AK03: Only weather failed to come to the party

By LINDA HERRICK arts editor

Statistic one. Days without rain during the inaugural AK03: Auckland Festival - none. Since AK03 began on September 20, the city has been drenched, day in, day out.

To compound the soggy misery, AK03's three "free weekend" outdoor events have tempted the gods of really ghastly weather to lash the city with howling winds, thunder and lightning and torrential downpours.

This weekend promises more of the same. Yet tonight at 7.15, unless the predicted gale-force winds become too dangerous, AK03 director Simon Prast will signal the climax of the festival with a blast of fireworks from a barge off Princes Wharf.

The fireworks, a traditional way of ending an arts festival, are a way, says Prast, of thanking Aucklanders for turning out despite the weather.

And turn out they did. AK03's dance programme - Sydney Dance Company's Ellipse, Taipei Ballet's Lady of the Camellias and strong local works by Mau, UrbanYouthMovement and Raewyn Hill - drew 11,777 people.

Around 8000 have wandered through the PVC art installation Luminarium in Aotea Square, even though it now smells like a farmyard because its foundations have turned to mud.

German singer Ute Lemper entranced a sellout crowd of 1661; and Albert Wendt's dramatic debut, The Songmaker's Chair, sold out its Maidment season, attracting 5693 people. Michael Hurst's mad, inspired panto Aladdin attracted 8223, and Mikey Havoc and Newsboy's hilarious homage to It's in the Bag was seen by 5547.

The opening event, Sticky, which was a magical combination of stickytape and pyrotechnics, wowed 10,000 in its two-night run in Britomart Place. The skies cleared miraculously for its opening night, after a day of pouring rain.

"And that was the last uninterrupted period without rain," says Prast.

Despite Aucklanders' willingness to turn out in numbers, AK03, which ends tomorrow, hasn't been perfect. Prast agrees it needs a much higher profile on the street.

During Wellington's International Arts Festival, it is impossible to ignore the fact that there is a festival on in town, with lunchtime outdoor performances and stunts, and a cohesive presence citywide - albeit in a much more compact town.

In central Auckland, in the Queen St area incorporating the AK03 venues the town hall, Aotea Square and the St James complex, there was a palpable festival buzz. Elsewhere on Queen St, there was virtually no indication a festival was on.

"It's a fair point and one we've all been aware of , but we had to prioritise. One of the things I had on my list was a daily parade along Queen St," says Prast, "but logistically it was not feasible. I think it was an indication of the time we had available and the financial resources. You get the festival you pay for. Next time, hopefully, we will be able to attract more sponsorship."

Another gripe was the quality of venues, with the St James, normally a rock venue, singled out as shabby and uncomfortable.

"The St James is definitely in need of a tidy-up," Prast agrees. "It's clear that Auckland needs more venues. But having said that, it is part of the festival experience - you're not just sitting there in your upholstered seats with air-conditioning. I've just come back from the Edinburgh Festival, where people sit on wooden forms. There is a certain rough and ready quality to a festival."

Prast says he has learned another lesson from this debut. "We need to stagger start times. At the St James we had all the people jammed in the foyer to go to In the Bag, Muldoon and Potiki's Memory of Stone. We need to avoid that kind of bottleneck."

Prast is already looking ahead to AK05, which will run from February 19 to March 13, hopefully avoiding Auckland's climatic vagaries. It will be one week longer than AK03, but Prast and his team will not be asking Auckland City Council to increase its $3 million contribution.

"We do need to get more in the area of corporate sponsorship and we see a big opportunity for us, without the America's Cup. With our track record on this one, we will be able to sign up more sponsors."

He has made some progress planning AK05 acts "with nothing locked in yet", and sees a good case for a strong local lineup, based on what audiences liked this year.

"If you've got a show like It's in the Bag, with a full house and everyone having a great time, that's what it's all about. You've got to weigh that up against the cost of bringing someone out here. Is it financially worth while? If not, is it so artistically compelling that you have to do it?"

Why indeed, when you can have a great laugh at the expense of Aladdin's Michael Hurst - who has valiantly fallen down the stairs on stage 72 times during AK03.

* Because of the bad weather, AK03's free outdoor weekend music festival, Soultana, will now run from 10am today and tomorrow at venues in the Aotea Centre and the St James complex.

AK03's top five

1. Ute Lemper: a show of emotional engagement by the German songstress.

2. It's In The Bag: Mikey Havoc and Newsboy's hilarious update on the old classic. Selwyn would have been tickled pink.

3. Sticky: spectacular stickytape tower built, then destroyed, before your eyes. Magic.

4. Aladdin: there is nothing like a theatre full of kids screaming with delight. Along with their parents.

5. The Songmaker's Chair: Albert Wendt's debut play was a shrewd and stylish exploration of generations within a Samoan family in New Zealand.

Herald Feature: Auckland Festival AK03

Auckland Festival website