KEY POINTS:
Name: Mark Burlace (34)
Role: Associate director of AK07 in charge of programming and operations.
Working hours: Around 80 hours per week leading into festival opening. Otherwise averages around 60 hours.
Average pay: $55-$100K
Qualifications and institution: On-the-job training
Describe what you do.
I work with AK07 director David Malacari on the AK07 programme, which we've been working on full-time for two years since AK05. We discuss shows, decide which ones are key, then travel to see them. We meet with the companies here and overseas to sort out whether the show will work for Auckland. Once that is decided I take over with negotiations about venues, festival dates, things like that. My team liaises with the artists before they turn up and work on things like contracts, flight bookings and venues. This involves a lot of night calls and emails because we're dealing with both hemispheres. One of my key roles is to bring in the best staff I can find to work with me to get it to happen and I reckon I've done that here.
Your history?
I was always fascinated by technology as a kid. I started working at the Maidment Theatre as a technical trainee when I was 17 and worked there nine years - the last five as technical director. For the past eight years I have been working four months each year as technical director for the Assembly Room, the biggest fringe operation at the Edinburgh Art Festival. I've also worked on the Wellington Art Festival, so I do a lot of hopping of hemispheres.
What skills and experience do you need to do the job?
A passion for theatre and performance.You need to be practical and driven by the idea of getting something to happen. You need a big picture view of things. You also need leadership skills. You need to be open-minded, because you're dealing with different things at different levels with many people and cultures.
Having a technical background is good because it helps me to understand the works from the ground up and how it comes together.
Best part of the job?
People always presume it will be the travel and the shows - and that is exciting, when you find great shows and try and get them to come to Auckland. But I think the best part is when the festival finally happens and you have all that energy and excitement.
Most challenging part?
There are a lot of challenges. One is the deadlines, not just the festival dates, but deadlines leading into the event such as brochure printing.
Another challenge is the budget. Shows can be really expensive to bring in due to freighting costs.
There are so many variables and we never have as much money as we want or need. Sometimes international works are just not available at the time we need them.
There is also the challenge of getting Aucklanders to become part of it. We hope the Red Square area at Britomart will really create a festival centre in Auckland this time.
Is criticism a challenging part of the job too?
Everything is about an opinion at the end of the day. In the past we've had shows that people have really liked and some people have hated. That is the beauty of it.
At Edinburgh at least 10 per cent is complete rubbish. Festivals are an experience, whether good or bad. It is also about occasionally challenging audiences to take a bit of a risk.
How hard is it to get international shows to New Zealand?
We're lucky people want to come here because it is so beautiful. We try and sell the idea of New Zealand when we approach overseas shows. We're also trying to sell New Zealand work into overseas festivals as well.
Our work is quite unique, and people like it. We have international producers coming to this festival to look for work, so I'm involved with that, suggesting what to see and introducing them to people.
Advice to someone wanting to do same thing?
Understand how it works, see lots of shows, appreciate the craft of the artists. That is first step.
You need to be attracted to the process and prepared to travel around the world to develop the experience and skills because it is a small industry, particularly in New Zealand. It can be quite a transient lifestyle.
Where next?
We're already discussing AK09. Longer term, I sometimes dream of retiring in Hokianga. I grew up there.
