New director, 2012 report 'in due course'

Planning and preparation for a successful Otago Festival of the Arts in 2014 are on track, according to festival board chairman Malcolm Farry.

Responding to comments from Peter Entwisle in today's Artbeat column, Mr Farry said the board had already had discussions with people in the city who had provided and promised support in various ways.

''The overwhelming response continues to be that the event is far too important to the city to lose.''

He said the board had become intimately involved with the last festival once issues arose, far more than for normal governance roles. Board members, in their voluntary capacity, continued to be closely involved in work towards 2014.

The last festival, which despite some difficulties had been a popular success, had been reviewed, as had plans for the future. At this stage in the two-year cycle, an acting manager, with help from board members, was dealing with administrative matters. A creative director would be appointed at the ''appropriate time'' later this year to develop the programme.

All creditors had been paid except for the expected and standard delay for a few venues. Because of the way the trust funding worked, they could not be paid until the relevant trust funding came through.

The office in Stuart St was being vacated for cheaper premises in Princes St from the beginning of next month.

The board intended to release a report on the 2012 festival and the 2014 festival in due course, when all matters were finalised, he said.

Contacted on Friday, Ms Alec Wheeler, who now works for the Court Theatre in Christchurch, said that given the downward trend with national and regional arts funding, the loss of five key Dunedin venues and significant changes to festival staff and trustees, the 2012 Otago Festival year was always going to be a considerable challenge.

''With the exception of a five-month period from June through October, the directorship of the festival is a sole charge position. As a new director who was also new to Dunedin, I worked to the best of my abilities with the support and resources that were available to me.

''Festivals are cyclical and they go through peaks and valleys over the course of their existence. As those who have followed the Otago Festival's history will know, this is not the first season that the festival has faced (and overcome) valleys.

''I'm immensely proud of the breadth and calibre of the programme delivered in the 2012 festival,'' Ms Wheeler said.

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