Sydney Festival 2014 Annual Review by Sydney Festival

THIS IS OUR CITY UPLIFTED INSPIRED EXCITED IN review

John Grant at Paradiso at Town Hall, photoÂ Prudence Upton.

“Sydney Festival makes us proud to be a part of our wonderful city.”

Sydney Festival patron, january 2014

“I just sat there thinking ‘I want to stay at Sydney Festival forever.’ It’s just perfect.” Amanda Palmer, ELLE MAGAZINE, 2014

CONTENTS

01 SYDNEY IN SUMMER

02 SNAPSHOT

03 AUDIENCE PROFILE

04 2014 ARTISTIC FOCUS

05 ACCESSIBILITY

06 SUSTAINABILITY

07 reconciliation action plan

08 marketing, communications & digital strategy

09 PARTNERSHIP HIGHLIGHTS

10 PHILANTHROPY, DONATIONS & VOLUNTEERS 42 11 supporters

12 special thanks

Amanda Palmer, photo Jamie Williams.

sydney festival 2014 annual review

01 sydney in summer A message from lieven bertels, festival director

Symphony in The Domain, photoÂ JamieÂ Williams.

Sydney Festival has an excellent reputation as Australia’s foremost purveyor of arts and summer fun in that unique combination Sydneysiders love to share with all. Now in its 38th year, Sydney Festival plays a central role in Australia’s rich cultural landscape and is a key factor in making Sydney an attractive city for visitors and locals alike. With a strong focus on a colourful family program, Sydney Festival 2014 provided the ideal holiday destination, whilst more discerning performing arts lovers were treated to a diverse mix of international and Australian premieres and exclusives across a wide range of genres. Our 2014 Festival was more visible and more tangible than ever, with many great new partnerships, record-breaking media coverage and an ever-increasing audience engagement both across our Festival hubs and via social media. Hot on the heels of last year’s fashion opera Semele Walk the 2014 Festival presented Sasha Waltz’s Dido & Aeneas, a feast of contemporary dance and baroque music. Indigenous stories took centre stage in the Aboriginal King Lear adaptation The Shadow King and in Black Diggers, a Sydney Festival partnership with Queensland Theatre Company, producing a play about Indigenous soldiers in the Australian army during the First World War. Classical music aficionados enjoyed exclusive concerts with international and local talent across nine centuries of music history, while indie music lovers discovered new and retro sounds, spanning 40 years and five continents.

From Sacrilege, the Stonehenge-shaped bouncy castle by Jeremy Deller, to the gravity-defying installation Merchants Store at Darling Harbour and the amazing tricks of Band of Magicians in Parramatta, local and visiting families were treated to an eclectic choice of free and ticketed holiday entertainment. Our 2014 Festival saw the return of many long-time strongholds including About an Hour at Carriageworks, two immensely popular free Domain concerts as well as our Paradiso concert club at Sydney Town Hall and our Parra Opening Party. New was our Festival Village in Hyde Park with day and night-time programs in the Spiegeltent and in the Circus Ronaldo Tent, as well as outdoor activities including a lawn library, the DIY cardboard creations of Boxwars and a variety of food and drinks options including the very successful Festival creations from Gelato Messina. Sydney Festival 2014 was made possible through generous funding from the NSW Government supporting the Festival through Arts NSW and Destination NSW – alongside the City of Sydney and the Parramatta City Council. We were delighted to welcome our new principal sponsor The Star and leadership partners China Southern Airlines and University of Sydney. Sydney Festival acknowledges the increased support of many private donors including our own Director’s Circle. Special thanks goes also to The Balnaves Foundation – who were a commissioning partner and Associate Producer of Black Diggers – and to Peter and Lou Freedman. This 2014 Festival Annual Review documents the bright, sunshiny and art-filled month of January that Sydney Festival presented, whilst we already look forward to the next one. Lieven Bertels Festival Director 2013–16

Over two years, Sydney Festival has premiered 23 new Australian projects, creating a prime outlet for local talent and showcasing homegrown work in our unique Festival context, increasingly attracting international audiences and international media.

Above: Lieven Bertels, photo Prudence Upton.

sydney festival 2014 annual review

02 snapshot

Merchants Store, photoÂ JamieÂ Williams.

The most wonderful summer festival in the world

445 1,036 PERFORMANCES

ARTISTS

1,101,115 visits to the website

Sydney Festival 2014 ran for

144 of events which were 63 free

18 days ARTISTS FROM

COUNTRIES

STRONG SOCIAL MEDIA FOLLOWING IN 2014

48,451

Twitter followers 43% growth in the past year

VENUES

18M turnover

124,030 TICKETS SOLD

(includES all outdoor)

10 13 4

WORLD PREMIERES AUSTRALIAN EXCLUSIVES AUSTRALIAN PREMIERES

2013 2014

58,886

Facebook fans 99% growth in the past year

MORE THAN 456,790 PEOPLE ENJOYED 63 free events

as part of the 2014 program (excluding ferrython)

2013 2014

8,026

Instagram followers 91% growth in the past year

2013 2014

6,468 #sydfest hashtagged instagrams (January)

sydney festival 2014 annual review

03 audience profile

Parra Opening Party, photoÂ JamieÂ Williams.

SYDNEY

85%

REGIONAL NSW

INTERSTATE

OVERSEAS

85%

household income

15.75%

4.35% 4.55% 7.90%

7.35% 11.25% 9.15% 13.25%

< $20,000

4.35%

$20,001 – $40,000

4.55%

$40,001 – $60,000

7.90%

$60,001 – $80,000

11.25%

$80,001 – $100,000

13.25%

$100,001 – $125,000

13.55%

$125,001 – $150,000

12.90%

$150,001 – $175,000

9.15%

$175,001 – $200,000

12.90%

7.35% 15.75%

> $200,000

13.55%

age bracket 25% 24.10%

23.45%

20%

19.80%

15%

15.75%

10% 8.45%

8.45%

65–74

55–64

45–54

35–44

Factors influencing attendance at Sydney Festival events include the breadth and quality of programming, our new Festival Village and the weather conditions.

25–34

Continuing a longstanding trend, Sydney Festival attracts a broad audience across free and ticketed events, covering all age and income brackets. Patrons aged 25–44 are most strongly represented, with 45–54 year olds following closely. 85% of attendees said they live in Sydney (predominantly in the city and Inner South), with 15% visiting from further afield.

Visitor Origin

15–24

Sydney Festival and Destination NSW conducted a visitor survey across a number of events, both free and ticketed at the 2014 Festival. The survey was undertaken online and face-to-face, yielding more than 5,600 responses.

Age Group sydney festival 2014 annual review

04 2014 ARTISTIC FOCUS 10

OPERA AND classical MUSIC “Sasha Waltz’s explosively imaginative, delightfully playful production is rooted in dance and the allegories of our own age. Shaped by production practices of modern choreography, its images swirl and surge as though recovered from a dream…” Peter McCallum, the Sydney Morning Herald, 17 January 2014 Sydney audiences warmly welcomed the return of opera and classical music to the Festival program in 2014. The visually splendid and somewhat contentious rendition of Henry Purcell’s Dido & Aeneas by Sasha Waltz & Guests was a majestic reworking of the opera, opening with dancers diving into an enormous aquarium on stage. Bound to attract attention and debate, it featured the exquisite baroque orchestra Akadamie für Alte Musik Berlin and Vocalconsort Berlin.

