KEY POINTS:
Auckland Festival director David Malacari wants Aucklanders to get into the swing of the two-week event by going to shows they may hate.
That's all part of "the process of a festival", he says.
"Having some sold-out shows is a gentle reminder to people that there is something happening in Auckland and if someone wants to go to a show like La Clique, which has sold out, it's going to be a shock.
But they can think, 'Oh well, what else are we going to?' That's part of the process, treating the festival itself as the show as much as individual events in the programme.
"That's when festivals get to a certain level, when people don't care so much about what show they're going to, they just go to something as part of the festival. They might hate it, they might love it, but in the end they've been to it."
The AK07 festival, which starts today, continues a biennial event which started in 2003.
It is Mr Malacari's first full Auckland programme; he took over mid-term for AK05. He was director of the internationally renowned Adelaide Arts Festival for six events.
In Auckland, he has a budget of $4.5 million to $5 million, but says the festival needs to double in size "to carry a certain weight".
"Sydney is a $15 million to $20 million festival, Adelaide is $10 million to $12 million, Perth is $8 million to $10 million.
So $4 million, for a city this size - you do need to be bigger. We need to double in size to properly service Auckland. We need more public funding, which means more from the council and the Government, which means spending taxpayers' money.
If you want to develop a vibrant culture in a city you have to pay for it and people always think of their hip pocket - who doesn't?
"I still don't think we quite appreciate in Auckland that culture costs money - it doesn't make money. It takes a while for people to accept a festival as a normal part of the furniture."
Mr Malacari says advance ticket sales for AK07 are "heading very nicely" to the budgeted target of about $1 million, up 30 per cent on AK05.
Theatre, classical music, dance, rock, world music and fringe events will spread across the inner city, but the festival hub will be the Red Square area behind the Britomart, which will house the Famous Spiegeltent, the Auckland Festival Club and Bar, a free music tent, a garden bar and open air cinema.
"Auckland's problem is that there isn't a centre to the city," says Mr Malacari. "It is not too dissimilar to Sydney or Perth in that respect. In Wellington or Adelaide, you can create a festival ambience that kind of takes over a city.
"So creating a hub at this stage is quite helpful to remind people that something is going on while we are still growing."
Mr Malacari has a team of 25 people working in his office, and says that at this late stage, "I have no practical function now except to feel elated or to worry".
Over the next two weeks, he will attend as many shows as possible, do a lot of adding up ... and starting focusing on the 2009 festival.
What's On
Today [Friday 9]
Local production Wild Dogs Under My Skirt, performed by Samoan writer and poet Tusiata Avia, begins at the Maidment Theatre's Musgrove Studio, and runs until Sunday.
Named the Most Original Production in the 2005 Chapman Tripp Theatre Awards, theatrical illusion Head takes place at Galatos tonight and tomorrow night.
Combining local and international artists, theatrical dance work Dark Tourists opens tonight and runs until Sunday evening.
Tomorrow [Saturday 10]
The official opening event of AK07. French pyrotechnicians Groupe F present an elaborate firework display, A Little More Light, at the Auckland Domain, from 7.30pm. Fireworks will be after 8.45pm. The event is free.
The ancient art of tea-making is combined with traditional Korean music in the Korean Creative Music Society's production Tea Music. Today and tomorrow at Auckland Town Hall's Concert Chamber.
Sunday [March 11]
Lemi Ponifasio presents his new work Tempest at the MAU Theatre on Henderson's Corban Estate, daily until Friday, March 16.
