Time to usher Usher out

In an Age article today entitled 'Arts festival nearer to choosing new head', increasingly out-of-touch arts scribe Robin Usher once again displays just his reactionary outlook with the following comments in a piece about the process of appointing the next MIAF Artistic Director:
"It is understood the short list also includes Adelaide Festival's director, Brett Sheehy, who appears a more obvious choice [than Mark Yeoman].

Not only does he have vastly more experience of Australian conditions — he was director of the Sydney Festival before moving to Adelaide — but also he is more likely to return the Melbourne Festival to its traditional programming mix."

Now, forgive me if I fail to grasp your logic here, Robin - but why should a "traditional" approach to programming - which in your eyes includes opera and symphony orchestras, as you don't hesitate to suggest - make Sheehy the 'obvious choice' to take over from Kristy Edmunds?

Obvious in your eyes, perhaps, given your evident worship of hidebound artforms that have their place in the greater scheme of things; but which, to my mind at least, have little place in a festival such as MIAF, which celebrates and highlights the very best in contemporary art practice.

Usher than goes on to belittle Yeoman, currently employed at Groningen's multi-disciplinary theatre festival Noorderzon in the Netherlands, because he is the director of a "small-town" festival in a city "with a population of less than 200,000". Since when did scale have anything to do with innovative programming and artistic excellence? From a quick look at the program Yeoman put together for this year's festival, I'd say he has an intuitive and broad-ranging approach to programming; so how about we consider these candidates on their merits, instead of sneering at the size of the cities they work in, hey Robin?

Comments

Anonymous said…
I hope Yeoman gets the gig and brings a Dutch festival ethos to Melbourne. They have one of the most vibrant artistic scenes in the world. And he could bring some of the Ducth classical music, opera and dance companies here to satisfy the 'traditionalists'.

Maybe someone could devise a Melbourne festival staging of "The Fall of the House of Usher" (hint, hint)
23/11/07 14:59
On Stage And Walls said…
I'd love to see that Tom Waits/Kurt Weill show at this year's Noorderzon (and about a dozen other things on offer too)
23/11/07 15:03
caoin said…
I thought the whole point of a festival was to put on new and innovative stuff, but maybe that’s not obvious to everyone.

I’d probably allow some old stuff done in a new way in that, but it would have to be new and interesting, not the half-arsed (but now obligatory) ‘modern’ setting for an opera whose main purpose seems to be a combination of economy and giving the performers nowhere to go and nothing to do.
24/11/07 14:14
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