The Festival exclusively presented two concerts of the final Australian tour of The Hilliard Ensemble – one of the world’s most distinguished vocal chamber groups who have worked together for 40 years. Sydney audiences were delighted by a program of best-loved works, encompassing the sacred and the secular, and another program that included new works by Gavin Bryars and Nico Muhly – performed with Melbournebased Renaissance music specialists Consort Eclectus. Also in our classical music program, The Apollo Ensemble from the Netherlands performed rare treasures from the Jewish Baroque repertory live in the extraordinary heritage setting of The Great Synagogue; Sydney Chamber Opera premiered His Music Burns, a double bill of contemporary masterpieces by György Kurtág and George Benjamin at Carriageworks, and Akadamie für Alte Musik Berlin performed a sell-out concert at the City Recital Hall. Finally, Symphony in The Domain was a triumph, with Simone Young conducting Sydney Symphony Orchestra and VOX Voices of Sydney Philharmonia Choirs performing Gustav Holst’s stunning orchestral suite The Planets, an astrological journey through the solar system. It featured John Bell reading from various Shakespearian plays.

Dido & Aeneas, photo Jamie Williams.

sydney festival 2014 annual review

Clockwise from top left: LIMBO, Festival Village, photos Prudence Upton; Ben Caplan, Lady Rizo, photos Jamie Williams; Scotch and Soda, photo Prudence Upton.

FESTIVAL VILLAGE In the heart of Hyde Park, our new hub is an oasis of eats, beats and other treats. A mix of free and ticketed events for all ages at all hours, the Village built on the successes of the longstanding Festival Garden and trebled in size, capacity and program. Performances appealing to a range of target audiences rolled out across the 600-seat Spiegeltent, the 300-seat Circus Ronaldo Tent, the Rekorderlig Gazebo, the City of Sydney Lawn Library, the fabulous Jeremy Deller installation Sacrilege, the Bandstand, Folk in a Box and many more. Families flocked to the hub from morning to dusk to participate in free events including workshops, storytelling and games, or to have a bounce on Sacrilege. There were plenty of food options including a healthy selection of meals from Food Society and the specially crafted sculptural treats from Gelato Messina. From dusk through to the wee hours of each morning, thousands of Sydneysiders enjoyed the convivial atmosphere of outdoor music, a quiet drink over dinner in the park, and a circus, cabaret or music event to remember.

“the Festival Village is a fun park filled with surprises for all ages” THE Sydney morning herald, 26 october 2013

sydney festival 2014 annual review

New Australian Theatre and Dance As well as presenting ambitious international dance and theatre works from companies including Toneelgroep Amsterdam, The Arches, Pan Pan Theatre and Kassys, Sydney Festival 2014 premiered a diverse range of new Australian works.

“The stories of the black diggers... are fascinating and revelatory... As the dead and forgotten are mourned, two worlds have, slightly uneasily, come together.” John McCallum, The Australian, 20 january 2014 To mark the eve of the centenary of the First World War, Sydney Festival collaborated with Queensland Theatre Company to produce Black Diggers at Sydney Opera House. Directed by Wesley Enoch and written by Tom Wright, Black Diggers uncovered the contribution of First World War Indigenous diggers, following their exceptional stories from their homelands to the battlefields of Gallipoli, Palestine and Flanders. Playing to full houses across the season, this new work generated enormous media attention and national interest. Sydney Festival also collaborated with other major Australian festivals to co-commission two critically acclaimed works: Shaun Parker & Company’s Am I, a collaboration between choreographer Shaun Parker and composer Nick Wales who created a compelling cult-like world with striking visuals and evocative sound; and Malthouse Theatre’s The Shadow King co-created by Tom E. Lewis and Michael Kantor, a majestic reworking of Shakespeare’s King Lear speaking to the history and current circumstances of Indigenous Australia. Other new works included the international collaboration between Australian and US producers, Band of Magicians at Riverside Parramatta; My Darling Patricia’s evocative children’s theatre work The Piper; Performance 4a and Griffin Theatre Company’s combination of storytelling installation and great food in The Serpent’s Table; KAGE’s Forklift; Sydney Chamber Opera’s His Music Burns; the dynamic, cross-cultural collaboration between Lingalayam Dance Company and Taikoz in Chi Udaka; Karen Therese’s FUNPARK; and Belvoir and post’s Oedipus Schmoedipus.

Pictured from top left to lower right: The Piper, photo Jamie Williams; La Voix Humaine, FORKLIFT, All That Fall, photos Prudence Upton; His Music Burns, photo Louis Dillon-Savage; The Shadow King, Am I, photo Prudence Upton; Apollo Ensemble, photo Jamie Williams; LIMBO, photo Prudence Upton; Black Diggers, photo Jamie Williams.

“(Sacrilege is)...that special combination of factors that fills grown adults with childlike glee and small children with... their regular glee.” Rima Sabina Aouf, Concrete Playground, 20 january 2014

PUBLIC Art Major public artworks were a focus of the 2014 Festival, attracting large audiences to different sites in the city, transforming everyday spaces and engaging wide audiences in playful, interactive experiences. Jeremy Deller’s Sacrilege, an irreverent makeover of Stonehenge as a life-size bouncy castle transformed the northern end of Hyde Park in architectural juxtaposition with the gothic splendour of St Mary’s Cathedral. Attracting thousands of people per day, Sacrilege was free to all and worked as a gateway to the Festival Village located in the same precinct. At Darling Harbour, a perspective-skewing interactive installation by Argentinian artist Leandro Erlich delighted audiences with its invitation to defy gravity. Merchants Store looked like an ordinary 19th-century Sydney building from afar, until you saw people dangling from the windows, climbing up the walls and crawling over the roof. With a precisely positioned mirror and a building facade that’s actually a floor, audiences posted a flurry of selfies with a difference. Responding to the architecture and scale of Carriageworks, Christian Boltanski’s installation Chance invited audiences to witness lives unfolding, following the rhythm of births and deaths across the globe and to explore the idea that all human life is the result of chance. Florentijn Hofman’s giant Rubber Duck made a return appearance, this time bobbing on Parramatta River in Parramatta Park. Kaldor Public Art Projects presented a trio of exquisite participatory works by Slovakian artist Roman Ondák at Parramatta Town Hall, and Artspace presented the interactive time-bending work The Very Near Future by Sydney media artist Alex Davies. 16

This page, left to right: Chance by Christian Boltanski, Merchants Store by Leandro Erlich, photo Jamie Williams; Sacrilege by Jeremy Deller. Opposite page: Ockham’s Razor, photo Prudence Upton.

Family Programs 2014 saw a renewed focus on family programming. The Festival Village provided the perfect context for family shows and workshops during the day and early evening. Circus Ronaldo, a renowned Belgian circus family, brought us La Cucina dell’Arte, a masterful blend of slapstick, circus and theatre that turned their tent into a gloriously chaotic pizzeria. This played alongside several Australian works: Tom Flanagan’s choreographed mayhem in his silent movie-esque Kaput; beatboxing virtuoso Tom Thum’s Beating the Habit; and Jens Altheimer’s topsy-turvy puppeteering of a pile of junk in Squaring the Wheel. Meanwhile Boxwars conducted workshops in making weird and wonderful cardboard creations, the City of Sydney Lawn Library presented workshops and readings and Ali McGregor got the kids dancing to jazzy beats and trashy pop classics in Jazzamatazz! Beyond the Village, we presented a well-received family program in theatre venues across the city. The world’s first magic supergroup, Band of Magicians performed to more than 6,000 people at the Riverside Theatre in Parramatta. Chicago Shakespeare Theater and Richard Jordan’s Othello: The Remix played alongside the whimsical aerial acrobatics of UK’s Ockham’s Razor at the Seymour Centre. At Carriageworks, The Piper, My Darling Patricia’s inspired retelling of The Pied Piper captured the imaginations and hearts of many young Sydneysiders.

