High expectations for Mona festival
MONA Foma has launched a monumental and “unprecedented” festival program with more than 400 artists set to inhabit 25 venues throughout the summer event.
Performances from Paul Kelly, Amanda Palmer and Flying Lotus 3D will be among the music highlights.
The festival has also expanded to many of Launceston’s key venues — including using the Cataract Gorge for what curator Brian Ritchie says will be the biggest theatre production in Australia. Ritchie announced the full program yesterday at one of the festival’s venues, the city’s 1960sbuilt Elphin Sports Centre.
He was joined by Mona cochief executive Mark Wilsdon and Bass MP Sarah Courtney.
At the launch Ritchie said the festival aimed to bring the North and the South of the state together.
“We think there’s nothing better to do that than art, music, food, fun — and we’re doing all of that with Mona Foma 2020,” he said.
The 2020 festival program will see events held in Royal Park, QVMAG Inveresk, Albert Hall, Elphin Sports Centre, Princess Theatre, the Trevallyn Nature Reserve and other venues.
“We’re spreading the activities throughout Launceston, not only to make things interesting, not only to make things interesting for the locals, but so that the people that come from the mainland or international [patrons], can see what a great city we have to do a festival in.”
Mr Wilsdon said 46,000 punters attended the festival in Launceston last year — 35.5 per cent of those were from interstate, 35 per cent were from southern Tasmania and the rest were from northern Tasmania.
The 2020 event will be the second of three to receive $1.75 million from the State Government as part of its $6 million Northern Arts and Events Strategy.
MP Sarah Courtney said Mona Foma’s artistic integrity brought tourists and visitors to the state and excited locals.
“We want to see more people from across Tasmania and indeed across Australia coming and visiting places like Launceston,” she said.
Mona Foma, from January 11-20, features music, visual art, special projects and dance works.
There’s a strong thread of electronic music acts and also shows about dying languages (Jeremy Dutcher from Canada and Ripple Effect from Arnhem Land) in this year’s program.
Family-friendly acts include the King Ubu play at the Gorge and Daedalum Luminarium, an inflatable maze made up of 17 domes in Royal Park with music created by Midnight Oil’s Jim Moginie. Tickets will be on sale from 10am on Monday at monafoma.net.au.