2008 in reflection (3.0/5)

Sydney Festival produced the best and worst of the year – as a good festival should. “Blackwatch” stood out as the best show of the year, rightly winning plaudits around the world. For someone not really into classical music the genre featured a lot in 2008, and was largely enjoyed. A trip to New York and Chicago added to this year’s collection. The outdoor Jay Pritzker Pavilion in Chicago is an architectural marvel and a remarkable addition to public art and performance. It was a pleasure to close the year with Yinka Shonibare’s beautiful fabrics and tableau at the MCA.

Books don’t feature in On Show (might have to change this next year) however two excellent books on the value of creativity and the arts to the economy and society in general are to be recommend. Former Barbican MD John Tusa’s “Engaged with the Arts” address the issues of objectives, KPI’s and dealing with politics. Richard Florida in “The Flight of the Creative Classes” discusses the importance of a thriving creative sector to economic development – how very relevant at this time.

Tusa might, rightly, shrink from a simplistic 1-5 scoring system to rank what’s been on show in 2008. Nevertheless the statistics report 48 events attended, with mean, median and mode rankings of 2.8, 2.7 and 2.5 respectively, consistent with 2.5/5 or better being achieved on more occasions than not. Despite my change in circumstances a good number of events were attended in 2008, and most were well worth seeing – all in all a good year for things “on show”.

Losing my job at Sydney Opera House came as a bit of a blow and impacted on the number of shows seen in 2008. Access to free tickets was a nice perk, though rest assured it was not all fun, especially after a full-on day at the office. As Facilities Director I could not help but continually look for maintenance defects and opportunities to improve any aspect of SOH’s customer experience. Unlike some I considered hosting VIP visits an important part of the job, it was always a privilege and honour to meet interesting people albeit tempered by the need to be on one’s best behaviour. I always believed that it was important for directors to be seen supporting the House’s core business of performing arts by attending as many shows as possible. This was especially true for those productions in which SOH had a curatorial interest, for example the “Adventures” and Studio programs, when I hoped that my attendance showed support for colleagues. Sadly, bold artistic initiatives and the brands “live performance everyday’” and “inspiring experiences” seem to be disappearing, though efforts to attract a more cultural diverse audience through programming continue. More than anything else I valued the opportunity to see an enormously diverse number of productions and to debate their merits with some wonderful colleagues. It was a privilege to have worked at Sydney Opera House.

So, onto 2009 and Sydney Festival looms, though perhaps not as inspired as 2008’s program. We shall see. In 2009 I shall be viewing events as a Festival volunteer and paying customer. Goals for 2009 include continuing to see as big a variety of events as possible, launching a new blog presenting my views of the world “What Matters” and finding a job delivering inspiring experiences. Thanks for reading On Show 2008, stay with me for more reviews in the new blog On Show 2009.