“The Piper is …a formally inventive and stimulating piece of theatre.” Jason Blake, the Sydney Morning Herald, 9 January 2014

â&#x20AC;&#x153;chris thile followed by amanda palmer, i feel like i just ate two main meals. massive bows to you both. well booked @sydney_festival.â&#x20AC;? Caroline pegram, 18 january 2014

MUSIC Again live music threaded through much of the programming in 2014. As well as presenting concerts by internationally acclaimed musicians including Chaka Khan, Sun Ra Arkestra, Matmos, Ambrose Akinmusire Quintet, Cat Power and Kurt Vile – live music was the impetus for many Festival events. Malian artists Amadou and Mariam performed Eclipse – a very special event in total darkness, at the Sydney Town Hall, telling their story mixed in with songs spanning their illustrious back catalogue; Big Star’s Third was a live performance of the band’s legendary album, Sister Lovers, performed with its original string and wind orchestrations with a stunning line-up of guest artists; Mike Patton and Lee Ranaldo collaborated with local artists Ensemble Offspring XL and The Song Company to perform Hurricane Transcriptions and Laborintus II. We co-presented with Sydney Opera House: the Australian premiere of the new film Visitors by Godfrey Reggio, Philip Glass and Jon Kane with the score performed live by Sydney Symphony Orchestra; and the world premiere of Shaun Parker & Company’s AM I with its original composition by Nick Wales performed live by an astounding array of Sydney-based musicians. Also a world premiere, was the screening of Spirit of Akasha, channelling the magic of the ocean through music and film in a celebration of the classic surf movie Morning of the Earth, with a stellar line-up of live musicians. The Village was a hub of great music events presented in the Spiegeltent, the Circus Ronaldo Tent, the Bandstand and tiny performance space for one: Folk in a Box. Alongside seasons of circus cabaret, LIMBO featuring the live score of Sxip Shirey and Scotch and Soda with the feisty Crusty Suitcase Band, Amanda Palmer and Lady Rizo performed to sold-out crowds. Daily concerts ranged from international funk and soul by Lee Fields & The Expressions to nomadic tribal jams by Bombino, and from Icelandic electronica of Samaris to Italian funk disco by Australian musician Donny Benét and The Donny Benét Show Band. 2014 also saw a return of Paradiso at Town Hall, our Festival club and terrace bar, presenting eight nights of contemporary music artists ranging from the heartfelt songs of John Grant, to the vibrant Japanese death jazz sound of Soil & Pimp Sessions, and the new wave tango artists Orquesta Tipica Fernandez Fierro.

Clockwise from top left: Cat Power, John Grant, photos Prudence Upton; Eclipse, photo Jamie Williams; Chris Thile, Chaka Khan, photos Prudence Upton; Big Star’s Third, photo Jamie Williams.

sydney festival 2014 annual review

Clockwise from top left: Project 28: Roman Ondák Measuring the Universe, photo Jamie Williams; Parra Opening Party, photo Prudence Upton; Lee Fields & The Expressions, Boxwars, photos Jamie Williams; Rubber Duck, photo Prudence Upton; Bombino, Parra Opening Party, photos Jamie Williams.

Parramatta The Festival’s ongoing partnerships in Western Sydney continued to grow in 2014. Over 11,786 people took to the streets and parks of Parramatta for the free Parra Opening Party. The main stage in Prince Alfred Park buzzed with international stars such as Ben Caplan, Bella Kalolo and Lee Fields. A line-up of local and international DJs and bands kept Church Street dancing from the La Toosh stage while pop-up performances by Zin, Barking Spider, maybe (___) together, Waratah Drumcorps, Hot Dub Time Machine, Ambrose Akinmusire and the Ukes of Today surprised and delighted crowds. At the heart of Parra Opening Party 2014 was Boxwars, a rampaging parade of cardboard warriors. For a week before the event, 30 local volunteers worked with the Boxwars team to create a motorcade of cardboard dune buggies and Mad Max-inspired costumes. Under the creative direction of Rowan Marchingo and with a sound track designed by Bob Scott, the 30 volunteers and performers marched their elaborate creations down Church Street, culminating in a high-energy battle in Prince Alfred Park. Contemporary art was a major part of the 2014 Parramatta program. In collaboration with Kaldor Public Art Projects, Sydney Festival presented Project 28: Roman Ondák, a major international exhibition at the Parramatta Town Hall. 8,516 people visited the exhibition and extensive public program that included 14 artists’ talks, 11 exhibition tours and nine workshops. In addition to Roman Ondák’s exhibition, Florentijn Hofman’s 15 metre-high artwork Rubber Duck amazed visitors in Parramatta Park. In the digital arts sphere, Information and Cultural Exchange presented a sell-out tour of sacred sites in Western Sydney. The Calling was a sonic and digitally curated bus tour visiting the Gallipoli Mosque, St Mark’s Anglican Church, Yeshe Nyima Tibetan Buddhism Centre and the Murugan Hindu Temple. At Riverside Parramatta the Festival launched a new cabaret venue in the Lennox Theatre. Designed by Parramatta local and former Pop Up Parramatta artist Josep Berenguel, this venue hosted a series of sell-out concerts including Bombino, Amadou & Marian, Chris Thile, John Murry, Edwyn Collins and Orquesta Tipica Fernandez Fierro. In the main theatre, the world premiere of Band of Magicians opened to astonished crowds, as four of the world’s hottest young magicians collaborated for the first time.

05 accessibility Accessibility is central to the Sydney Festival ethos. It is reflected in the commitment to free events, affordable ticket pricing and geographic reach, with particular reference to the extension of activities to Western Sydney. 22

attendance at Free events Festival Village * Sacrilege Merchants Store Summer Sounds in the Domain Symphony in the Domain City of Sydney Lawn Library Sky Terrace Parra Opening Party Rubber Duck Project 28: Roman OndÁk BoxWars Funpark The Very Near Future Meet the makers

158,532 70,773 48,401 43,080 25,900 17,000 16,797 11,786 10,050 8,516 3,450 1,100 939 70

* Festival Village attendance figures were recorded after 4.30pm only. This is a requirement for the licensee.

Affordable options

Disability access

To ensure Festival events are accessible to people of all income brackets, the Festival offers a range of free and lower-cost events. This year 63 free events ran across multiple genres, throughout Sydney and Parramatta. Some ticketed performances were also broadcast free-to-air via ABC and FBi Radio. As in previous years, our festival within the Festival, About an Hour, was priced at $35 per ticket throughout, and a number of special community offers were made for individual shows.

We welcome all visitors to Sydney Festival events and make every effort to ensure that the program is accessible to all. This principle is not predicated on legislative or regulatory requirements, but rather on the recognition that Sydney Festival is for everyone, regardless of accessibility needs.

Tix for Next to Nix continues to be an important cornerstone of the Festival’s commitment to ticket affordability. Every day, for every show, tickets were available from the Festival Village box office for $25. In 2014, 2,075 tickets were sold as part of Tix for Next to Nix.

Rubber Duck, photo Jamie Williams.

Sydney Festival is also committed to delivering affordable options in a range of other ways. In the lead-up to the 2014 Festival, Happy Hour was introduced on Fridays for an hour from 12 noon where tickets were offered online at half price to selected events. We also introduced a new Industry Arts Card for artists and arts workers to access an allocation of $35 tickets to all Festival events.

We aim to offer the public clear and easily obtained information about accessibility at Festival events. We also work with external organisations and venues to provide the highest possible levels of accessibility. For patrons with a vision impairment, we continued to offer a braille brochure, tactile tours and audio-described performances (Black Diggers, Dido & Aeneas) as well as a braille program for Amadou and Mariam’s Eclipse. For people with a hearing impairment we provided a Festival audio brochure, open captions on all Festival Thinking videos on our website and a live-captioned performance of Bullet Catch. Sydney Festival has a Disability Action Plan, available via our website and the Human Rights Commission website.

sydney festival 2014 annual review

06 sustainability 24

Opposite page: Sustainability Forum, photo Ernest Fratczak. This page clockwise from top: Sustainability Forum, Green Villages: Grow Food in Small Spaces workshop in the Festival Village, City of Sydney bicycle parking, photos Ernest Fratczak.

