OZASIA FESTIVAL.
Artistic Director Joseph Mitchell. Adelaide Festival Centre. Ocober 17 – November 3 2019. BOOKINGS: BASS 131 246 or at bass.net.au
Previewed by Peter Wilkins
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| Joseph Mitchell. OzAsia Festival Artistic Director |
“I’m very self-deprecating.” Joseph Mitchell tells me, “but I
think that this is our strongest programme ever.” “It takes a lot for me to say
that.” The Artistic Director of Adelaide’s
OzAsia Festival laughs apologetically. This year’s festival will be
Mitchell’s fifth year at the helm, and if past festivals are anything to go by,
he has every right to make the claim. His infectious enthusiasm, passion for
all arts Asian and keen eye for exciting, challenging and groundbreaking art
forms has been the hallmark of his directorship over recent years. OzAsia, which
will be staged at the Adelaide Festival Centre and various locations throughout
Adelaide’s CBD from October 17-November 3 promises a feast of unique and
fascinating performances, visual arts displays and installations as well as the
return of the Jaipur Literature Festival, a host of community events, the Moon Lantern Parade and the
popular Dumpling Market.
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| Moon Lantern Parade |
After having directed four highly successful festivals and having
expanded the involvement beyond the
immediate geographical locations like South East Asia, India, Japan and China,
Mitchell is keen to expose audiences to the work of artists in Western Asia,
with companies coming from as far away as Syria, Turkey, Egypt and Morocco. I
wanted to go in different directions and start looking at different things”
Mitchell says. “I want to wipe the slate clean”.
Mitchell has steered away from the origins of the festival
when one major country would be featured each year. However, he does concede that
there is a large Japanese component with five major projects included in the
2019 programme. In the spirit of collaboration which has been a hallmark of
Mitchell’s artistic directorship, audiences will be treated to collaborations
between Japan and artists from Korea, Taiwan, Malaysia, Indonesia and China,
There will be further collaborations between Western rim nations such as
Morocco, Iran, Syria and Algiers,
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| Musician Nitin Sawhney - Beyond The Skin |
In this spirit of collaboration, the festival will feature such performances as LIES, written in the currency symbols of the pound, the yen, the Euro and the dollar. Acclaimed company Ontroerend Goed will return to Adelaide with Belgium/Hong Kong interactive theatre experience that sucks audiences into the world of global markets, banks and deals to be had. French/Algerian choreographer Herve Koubi will work with twelve male dancers from across the Mediterranean Basin in a remarkable dance piece titled, WHAT THE DAY OWES THE NIGHT. This deeply personal exploration of human migration combines strength, form and athleticism in fluid patterns of Sufi whirling, breakdancing, ballet and gravity defying gymnastics. It will be accompanied by a fascinating score mixing Bach, Sufi rhythms and Egyptian influences, conjuring images of an ancient desert ritual. Audiences are in for a very special treat when renowned international dancer Akram Kahn brings his latest dance work to Adelaide at the start of a new phase in his phenomenal career. OUTWITTING THE DEVIL is inspired by the newly discovered fragment of the Babylonian Epic of Gilgamesh. A superb ensemble of dancers from Taiwan, Philippines, US and France collaborate to recount the story of six characters who trade their remaining wealth and stories, seeking to make whole the fragments of lost and forgotten ancient knowledge.
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| Akram Kahn's Outwitting the Devil |
Audiences who were privileged to attend The Dark Inn at a previous festival will be delighted to discover
the return of Niwa Gekidan Penino from Japan with THE
DARK MASTER written and directed by Kuro Tanino. Described as a captivating
and slightly twisted piece of theatre with a stunning set design, THE DARK MASTER is about a young hiker
who stumbles into a dark and timeworn restaurant in Osaka and is asked by the
misanthropic chef to take over, despite having no cooking experience. This is
another production from Tanino to stimulate the senses.
Closer to home for Adelaidians is LIGHT, one of the festival’s commissioned works. Mitchell proudly
tells me that since he took over the reins in 2015, OzAsia has commissioned
twenty seven or twenty nine works.
