTIVAL CENTRE BRISBANE POWERHOUSE NORPA Liz Hawkins Kris Stewart Julian Louis Director or Programming, Development and Artistic Director Artistic Director Venue Sales Katherine Hoepper PACA APAM Programming Director Katherine Connor Catherine Jones Executive Director BRITISH COUNCIL Director Helen Salmon QUEENSLAND PERFORMING ARTS Naomi Velaphi Director CENTRE Program Producer John Glenn CANBERRA THEATRE CENTRE Director, Programming ARTS CENTRE MELBOURNE Alex Budd Edwina Lunn Director Rebecca Lamoin Director of Programming Director, Public Engagement and Learning Gill Hugonnet David Anderson Deputy Director – Programming RIVERSIDE THEATRE Head of Contemporary Performance Robert Love AM COUNTRY ARTS SA Director Daniel Clarke Anthony Peluso Creative Producer, Theatre and Contemporary Chief Executive Catherine Swallow Performance Program Manager Mary Harvey DEPARTMENT OF INFRASTRUCTURE, TRANSPORT, SYDNEY OPERA HOUSE Creative Producer, Families and Children REGIONAL DEVELOPMENT AND Fiona Winning COMMUNICATIONS Angharad Wynne-Jones Director, Programming Alison Todd Head of Creative Engagement Director, Arts Policy and Development SYDNEY THEATRE COMPANY ARTS HOUSE Kip Williams HOTA, HOME OF THE ARTS Emily Sexton Artistic Director Virginia Hyam Artistic Director Head of Programming Ben White Sophie Travers Senior Producer General Manager ILLUMINATE ADELAIDE Skye Kunstelj Rachael Azzopardi Olivia Anderson Associate Producer Co-Founder and Creative Director Producer THE ARTHOUSE WYONG MELBOURNE FRINGE ARTS PROJECTS AUSTRALIA Anne-Marie Heath Simon Abrahams Ian Scobie Executive Director Creative Director and CEO Director Lee Cumberlidge MERRIGONG THEATRE COMPANY/ ILLAWARRA PERFORMING ARTS Director CENTRE Simon Hinton AUSPICIOUS ARTS PROJECTS Artistic Director/CEO John Paxinos Executive Director Leland Kean Acting Artistic Director BLAKDANCE Merindah Donnelly NATIONAL THEATRE OF PARRAMATTA Executive Producer Joanne Kee Executive Producer BLEACH FESTIVAL/ PLACEMAKERS GOLD COAST Rosie Dennis Artistic Director/ CEO 5/ INTERNATIONAL DELEGATES AUCKLAND LIVE MANCHESTER INTERNATIONAL Bernie Haldane FESTIVAL Director and General Manager of Programming Paul Clay and Presenter Services International Director AURORA NOVA NEW THEATRE INSTITUTE OF LATVIA Wolfgang Hoffman Bek Berger Director Artistic Director BAM NOORDERZON FESTIVAL OF David Binder PERFORMING ARTS & SOCIETY Artistic Director Mark Yeoman Artistic Director BARBICAN CENTRE Toni Racklin SINGAPORE INTERNATIONAL FESTIVAL OF THE ARTS Head of Theatre and Dance Natalie Hennedige BRIGHTON FESTIVAL Festival Director Sally Cowling STANFORD LIVE Artistic Associate and International Programmer Chris Lorway DAVID LIEBERMAN/ARTISTS Executive Director REPRESENTATIVES David Lieberman THEATER DER WELT President Stefan Schmidtke Artistic Director Allen Moon Director of Touring and Artist Management WALES MILLENNIUM CENTRE Pádraig Cusack FIERY ANGEL ENTERTAINMENT Executive Producer Michael Stevens Head of Concerts and Special Events WEST KOWLOON CULTURAL DISTRICT AUTHORITY HARBOURFRONT CENTRE Kee Hong Low Iris Nemani Head of Theatre Chief Programming Officer Nathalie Bonjour Director, Performing Arts Laura McLeod Director, Cultural Engagement KYOTO EXPERIMENT Juliet Knapp Director LIFT FESTIVAL Kris Nelson Artistic Director and CEO 6/ PITCHING ARTISTS AUSTRALIAN DANCE THEATRE GRAVITY AND OTHER MYTHS TANDEM Garry Stewart Jascha Boyce Fenn Gordon Artistic Director Company Director/Marketing/Acrobat Executive Producer Nick Hays Darcy Grant TERRAPIN PUPPET THEATRE Executive Director Creative Lead Sam Routledge Artistic Director BARKING GECKO THEATRE COMPANY Christie Anderson Artistic Director, Young Adelaide Voices Luke Kerridge THE FARM Artistic Director Torben Brookman Gavin Webber Helen Hristofski Co-Owner GWB Entertainment Co-Artistic Director CEO & Executive Producer GUTS DANCE Chloe Ogilvie Core Artist BRINK PRODUCTIONS Frankie Snowdon Co-Artistic Director Chris Drummond THE LAST GREAT HUNT Artistic Director Madeleine Krenek Sian Roberts Karen Wilson Co-Artistic Director Executive Producer General Manager ILBIJERRI THEATRE COMPANY THE NEW ZEALAND DANCE COMPANY CASUS CIRCUS Rachael Maza James O’Hara Natano Fa’anana Artistic Director Co-Artistic Director Co-Founder & Creative Director Nina Bonacci Tor Columbus Senior Producer Co-Artistic Director CIRCA Yaron Lifschitz Daniel Riley Caroline Bindon Artistic Director Associate Producer Artistic Manager Shaun Comerford INSITE ARTS INTERNATIONAL Janine Dijkmeijer Executive Director Penelope Leishman Creative Executive Director Danielle Kellie Kate Hancock JP Bolton Senior Producer Creative Producer LEGS ON THE WALL Lauren Eisinger Joshua Thomson Ross McCormack International Development Manager Artistic Director Choreographer and Set Designer Ho-Yin Ng Cecily Hardy VITALSTATISTIX Board Director, Amanda Levete Architects Senior Creative Producer Emma Webb Director DANCENORTH METRO ARTS Kyle Page Jo Thomas INDEPENDENT ARTISTS Artistic Director CEO and Creative Director Emma Beech Anna Breckon