Sydney Festival’s vision is to be the most sustainable major performing arts festival in Australia. Following a full diagnosis taken by sector specialists in 2012, the Festival set longterm targets to progress towards meeting sustainability goals, which include compliance with the new international standard ISO 20121 Events Sustainability Management Systems. In May 2012 we nominated a Sustainability Manager and a Sustainability Committee whose focus it was to set and implement a range of sustainability strategies across all Festival departments.

Actions in 2014 included: • promotion of more sustainable transport options to Sydney Festival patrons through the provision of bike racks, and encouraging the use of public transport, cycling or carpooling • waste reduction through the use of recycled materials, including the compulsory use of compostable and recyclable food service ware by Festival caterers, provision of reusable cups at Festival bars, use of recycled paper at the Festival office, refillable water bottles and water stations • recycling of materials including Festival signage, cooking oil from Festival venues, use of a worm farm at the Festival Village and harvesting of rainwater from The Domain stage canopy for use in the Royal Botanic Gardens • printing on sustainably sourced paper stock with printers that meet independently assessed performance measures.

THE SUSTAINABILITY FORUM Sydney Festival worked with Airbnb, University of Sydney, Fairfax, City of Sydney, Collaborative Consumption, Sydney Business Chamber and Sydney’s own Garage Sale Trail to present the Festival’s third Sustainability Forum at City Recital Hall. It was hosted by Lauren Anderson, Chief Knowledge Officer at Collaborative Lab. The forum provided an enlightening discussion about sustainability and the direction of our ever-changing, fast-paced world, with a focus on collaborative consumption. Referring to the shift in consumer values from ownership to access, entire communities and cities around the world are now using network technologies to do more with less by renting, lending, swapping, bartering, gifting and sharing products on a scale never before possible.

sydney festival 2014 annual review

07 Reconciliation Action Plan Indigenous art and culture has always held a special place within the Sydney Festival program. Over the years, the Festival has celebrated and profiled the talents of respected artists, leaders and companies.

In July 2013, Sydney Festival launched its first Reconciliation Action Plan (RAP). Sydney Festival’s vision for reconciliation is to formally and informally engage with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander artists and communities and to positively contribute to closing the gap between Indigenous and other Australians. We do this by committing to: respect Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people and cultures; offer employment opportunities to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people; offer development and presentation opportunities to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander artists and arts workers; and build cultural awareness and understanding among our staff, stakeholders and audiences of the diversity of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander stories. The Sydney Festival RAP Working Group, led by the Executive Director, is made up of eight members of staff representing each Festival department. The Working Group meets quarterly and consults with our Indigenous business and arts partners regularly for guidance and advice. Our current RAP is focused on promoting employment opportunities for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples across all areas of the Festival.

Indigenous art and culture has always held a special place within the Sydney Festival program. Over the years, the Festival has celebrated and profiled the talents of respected artists, leaders and companies. As we develop ideas, the Festival consults with local organisations such as Sydney’s Metropolitan Local Aboriginal Land Council, the City of Sydney Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Advisory Group and specific projectbased reference groups.

Further to this, the Festival was thrilled to present The Shadow King with its allIndigenous cast including Tom E. Lewis, Jimi Bani, Jada Alberts, Selwyn Burns, Frances Djulibing, Rarriwuy Hick, Damion Hunter, Kamahi Djordon King, Natasha Wanganeen and Bart Willoughby.

Indigenous artists were also integrated into many other Festival programs including: as part of About an Hour we presented Marrugeku’s Gudirr Gudirr, a solo dance piece In 2014, we were proud to initiate, coby Dalisa Pigram with visuals by Vernon Ah commission and produce Black Diggers in Kee; City of Sydney’s Lawn Library in the Festival Village featured workshops and close collaboration with Queensland Theatre Company. This included building relationships storytelling by Matt Doyle; and both Domain and setting up an Indigenous Reference Group concerts featured projections of Daniel Boyd’s exquisite History is Made at Night. with individuals and representatives from groups such as the Babana Men’s Group, the In 2014, we employed two Indigenous interns Indigenous Liaison Officers at the Australian War Memorial, the Aboriginal and Torres Strait and other contractors in administration. The Music Programming Internship, supported by Islander Veterans and Services Association, APRA’s Song Cycles Program was taken up by individual returned service men, historians Thalia Skopellos and the Programming Intern and others. (Theatre and Dance) position, supported by Arts NSW was held by Louana Sainsbury. We The Festival presented the work over 10 days were delighted to welcome back a previous for an audience of more than 5,000 people Indigenous intern, Leah Flanagan, as a including free and discounted community receptionist during the period of the Festival. tickets to ensure Indigenous audiences were able to experience the work. We also presented a free talk featuring Wesley Enoch, Dr Jackie Huggins AM FAHA and Gary Oakley.

Black Diggers, photo Jamie Williams. sydney festival 2014 annual review

08 marketing, communications & digital strategy Marketing and Advertising Branding The 2014 Festival built on the original design concept which had a strong focus on our strapline “This is our city in summer”. This year’s design injected colour and movement with the addition of four Festival characters who appeared across all campaign collateral and venue signage. the CAMPAIGN The 2014 Festival’s marketing, communications and digital campaign ran for almost six months with an early announcement, in collaboration with Destination NSW, of Sasha Waltz & Guests’ Dido & Aeneas on 8 August 2013. Sydney Festival’s Parramatta program was announced on 22 October and the full Festival program was launched on 23 October.

PRINTED COLLATERAL AND DISTRIBUTION 200,000 copies of the main Festival brochure were printed. A further 450,000 pieces of print collateral were produced, including brochures for the Parramatta program, themed collateral and event-specific leaflets and posters. The main Festival brochure was distributed via Sydney Festival’s postal database, Festival venues, information booths and at targeted locations across the city. Additional print was distributed through targeted channels, peer-to-peer activity and to Festival audiences in January. Fairfax Media became Sydney Festival’s media partner in 2014 and produced a special Festival supplement which was inserted into The Sydney Morning Herald (with a distribution of 250,000 copies) the week Festival tickets went on sale.

Opposite page: Sydney Festival brochure, photo JamieÂ Williams. This page, clockwise from top: Sydney Festival 2014 Program Launch, photo Jamie Williams; Sydney Festival flags; Sydney Festival brochures; Festival attendees reading Festival Village flyers, photo JamieÂ Williams.

sydney festival 2014 annual review

Lieven Bertels speaking at the Festival Village launch, Hyde Park, photo Jamie Williams.

MEDIA AND MARKETING PARTNERSHIPS Sydney Festival benefited greatly from a range of media partnerships with:

PRESS ADVERTISING • National newspaper: The Weekend Australian.

• ABC • Adshel • APN Outdoor • Empire Magazine • Evolution Publishing (LGBTQI Community) • Executive Channel • Fairfax Media • FBi Radio • Fine Music (Radio) • Foxtel (Channel V and Max) • New Express Daily (Chinese Community) • Rova Media • STUDIO TV • Time Out Sydney.

• Major metropolitan newspapers: The Sydney Morning Herald, The Sun Herald, The Daily Telegraph, The Sunday Telegraph and MX.

