The highlight of the dry season in Darwin is the Darwin Festival, now in its 31st year. Jo Duffy, Artistic Director, launched her second program to a warm reception from a select crowd at the Civic Park alongside Brown’s Mart Theatre.
Nestled alongside big ticket items such as the Cat Empire, John Butler Trio and Tex Perkins, are interesting international acts such as East Timorese musician Ego Lemos, French chanteuse Belle du Berry and Korean Theatre Company, Sadari. Other highlights include a world premier of Goose Lagoon (Gary Lang NT Dance Company), the delicious duo Microwave Jenny, Alana Valentine’s play Head Full of Love an endearing story set during the Alice Springs Beanie Festival (dir. Wesley Enoch) as well as the returning Chooky Dancers in Wrong Skin (Ngurru-milmarramiriw) directed by Nigel Jamieson after a highly successful season at the Adelaide Festival.
The Darwin Festival Program is diverse and has to cater to a wide range of tastes. Programming here, more than anywhere, is a delicate balance. The city’s unique geography influences program selection more than any other festival in Australia. With a fusion of culturally diverse local, national and international acts - such as Five Elements, Paul Dwyer’s Bouganville Photoplay Project, Tiwi Women’s Group (ngarukuruwala), Darwin Festival is a step ahead of eurocentric flavoured festivals hosted by other capital cities. It’s a rich and inspired program that takes advantage of a balmy climate, easy access in a small user friendly city and melds it all with that frontier mentality which produces a weird festival magic. Darwin is, at this time of year, completely enchanting and as Artistic Director Jo Duffy says, a muse to all the performers. Hop a plane.
12-29 August, 2010