LIGHT is the story of the accession – some may
claim theft – of Malaysian property in the name of the British Empire by
Francis Light in 1786. Fifty years later his son William created a vision for
the newly founded city of Adelaide. This revisionist exploration of possession
and the might of the British Empire will resonate in a modern society
confronting the dark consequences of forceful occupation . The drama of
colonization and foreign occupation is a tale of guns, drugs, love, war,
freedom, racism and free market capitalism, certain to provoke and question who
we believe ourselves to be as a result of the history we choose to accept.
This world premiere of an Australian and Malaysia collaboration
is written and directed by Thomas Henning of Black Lung and features
radical Malaysian theatre makers Terry and The Cuz. Together they bring to
OzAsia the untold story of the irreversible impact of the actions of two
generations of adventurers which continue
to resonate today.
Generational influence is another theme introduced by
Mitchell. “There is an important idea of generations playing out here” says
Mitchell. “The first generation of artists that came from an Asian heritage
kicked off in the late Nineties. - artists
like Akram Kahn and multi award winning musician Nitin Sawhney and legendary
director Stan Lai. Sawhney, who composed the music for the film Mowgli, will stage BEYOND SKIN, “ a
wonderful fusion of Massive Attack and traditional Indian influences. Drawing on the political upheavals and nuclear
testing of twenty years ago, BEYOND SKIN will open the festival. Many of the
younger generation who have been influenced by artists such as Kahn, Sawhney,
choreographer Anne Nguyen and Lai will appear at the festival.
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| Stan Lai's The Village - A play about Chinese refugees |
Among them is Anne Nguyen’s dance company with French dancers
from par Terre. Theri performance KATA combines edgy hip hop and high octane
breakdance. Nguyen seeks to promote the virtuosity of street dance and launch
it into the modern dance world. With influences ranging from b-boy style to capoeira
and Brazilian jiu-jitsu and backed by powerful percussion KATA is a highlight
of the festival.
Canberra and Queanbeyan’s own Omar Musa will present his
acclaimed show, SINCE ALI DIED, inspired by the life of his hero, Muhammed Ali. Audiences will be electrified by
Musa’s alternative view of the Australian experience, using rap, poetry and
personal stories to confront suburban violence, heartbreak, his Malaysian roots
and the reality of a Muslim, brown-skinned boy growing up in country Queanbyan.
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| Omar Musa in Since Ali Died |
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In SYMBIOSIS,rapper, drummer, proud Aboriginal and speaker
DOBBY will be joined by folk artist Naomi Keye to explore the territory where
hip-hop meets heartfelt harmony. They will be accompanied by five members of
Didler Kumalo, led by guitarist Dylan Marshall , founding member of Adelaide’s
own Shaolin Afronauts. Rhythms and harmonies of Guinea and classic African
Jazz will kick off the evening and
bring you to your feet.
And for something entirely different, audiences will be able
to experience for one night only on October 18 South East Asia’s biggest pop
star, Malaysian number one singer Siti Nurhaliza, who offers a dynamic fusion
of modern pop and ethnic traditional melodies.
“What I think is great about this year’s festival,” Mitchell
says, “is the two generations co-existing
in the same programme. That’s a big part of this festival that I’m
really excited about.”
“The 2019 OzAsia Festival will be our largest, most
adventurous and fun –filled festival to date” says Mitchell. During the eighteen days of the festival, audiences
will be treated to screenings, exhibitions and free events as well as stunning
works of theatre, dance and music from as near as Adelaide and as far away as
Morocco and beyond. 850 artists from more than 20 countries will present
boundary- pushing works across wide range of art forms.
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| Malaysian pop singer Siti Nurhaliza |
As well, Adelaide will play host to the inaugural Asia-Pacific
Creative Cities Conference, the first ever meeting of the UNESCO Creative
Cities of the Asia-pacific region with participation by government, world
leading thinkers and artists.
CEO and Artistic Director
of the Adelaide Festival Centre, Douglas Gautier AM says “There is simply nothing
like our OzAsia Festival.” His words are echoed by the festival’s patron and
Governor of South Australia, His Excellency the Honourable Hieu Van Le AC, who
arrived in Australia in 1977 as a Vietnamese refugee boat arrival. “I am
delighted to see OzAsia Festival continue to flourish as a celebration of our
cultural diversity and the exciting ways in which artists from Asia are
exploring contemporary performance. This year’s program has so much to offer”
For the full programme visit www.ozasiafestival.com.au
Bookings:BASS 131 246 or online at bass.net.au
For further information visit adelaidefestivalcentre.com.au
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