• Local newspapers: The Manly Daily, Rouse Hill Stanhope Garden News, Parramatta Holroyd Sun, St Marys Mt Druitt Star, Hills News and Blacktown Sun. • Specialty street press: The Music, The Brag, Cult, SX Weekly, Blaze, Gay Summer Guide, Melbourne Community Voice, Queensland Pride, Feast Festival Magazine, Australian New Express Daily and Indian Link. • Magazines: Art and Australia, Dance Australia, Limelight Magazine, The Monthly, RealTime, Radius Magazine, Sneaky Magazine and Sydney Alumni Magazine.

TV, RADIO, CINEMA ADVERTISING AND PROMOTIONS • TV: Channel 7, 7mate, Channel V, MAX and STUDIO TV. • Radio: ABC 702, ABC Radio National, ABC Classic FM, FBi Radio, Fine Music, Smooth FM and Indian Link. • Cinema: Palace Cinemas. ONLINE ADVERTISING • Online display advertising: The Sydney Morning Herald, Concrete Playground, The Monthly (Shortlist), ArtsHub, Kidspot, Dance Australia, Gay News Network Newsletter, Inthemix, The Music, Fine Music and Indian Link. • Google Adwords: We ran our largest ever Google Adwords campaign between August and January to promote individual shows as well as e-news sign-ups, gift vouchers and to generate Festival awareness. • Facebook advertising: 87 campaigns to targeted audiences.

On salE nOw TiCKETmasTER 1300 723 038

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Pictured: Am I, Shaun Parker & Company, Sydney Opera House, 9 –12 January Photo: Michelle Aboud

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THE UNTOLD STORY OF WWI AbORIgINAL DIggERS ON THE EVE OF THE CENTENARY OF gALLIPOLI.

VISITORS PRESENTED BY SYDNEY FESTIVAL AND SYDNEY OPERA HOUSE

Ben was a member of the Japanese taiko drumming group TaikOz and worked for six years with Ian Cleworth and master drummer Eitetsu Hayashi, extensively training in the Wadaiko drum form.

A FILM BY GODFREY REGGIO, PHILIP GLASS AND JON KANE WITH SYDNEY SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA USA/AUSTRALIA | AUSTRALIAN PREMIERE

A QUEENSLAND THEATRE COMPANY & SYDNEY FESTIVAL PRODUCTION AUSTRALIA

Photo: Aaron Tait

A live presentation in association with Columbia Artists Management LLC

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We’re looking to you to help us build a definitive shortlist of this year’s top Festival Picks to be published in the SMH. Upload your reviews & photos at smh.com.au/sydfest or share with us using #smhpickthis

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THE CRUSTY SUITCASE BAND

The Crusty Suitcase Band Company 2 is a Brisbane-based makes you itch in your seat, as multi-disciplinary performing arts company led by Chelsea McGuffin Ben Walsh is the highly accomplished the instrumentation of clarinet, saxophone, trombone, trumpet, jazz and David Carberry. The collective of musician, percussionist, composer guitar, double bass and drums sets artists working under Company 2 are and performer behind The Bird, the room alight with the razor sharp passionate about circus, dance and The Orkestra of the Underground, horn lines and masterful solos from music. They are dedicated to creating Loop Zero, and with the master the backbone of the Sydney jazz work that engages audiences percussionist Bobby Singh, Circle underworld. Usually tearing up the and pushes boundaries, all while of Rhythm and Dha. Ben is also the dance floor, this outfit – spearheaded exploring the potential of the magic co-director of – and a performer in STRUT FRET, UNDERBELLY by Ben Walsh with Eden&Ottignon, of circus andPRODUCTIONS live music. – the Tom Tom Crew. SOUTHBANK CENTRE | AUSTRALIA Justin Fermino,AND Matthew Ottingon Career highlights include: a and Lucian McGuiness – moves nomination for Best Score at the into a new direction as it takes to SYDNEY OPERA HOUSE prestigious Green Room Awards, the realm of the theatre.JANUARY The Crusty 18–26 2007; composing and performing Suitcase Band blends Balkan horn the score for My Bicycle Loves You lines with hip-hop, funk, jazz, reggae (Sydney Festival, Perth International and Ethiopian-infused melodies to Arts Festival), which earned him make an eclectic musical experience a Helpmann-Award nomination that will stick with you long after last for Best Musical Direction; and drinks and the doors close. performing the score to Shaun Tan’s The Arrival, with The Orkestra Of The Underground, to a sold-out audience at the Sydney Opera House. PHOTO: STILL FROM GODFREY REGGIO’S VISITORS. COURTESY OF CINEDIGM

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Pictured: LIMBO, The Spiegeltent, Festival Village in Hyde Park, 8–26 January Photo: David Solm

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EVEREST THEATRE （EVEREST劇院） SEYMOUR CENTRE （西摩中心） 1月22日至24日晚8點 1月25日下午2點及晚8點 $42/$38 悉尼藝術節 1300 856876 西摩中心 0293517940 sydneyfestival.org.au/lao

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THIS IS OUR CITY INSPIRED SEDUCED ELATED IN SUMMER

CONTENT DISTRIBUTION AND BROADCAST • ABC Classic FM: Hilliard Ensemble (two concerts), Chris Thile and Akademie für Alte Musik Berlin. • ABC Radio National: Bombino, Colin Stetson, Orquesta Tipica Fernandez Fierro and the Sustainability Forum. • FBi Radio: John Grant + John Murry, Matmos and Samaris.

OUTDOOR ADVERTISING AND SIGNAGE • 635 street flags in the City of Sydney, Darling Harbour and Parramatta. • 428 weeks (equiv) of APN Outdoor digital and static advertising across Sydney, Parramatta, Canberra and Melbourne sites. • 134 weeks (equiv) of Adshel street furniture and digital advertising sites across Sydney and Canberra. • Two external supersites, digital displays and welcome banners at Sydney Airport. • 1,347 weeks (equiv) of Rova Media taxi backs in Sydney, Canberra and Brisbane. • Executive Channel digital foyer advertising in Brisbane, Melbourne and Sydney. • Information columns in Sydney CBD, The Rocks and Parramatta.

This page: Festival Village program towers in Hyde Park; Parramatta Town Hall; Black Diggers screen at Sydney Opera House; Festival Village APN outdoor advertisement, Enmore.

Opposite page clockwise from top: Dido & Aeneas advertising in Flinders Street, Melbourne, photo APN; Spirit of Akasha exhibition, Sydney Opera House Concert Hall foyer; Festival Village triffid, Town Hall; APN outdoor advertising, Darlinghurst; Accor staff and screens; Jukebox at Sydney Festival 2014 Program Launch; Adshel advertising screen, Wynard Station; Festival Village information stand, St James Station; Big Star’s Third advertising, TITLE Surry Hills; Parramatta triffid, photo Ernest Fratczak.

This page and opposite page: 2014 Festival social media screen grabs.

DIGITAL STRATEGY Sydney Festival has continued to develop its digital activities in 2014, with partners across various sectors integrating their campaigns.

Key Statistics 1,101,115

visits to the website (23 oct–26 jan)

4,733,373

page views (23 oct–26 jan)

SOCIAL MEDIA Social media continues to be a key aspect of Sydney Festival’s digital strategy, providing a number of real-time customer service and engagement platforms. 2014 saw our Instagram and Facebook communities double, as well as a 43% growth in Twitter followers. A campaign to promote the use of the #sydfest hashtag saw it printed on ticket stock, t-shirts, bathroom doors and mirrors, as well as outdoor signage.

SYDNEY FESTIVAL MOBILE WEBSITE AND APP FOR IPHONE In 2014, one in three visits to the Sydney Festival website was via a smartphone, rising to 39% of all web traffic during the Festival. As well as developments to the mobileoptimised website to ensure quick navigation and relevant content, a heavy emphasis was placed on developing a mobile-optimised ticket buying experience.

