Pic: Al Bett
Tasmania’s seventh international arts festival Ten Days on the Island wrapped up yesterday having
exceeded both financial and artistic objectives, and marking new levels of engagement with Tasmanians.
Artistic Director Jo Duffy said the response of the Tasmanian community was the best validation of the
festival’s success, measured by strong attendances to a diverse range of arts events, encompassing mature
dance on King Island, operatic music in Burnie, Celtic fiddles in Huonville and innovative theatre in Hobart.
“I’m truly thrilled with the community’s reaction to the festival, especially as the artists constantly
reported Tasmanian audiences to be the most supportive they have experienced anywhere, which is a big
credit to the State from performers who have travelled the world,” Ms Duffy said.
“This spontaneous reaction affirms that Ten Days on the Island is an enduring asset to the social and
cultural life of Tasmania and that Tasmanians have shown genuine ownership and pride in the festival.
“Despite many shows selling out and countless standing ovations in what could be considered risky
performances, the real success of this festival is the passionate, unconditional involvement of people
across the state who not only attended the shows in droves, but also embraced the artists, identified with
them and appreciated their stories.
“Each of our ten festival towns demonstrated genuine pride while hosting the mini-festivals in their town
while the new Beyond Ten Days programme facilitated exchange of ideas and inspiration.”
Executive Director and Producer of Ten Days on the Island Marcus Barker said the financial success of the
festival was also very satisfying, with a resounding box office result that finished substantially in front of
the financial target, and a new ticket sales record for one performance through the complete sell-out
concert of Dame Kiri Te Kanawa at Launceston’s Princess Theatre.
“Another first this year was the provision of audio captioning for some performances, which enabled the
deaf and hard of hearing communities to engage with the festival at a more rewarding level,” Mr Barker
said.
“The support from the corporate sector was once again very substantial, with partnerships for the first
time this year with Qantas and RACT, whose support enabled us to present the prestigious quality
production of The Select (The Sun Also Rises) from New York, thanks to Qantas, and the statewide tour 21
Circus Acts in 20 Minutes to 11 centres around Tasmania, thanks to support provided by RACT.
“We also retained long-standing partners Southern Cross and Hydro, which demonstrates the value and
reach that the festival delivers throughout Tasmania.
“In total, over 50 per cent of the festival’s self-generated income was derived from the corporate sector.”
Ten Days on the Island 2015 will take place from 20 – 29 March.
Ten Days on the Island Artistic Director Jo Duffy
