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Katie Woolf spoke with Darwin Festival Artistic Director Felix Preval · 360 with Katie Woolf

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  Speaker 1: And joining us live in the studio right now is
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  Speaker 1: the artistic director for the Darwin Festival, Felix Prava. Good
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  Speaker 1: morning to you.
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  Speaker 2: Good morning Katie, Felix.
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  Speaker 1: I tell you wash are you a professional juggler, because
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  Speaker 1: you would have to be at the moment trying to
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  Speaker 1: juggle all the different things happening into stay with COVID.
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  Speaker 3: I tell you what that might be my next career
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  Speaker 3: move because it has been a lot There are a
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  Speaker 3: lot of balls up in the air still and yeah, look,
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  Speaker 3: it's really difficult to communicate these program changes obviously hugely
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  Speaker 3: disappointing to all of those artists, particularly the artists based
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  Speaker 3: in New South Wales, but the reality is those borders
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  Speaker 3: are not opening in time for the festival next week
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  Speaker 3: and we have to action those changes now.
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  Speaker 1: So we heard about some of those changes yesterday, but
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  Speaker 1: for those who may be miss that, able to give
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  Speaker 1: us a bit of an update from the changes that
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  Speaker 1: were announced yesterday.
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  Speaker 2: Firstly, absolutely so, we have.
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  Speaker 3: A number of shows postponed till later in the year
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  Speaker 3: or into early twenty twenty two that include Sydney Dance
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  Speaker 3: Company and flight facilities, so ticket holders for those will
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  Speaker 3: have been contacted yesterday. We really encourage you to hold
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  Speaker 3: onto those tickets. Those shows will happen, I mean, god willing. Yeah.
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  Speaker 3: And then we have a number of other shows that
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  Speaker 3: I suppose are postponed, postponed theoretically to next year. We
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  Speaker 3: very much hope these artists will be in the next
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  Speaker 3: year's festival. So that's Murra Geku with their beautiful work,
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  Speaker 3: straight Talk during Yanga Hike your Hands, Montane Niri and
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  Speaker 3: Clipso yeap Or sadly based in New South Wales, and
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  Speaker 3: then New Zealand act Jess b. She obviously can definitely
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  Speaker 3: not come, and so we will look forward to having
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  Speaker 3: them hopefully all in the festival next year. But those
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  Speaker 3: customers will have been offered the opportunity to swap those
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  Speaker 3: tickets for one of the incredible shows that we have
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  Speaker 3: been able to slot into place.
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  Speaker 1: Yeah. Well this is the thing. You have moved things around.
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  Speaker 1: You haven't sort of gone, oh okay, well no we
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  Speaker 1: can't do that, we'll just leave. But you've actually tried
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  Speaker 1: to move other things in and slot things in here,
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  Speaker 1: there and everywhere so that we're able to still have
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  Speaker 1: a great festival program.
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  Speaker 3: I mean absolutely, and we're thrilled to announce the acts
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  Speaker 3: that are taking those places. So on the opening weekend
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  Speaker 3: where Hiku Hands would have been and indeed now an
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  Speaker 3: additional show. On the Thursday night, we have club Briefs,
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  Speaker 3: some incredible sort of circus variety, boilesque.
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  Speaker 2: Extravaganze, makes fun, it's very fun.
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  Speaker 3: It's going to be some real relief for those feeling
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  Speaker 3: the pressure of COVID myself included, to just get silly
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  Speaker 3: with some very handsome men and underwear yep.
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  Speaker 2: During nights for me.
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  Speaker 3: And then on the middle Friday we have Psycho, who
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  Speaker 3: was one of the incredible opening acts for Flight Facilities.
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  Speaker 2: She's still going to be in town.
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  Speaker 3: Were really pumped for her, really cool new pop music.
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  Speaker 2: She's a rising star.
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  Speaker 3: And on the final Friday, Confidence Man, so total party.
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  Speaker 1: Starters, fantastic And now what about obviously the opening night,
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  Speaker 1: there's had to be some changes there.
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  Speaker 2: Talk us through those.
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  Speaker 3: Yeah, I mean, most heartbreaking of all, we have had
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  Speaker 3: to postpone Bungle to twenty twenty two. We're working through
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  Speaker 3: this now with all of those kind of partners. So
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  Speaker 3: it's a big project. This is of course the kind
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  Speaker 3: of the live symphony orchestra rendition of the final Girmal album.
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  Speaker 3: This is at work we've been working on since twenty eighteen, Katie.
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  Speaker 2: Yeah, it's a long time. Yeah, it is, it really is.
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  Speaker 3: But you know what, it's going to be absolutely incredible
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  Speaker 3: when we do it next year. And we just all
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  Speaker 3: have to hope that the world is a bit of
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  Speaker 3: place in twenty twenty two.