The Festival also updated its app for iPhone. As well as event information and lists of hotels Many 2014 Festival artists embraced sharing and restaurants, the app’s functionality included Festival experiences with their online audiences, daily ticket deals, an interactive map with most notably Amanda Palmer, Lady Rizo geo-location capabilities and an integrated and performers from Band of Magicians and Festival planner. Folk in a Box. Partners also embraced the Festival on social media with City of Sydney and Destination NSW’s Chief Funster leading the way with their coverage. Tourism Australia also shared two images of the Rubber Duck in Parramatta via their hugely popular Instagram account. The University of Sydney developed an online Festival Hub, featuring unique video content and student reviews, as well as Twitter and Instagram aggregation. The Sydney Morning Herald also featured an aggregated Twitter feed and audience reviews on their site. 34

47% of web traffic

came via mobile and tablet devices, with mobile alone accounting for 39% of web traffic in January.

19%

of web traffic came from outside Sydney

6,554 #sydfest hashtagged tweets (January)

5,496 tweets

mentioning @sydney_festival (January)

6,468 #sydfest hashtagged instagrams (January)

73,797

e-news subscribers

50,486

Twitter followers (43% growth in the past year)

58,778

Facebook fans (99% growth in the past year)

8,088

Instagram followers (91% growth in the past year)

PUBLICITY Sydney Festival 2014 attracted extensive press coverage in Australia and around the world. A total of 5,042 Festival-related reports ran across print, online, television and radio. The publicity campaign began in July 2013 with the announcement of Sydney Festival’s Reconciliation Action Plan and the Festival’s new principal partner, The Star. The Festival launched its centrepiece show, Dido & Aeneas, in advance of the main program, to allow early promotion of the event to overseas and interstate markets. A morning tea launch event hosted by Destination NSW with invited guests across government, industry and media was well attended and generated considerable early interest in Sydney Festival ahead of the main three-month campaign which commenced late October.

online Online media produced the most coverage of Sydney Festival with 2,005 reports captured by media monitors (and many more outside of this). Coverage included a new partnership with The Guardian Australia who sent visiting journalists to Sydney to generate 76 podcasts, interviews and reviews. ArtsHub, Time Out Sydney, The Conversation, Concrete Playground and The AU Review were also particularly supportive of Sydney Festival.

Print National and local print media remained extremely interested in Sydney Festival, with 643 articles in the national press including major daily newspapers, monthly magazines, free street press, regional and local newspapers, and specialist publications. As in 2013, The Sydney Morning Herald was the leading publication with 103 articles printed from October to January, with additional coverage and extended reviews hosted on their website and syndicated nationally across Fairfax mastheads. Time Out Sydney was a major supporter of Sydney Festival, with 16 major features and mentions in its December–January issue alongside further interviews, event listings and reviews online. Local street press titles The Brag and The Music each printed special Sydney Festival editions with exclusive covers and considerable coverage, as well as reviewing and photographing events during the Festival.

Key Results 5,042 Festival-related articles across print, online, radio and television 105,896,351 accumulated audience/circulation Oposite page: Amanda Palmer, Festival Village Media Call, photo Prudence Upton.

$17,567,065 in Australian advertising space rate value

radio Radio continued to be an important vehicle for promoting the Festival with 755 reports captured by media monitoring, along with countless mentions on community radio stations which are not included in these figures. 702 ABC Sydney was the top performer as usual, with 52 interviews including 12 live in-studio performances, and a total of 133 reports across the station. Interviews, live performances, guest present segments, reviews and mentions were spread across Radio National, ABC Classic FM, triple j, ABC Dig Radio, 2UE Sydney, 2GB Radio, SBS Languages, Koori Radio, 2SER Radio, FBi Radio and other community stations.

television In 2014, television coverage increased significantly, with a total of 1,639 local and syndicated reports, compared to 1,048 in 2013. ABC News and commercial television stations responded well to the Festival Village and the free, family-oriented program, with 22 weather crosses to Sydney Festival sites and seven breakfast and morning television interviews with Sydney Festival artists. Sydney Festival coverage on ABC, SBS and commercial news stations was also considerable, including Anne Maria Nicholson’s news documentary feature on Black Diggers, which was syndicated widely across ABC platforms.

This page clockwise from top left: PR Newswire Festival moment, Times Square New York, photo PR Newswire; LIMBO cast, Festival Village media call, photo Prudence Upton; John Murry at 702 ABC Sydney, photo Julia Lenton.

Pr newswire Building on the success of previous years, Sydney Festival once again used PR Newswire, an international online distribution service, to target media outlets in the USA, UK and Asia. The custom-built portal for Sydney Festival allowed international media to gain access to releases, pictures and videos. In 2014, there were 79,334 unique visits and 17,160 unique page visits to the micro-site. Online views of Festival videos more than doubled from 38,448 in 2013 to 79,334 this year. PR Newswire also posted a Festival image on their electronic billboard in New York’s Times Square during peak hour for one week in January.

SBS Studio’s Festival TV continued to have a valuable impact, filming 16 Festival shows and installations which were shared as mini-episodes online and packaged into three half-hour shows, which aired on Foxtel throughout January.

sydney festival 2014 annual review

09 Partnership Highlights

Sydney Festival would like to thank our generous, loyal and hardworking partners. Each partnership is tailored to the needs of the partner, responding to the key business and communication objectives. We provide all partners with the opportunity to create unique campaigns that connect with the Festival’s loyal and engaged audience members.

The Star We welcomed The Star as Principal Sponsor for a four-year term (2014–2017). This partnership demonstrates The Star’s commitment to Sydney and provides the opportunity to showcase the wide range of services, from restaurants to bars, clubs and retail, to Festival patrons. In 2014 this included a new Festival venue Sky Terrace, offering sweeping views west towards the Sydney Harbour Bridge, with an eclectic program of entertainment programmed by Sydney Festival. The Star hosted a number of major events from networking drinks to the Opening Night Party, in addition to providing wonderful hospitality in The Domain associated with The Domain concerts.

New Partners In addition to The Star, 2014 also saw many new partnerships. This included mobile devices manufacturer Huawei, luxury car brand Audi, leading accommodation provider Accor, Australia’s preeminent car service provider NRMA, global brand AussieBum, as well as international accommodation platform, Airbnb. We also entered into new partnerships with Fairfax Media, Channel 7, Indian Link and Adshel. These partnerships significantly added to the wide range of media coverage and marketing promotions Sydney Festival attracted. Zip Industries continued its sponsorship of the Festival at the Distinguished Partner level, providing Festival audiences with sustaining and refreshing water at Festival events in The Domain and Hyde Park and showcasing its HydroTap. Summer Sounds in The Domain, photo Daniel Boud.

sydney festival 2014 annual review

Clockwise from top left: The Star signage activation; ANZ activation, The Domain; Yellowtail activation, Festival Village; Ferrython; City of Sydney Lawn Library; Rekorderlig in the Festival Village; Audi activation, Festival Village; Zip Hydrotap water station; Sol in the Terrace Bar, Paradiso at Town Hall; Huawei, Festival Village; Festival info booth, Martin Place. All photos Ernest Fratczak.

Principal Partners

Leadership Partners

Arts NSW As one of the founding partners in 1977, Arts NSW has been instrumental in Sydney Festival’s ongoing success. The relationship involved significant core funding as well as some specific project funding such as Black Diggers.

China Southern Airlines China Southern Airlines celebrated its third year of sponsorship of Sydney Festival. The sponsorship saw China Southern as the Festival’s Official Airline Partner. The partnership involved a highly successful alignment with The Domain concert series and Dido & Aeneas.

Additionally Arts NSW’s support of many performing arts companies and venues, while indirect, is highly beneficial to the Festival.

