“Applaud” Christchurch Arts Festival 2005

Tuesday 26 April 2005

On behalf of the Christchurch City Council and the people of Christchurch, I am delighted to be here tonight to support the launch of the 6th biennal, Christchurch Arts festival. I am as excited as you all are, to hear and see a taste of what Festival Director, Guy Boyce and his dedicated team - it’s a labour of love, I can assure you - have sweated and slogged over for the last two years, to lift our sluggish spirits, this mid-winter in Christchurch.

The last festival in 2003 saw an unprecedented number of Cantabrians leave their warm homes - heated by council approved clean-air appliances, of course - and flock into the central city to enjoy the heat and energy the festival events created; including, the unforgettable photography exhibition, My Place at CoCA gallery - that lovingly recorded the social history of Christchurch, the dazzling Book of Fame at the Court, the dynamic Australian Chamber Orchestra in the Town Hall and the poetry in motion that was Estampas Portenas, here at the Theatre Royal.

This Festival threatens to outdo itself and I am excited and encouraged by the wealth of local artists and performers -, Canterbury Opera, the Court Theatre, the school of fine arts, the Design and Arts College of NZ, Christchurch City Choir, local Jazz and Cabaret musicians and singers, a festival commissioned play, set on Banks Peninsula, by one of New Zealand’s foremost playwrights, and local writers and visual artists.

And all this talent will be well served by Christchurch’s world-class facilities, our stunning new gallery, the refurbished Theatre Royal and many other excellent venues from within the new Christchurch City Cultural Precinct. This is a chance to celebrate – to celebrate the arts, to celebrate our city and ultimately, to celebrate life.