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  Speaker 1: And it's so difficult because you know a lot of
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  Speaker 1: us feel disappointed obviously when something is postponed and we think, oh,
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  Speaker 1: that's such a shame. I was really hoping to see that.
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  Speaker 1: But then behind the scenes just sort of sometimes I
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  Speaker 1: don't think we think about the impact that then has
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  Speaker 1: on some of those artists that have been really trying
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  Speaker 1: to get organized for such a long period of time
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  Speaker 1: producing that work, not just with Bongle but even some
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  Speaker 1: of those other shows, and they're in lockdown in New
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  Speaker 1: South Wales and you really feel for them.
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  Speaker 2: It's awful. It's awful, you know.
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  Speaker 3: And look, while there is some kind of federal relief
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  Speaker 3: for artists in New South Wales and in Victoria and
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  Speaker 3: those states that are in lockdown, the financial impacts are
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  Speaker 3: a huge and you know, obviously we pay artists for
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  Speaker 3: their time when they're here, but it's very hard to
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  Speaker 3: account for the years and years of preparation involved. So
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  Speaker 3: I mean, really, our hearts just go out to all
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  Speaker 3: of the artists who are still pushing through and like
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  Speaker 3: I say, we pray that the world is a better place.
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  Speaker 2: Than twenty two. Yeah, and feelix.
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  Speaker 1: It does sound though, as though you've done a lot
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  Speaker 1: in terms of making sure that there is a program
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  Speaker 1: where we've got artists from all around the nation, so
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  Speaker 1: that should something like this happen, you've had the ability
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  Speaker 1: to sort of move things around it and still have
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  Speaker 1: a great program for Territorians.
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  Speaker 3: Yeah. Look, we did take it into account while we
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  Speaker 3: were planning the festival, and it's great news to have
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  Speaker 3: the Victorian the South Australian borders open. We're super excited
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  Speaker 3: to have all of those artists and hopefully a.
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  Speaker 2: Few audience members come as well. Yeah. Look, you know
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  Speaker 2: touch word they stay open.
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  Speaker 3: And look, we've actually got a whole lot of artists
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  Speaker 3: who are already here now came up to quarantine and
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  Speaker 3: have been let out of quarantine, which is kind of great.
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  Speaker 3: They now get this surprise two week holiday in Darwen instead.
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  Speaker 3: Great for the economy it is, and more coming.
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  Speaker 2: Yeah, stuff. Well, I tell you what it has been.
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  Speaker 1: I'm sure it's been quite a difficult juggle for you.
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  Speaker 1: But so many Territorians still so excited about the Darwin Festival.
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  Speaker 1: It's going to be fantastic. You can still get down
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  Speaker 1: there and enjoy your time in Festival Park and just relax.
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  Speaker 2: That's right, enjoy yourself.
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  Speaker 3: Yeah, we encourage people to jump online Darwin Festival dot
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  Speaker 3: org au. Check out the program changes, check out the
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  Speaker 3: whole program. There are still plenty of tickets that they
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  Speaker 3: are selling fast. And like I said, instead of the
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  Speaker 3: opening night concert on the Thursday, festival Park will open
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  Speaker 3: a night, so come on down and enjoy some free music,
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  Speaker 3: some boile Esque if you're in the mood, and some
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  Speaker 3: Honeyman's under the stars with us.
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  Speaker 1: Now, I know you can't really have a favorite because
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  Speaker 1: obviously you program everything. But is there any show that
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  Speaker 1: you reckon? We just simply can't miss.
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  Speaker 2: A few.
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  Speaker 3: I mean, look, I'm all about that opening weekend, so
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  Speaker 3: really excited obviously for club briefs, really beautiful dance work.
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  Speaker 3: Daddy really excited for that, and over at the Entertainment
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  Speaker 3: Center in the studios, gorgeous theater piece. I've been meaning
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  Speaker 3: to ask you where we've got eighteen plucky nine year
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  Speaker 3: olds on stage answer sort of asking questions to the community.
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  Speaker 3: And yes, it's all sort of happened online, but the
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  Speaker 3: theater piece that they've made from it is just extraordinary.
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  Speaker 1: I reckon, that's so cool. I love the way that
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  Speaker 1: the kids are involved in it too.
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  Speaker 2: Yeah.
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  Speaker 3: Well, it's kind of one of the themes of the year, right, so,
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  Speaker 3: raising the voices of young people looking to the future
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  Speaker 3: and lord knows, imagining a world post COVID that will
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  Speaker 3: hopefully be somewhat like normal used to be.
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  Speaker 1: Yeah. Absolutely, Felix Preval, It's always lovely to catch up
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  Speaker 1: with you. Thank you so very much for your time
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  Speaker 1: this morning.
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  Speaker 2: Thank you, Katie,