University of Sydney The University of Sydney continued its Leadership Partnership with the Festival providing access to University venues, the City of Sydney Seymour Centre and The Great Hall, producing Along with Arts NSW, the City of Sydney was and hosting video content (Festival Thinking a founding partner of the Festival in 1977. In series) that provided an academic analysis 2014 their support of the Festival was enhanced of key Festival productions. The University with activations including free bicycle parking, also hosted Festival content on a specially outdoor library experiences and assistance created micro-site. with the Festival’s sustainably forum. Parramatta Council This was the third year of an expanded Parramatta program featuring a range of international exclusives. The investment in the program helped provide programming across a 10-day celebration. The investment is matched with specific support from the NSW Government with the aim to enhance Parramatta’s position as the geographic centre of Sydney and the third biggest economic zone in Australia.

“#sydfest beautiful moment at lawn library when a young girl said ‘mum, have you got your library card? I love this book!’ #freebooks.” elissa blake, journalist, 21 January 2014 40

The broad program included free outdoor events encouraging family attendance, large free public installations, an eclectic music program in the Lennox Theatre at Riverside Parramatta as well as the popular magic supergroup Band of Magicians at the Riverside Theatre, which drew audiences from across Sydney and further afield.

Destination NSW Destination NSW supported Festival productions which were ‘Only in Sydney’, to attract visitation to our city. These productions included Dido & Aeneas, Akadamie für Alte Musik Berlin, Apollo Ensemble, Hilliard Ensemble, Hurricane Transcriptions, Merchants Store, Eclipse and La Voix Humaine. In addition, Destination NSW promoted the Festival though its extensive marketing campaign promoting Sydney and NSW in summer to various key markets in both digital and traditional media planning.

Fast Festival Feasts Now in its 14th year, the Fast Festival Feasts program saw thousands of Festival-goers take advantage of pre-theatre meal deals at our partner restaurants. The program included 30 restaurants in the Sydney CBD, Inner West and Parramatta areas. Supported by an extensive marketing campaign across print and digital platforms, the Fast Festival Feasts program, supported by Time Out Sydney, continues to be a huge success.

10 philanthropy, donations & VOLUNTEERS

We are pleased to see an increase in the support the Festival receives from individuals both in the form of significant philanthropy as well as through smaller donations at our big free events.

Donations at our Free Events

Associate Producers

With the support of Sydney Festival volunteers, attendees to The Domain concerts and the big free inflatable installation Sacrilege were invited to make a donation to Sydney Festival. People making donations were given a sticker to thank them for their donation – I (heart) Sydney Festival.

Associate Producers are one of four levels of Sydney Festival philanthropists. They make an annual contribution of $5,000. Festival Lovers make a contribution of $1,000, Festival Heroes $10,000 and Director’s Circle $20,000. In most cases the contributions are put towards the running of the Festival, but there are some contributions that are directed towards certain projects.

Corporate partners further encouraged donations by rewarding donors with free giveaways including picnic blankets and water bottles.

Some examples include: • one of our long-standing supporters assisted with the presentation of the Apollo Ensemble in The Great Synagogue • another supported the presentation of Eclipse at Sydney Town Hall • many Associate Producers, together with The Balnaves Foundation, supported Black Diggers • one of these assisted in subsidising tickets to the Indigenous community • a new family foundation supported the Tix for Next to Nix program. Board Member and Festival Hero, Ashley Dawson-Damer hosted a cocktail reception in November for Festival philanthropists and prospective supporters. Sydney Festival is a registered charity and all donations are tax deductible. Please contact Malcolm Moir, Head of Development, for further information.

Opposite page: Festival volunteers at The Domain, photo Ernest Fratczak. This page from top: Bev and Uncle Harry Allie, Clover Moore, Peter Moore at the Black Diggers Opening Night function; Lieven Bertels addressing attendees at the Black Diggers Opening Night function, photos Prudence Upton.

sydney festival 2014 annual review

Volunteers A team of 346 volunteers worked across 1,790 shifts from October’s main program launch through to Australia Day. With roles ranging from creating artist packs and staffing info booths to collecting donations at our big free events and managing queues at major public artworks, Sydney Festival’s army of volunteers helped make this year’s event possible. Eventeamwork came on board for their second year of managing the Festival’s volunteer program. They did an exceptional job at managing the recruitment and shift scheduling while keeping the team motivated and engaged.

Clockwise from top left: Ticket booth in the Festival Village, photo Ernest Fratczak; Parra Opening Party, photo Prudence Upton; volunteers at Summer Sounds in The Domain, photos Ernest Fratczak.

sydney festival 2014 annual review

11 SUPPORTERS Foundations Sydney Festival wishes to acknowledge the following Foundations who have supported us over the last 12 months:

Donors Sydney Festival wishes to thank the following individuals for their generous donations over the last 12 months:

Directorâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Circle President: Michael Crouch AO Members: Anonymous (1) Antoinette Albert Peter Freedman Peter Hunt AM Roslyn Packer AO Rebel Penfold-Russell OAM

The Martin-Weber Family The Nelson Meers Foundation

Government and community PARTNERS principal supporters

principal government partner

leadership partners strategic partner

major supporters

DISTINGUISHED Partners

star partners

Festival Heroes Anonymous (1) Robert Albert AO and Libby Albert Jonathan Blakeman and Dr Heather Worth The Hon. Ashley Dawson-Damer Dr Kathryn Lovric and Dr Roger Allen David Mathlin and Camilla Drover Matthew and Alex Melhuish John Messara AM Lang Walker

Associate Producers Gillian Appleton Andrew Cameron AM and Cathy Cameron Susan Carleton Jonathan and Judith Casson Ros and Alex Hunyor Dr Carolyn Lowry OAM and Peter Lowry OAM Julianne Maxwell Penelope Seidler AM Victoria Taylor Kim Williams AM and Catherine Dovey Peter Young AM and SusanÂ Young

Festival Lovers Lieven Bertels and Mieke Lapauw Angela Bowne Carolyn Crawford Virginia Gordon Jennifer Hole John Kaldor AM and Naomi Milgrom Kaldor AO Adam Max Mary Read Dr. Jennifer Solomon Christopher Tooher Trawalla Foundation Sam and Judy Weiss Fiona Winning

CORPORATE PARTNERS PRINCIPAL PARTNER

LEADERSHIP Partners

Official Airline

special DISTINGUISHED Partners

DISTINGUISHED Partners

star Partners

FESTIVAL LAWYERS

media PARTNERS major supporter

special DISTINGUISHED Partners

DISTINGUISHED Partners

T A X I

M E D I A

star Partners ALL THI N GS I N DI AN . I N AUSTRALI A

Restaurant Partners

360 Bar and Dining Ananas Bar & Brasserie Aria Restaurant Balla Bavarian Bier Café BLACK by ezard Café Mix at Shangri-La Hotel Sydney

CONTRIBUTORS Cafe Sydney Chefs Gallery Chophouse El-Phoenician Food Society Garden Buffet Glass Brasserie La Rosa The Strand Opera Kitchen Sydney

Puntino Trattoria Q Dining Red Lantern on Riley Sailors Thai Saké Restaurant & Bar Sokyo Steel Bar and Grill The Cut Bar & Grill The Dining Room at Park Hyatt Sydney

The Morrison Bar & Oyster Room The Sydney Mint Café The Woods Ventuno Pizzeria e Ristorante

Avant Card Bar Coco Clifton Productions Closed Loop Coates Hire Joe Button Motorola Rental Direct PR Newswire Roses Only Secure Parking

PROFESSIONAL PARTNERS Hapag Lloyd Pureprofile RDA Research Woolcott Research

sydney festival 2014 annual review

12 special thanks The following companies and productions acknowledge the support of:

Artspace Belvoir Black Diggers Ensemble Offspring Griffin Theatre Company Information and Cultural Exchange KAGE Karen Therese and Funpark Lingalayam Malthouse Theatre Marrugeku My Darling Patricia Performance Space Queensland Theatre Company Shaun Parker & Company Sydney Chamber Opera Sydney Symphony TaikOz

Artspace Belvoir Black Diggers Carriageworks Ensemble Offspring Griffin Theatre Company Information and Cultural Exchange Lingalayam My Darling Patricia Performance Space Project 28: Roman Ondák Shaun Parker & Company Sydney Chamber Opera TaikOz ALL THAT FALL Arts Council of Ireland AM I Alexandra and Lloyd Martin Family Foundation Alliance Française de Sydney Bankstown Arts Centre City of Sydney Creative Practice Lab, School of the Arts and Media, UNSW Embassy of France in Australia Seymour Centre The University of Sydney

BLACK DIGGERS Air Chief Marshal Angus Houston, AC, Afc (Ret’d) Aunty Verna Koolmatrie Australian War Memorial Robyn Archer Brisbane Festival Colin Watego Dr Jackie Huggins AM Faha Garth O’Connell Gary Oakley Uncle Harry Allie Pastor Ray Minniecon Professor Lisa Jackson Pulver AM BULLET CATCH Creative Scotland Made In Scotland CADAVRE EXQUIS Co Producers: Kunstencentrum Vooruit in Gent, Kunstencentrum Buda in Kortrijk, Culturgest in Lissabon, Mousonturm in Frankfurt and Zürcher Theaterspektakel Festival in Zürich. Fonds Podiumkunsten and Vsbfonds FESTIVAL VILLAGE Carlos Gomes Mark Hammer FORKLIFT Arts Centre Melbourne Arts Promotion Centre Finland Besen Family Foundation CIRKO: Center for New Circus City of Yarra Judith Wright Centre of Contemporary Art’s Fresh Ground artist-in-residence initiative, made possible through Arts Queensland Toyota Material Handling Victorian Government through Arts Victoria FUNPARK Arts Radar Bidwill Uniting Church Mount Druitt Learning Ground Urban Neighbours of Hope GUDIRR GUDIRR City of Melbourne through Arts House Les Théâtres de la Ville de Luxembourg The Shire of Broome, Western Australia The Western Australian Department of Culture and the Arts Theater Im Pfalzbau, Ludwigshafen, Germany

I, MALVOLIO Brighton Festival Singapore Arts Festival OCKHAM’S RAZOR Arts Council England Turtle Key PROJECT 28: ROMAN ONDAK Copyright Agency Cultural Fund Kaldor Public Art Projects Naomi Milgrom Foundation The Balnaves Foundation RUBBER DUCK Parramatta Park Trust SACRILEGE Greater London Authority SCOTCH AND SODA Arts Queensland Lady Torpedo Productions The Judith Wright Centre for Contemporary Arts Top Shelf THE PIPER Carriageworks Terrapin Puppet Theatre Country Arts SA (Varcoe’s Foundry Residency Program) Creative Practice Lab, School of the Arts and Media, UNSW The University of Sydney – Department of Performance Studies Shopfront Arts Centre Melbourne Malthouse Theatre THE SHADOW KING The Tom Kantor Fund Bell Shakespeare Rachael Maza and all at Ilbijerri, Brown’s Mart, Bula’bula Arts Centre, Fleur Parry and Djilpin Arts Centre Kyle Morrison, Anousha Zarkesh, Rolf de Heer, Nigel Jamieson, Josh Bond, Patrice Mazzone, Miranda Tapsell, Trevor Jamieson, Uncle Jack Charles, Lisa Maza, Melodie Reynolds, Josephine Ridge, Michael Stevens, Stephen Armstrong, Catherine Jones, Jennifer Gulbransen

SYDNEY FESTIVAL PATRON Her Excellency Professor Marie Bashir AC CVO, Governor of New South Wales BOARD OF DIRECTORS PRESIDENT The Hon. Barry O’Farrell MP Premier of New South Wales CHAIR Clover Moore, Lord Mayor of Sydney DIRECTORS The Hon. George Souris MP Monica Barone Simon Corah Matthew Melhuish Sam Weiss Geoff Wilson ALTERNATE DIRECTORS The Hon. Ashley DawsonDamer (for The Hon. Barry O’Farrell MP) Mary Darwell (for The Hon. George Souris MP) Ann Hoban (for Monica Barone) SYDNEY FESTIVAL STAFF Festival Director Lieven Bertels Executive Director Christopher Tooher FINANCE AND OPERATIONS Head of Finance and Operations Tanya Bush Accountant Caroline Brosnan Payroll Carina Mision Executive Assistant Rachael McNally Executive Projects Coordinator Fiona Jackson Administration Officer Julie Crawford Receptionists Leah Flanagan Jessica Sullivan PROGRAMMING Head of Programming Fiona Winning Producer, Major Outdoor Events Vernon Guest Program Manager Danni Colgan Programming Associate Adam McGowan

Special Projects Loretta Busby Project Manager Michelle Kotevski Music Coordinator Alicia Kish Assistant Music Programmer Marty Doyle Programming Coordinator Sam Hawker Program Administrator Ione Davis Music Programming Intern Thalia Skopellos Theatre and Dance Programming Intern Louana Sainsbury MARKETING AND CUSTOMER SERVICES Head of Marketing and Customer Services Tina Walsberger Deputy Head of Marketing Derek Gilchrist Marketing Coordinator Aimee Huxley Digital Marketing Manager Julia Thomas Digital Marketing Assistant Jen Mackie Publicity Manager Mary Stielow Publicists Jessica Keirle, Julia Lenton Graphic Designer Camille Manley Signage Coordinator Kate Williams Ticketing and Customer Services Manager Katinka van Ingen Ticketing Systems Coordinator Carmel May Ticketing Guest Services Coordinator Richard Cox Ticketing Operations Coordinator Alana Hicks Ticketing Assistants Andrew Dillon Ashleigh Garwood DEVELOPMENT Head of Development Malcolm Moir Senior Sponsorship Manager Anna Matthews

Sponsorship Manager Brooke Ravens Corporate Partnerships Coordinator Jane You Operations Coordinator Jo Horsley Development Coordinator – Research Julia Johnston Corporate Partnerships Executive Amalina Whitaker Corporate Partnerships Courtney Miller PRODUCTION Head of Production John Bayley Production Manager Mick Jessop Catering and Sustainability Manager Fernando Motti Hospitality Coordinator Morgan McKinlay Production Coordinators Alycia Bangma Elise Brokensha Project Coordinator – Parramatta Whitney Eglington Production Assistant Rita Khayat Transport Coordinator Nathalie Taylor Crewing Coordinator Alexandra Kennett DOMAIN STAFF Domain Manager Tim Pack Site Manager Corey O’Malley Domain Coordinator Malinny Cheng Electricians Craig Adamson Ian Godfrey FESTIVAL DESIGN AGENCY alphabet studio VOLUNTEER MANAGEMENT Eventeamwork THANK YOU Accessible Arts, Cheryl Elvey, City of Sydney Aboriginal & Torres Strait Islander Advisory Panel, Jodie Choolburra, John Chase, Matt Jones, Michael Abbott, Rebecca Bourne-Jones, Ricky Lyons, Uncle Chicka Madden, Uncle Max Eulo, Vision Australia.

â&#x20AC;&#x153;I have to say, even by my high standards, this #sydfest is shaping up as the best in my memory.â&#x20AC;? jez fletcher, 14 january 2014

Festival Village, photo Jamie Williams.

sydney festival 2014 annual review

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