Creatives reach new audiences
One thing hasn’t changed in the 25 years I’ve been writing about the visual and performing arts in Wellington – people from galleries ask me for theatre recommendations, while theatregoers ask about exhibitions. The looks on their faces suggest they consider the other respective arts scene like some other country.
Even in this creative crucible of a city I’m often struck by how different audiences can be. And how many different cultural scenes there are. A regular attender of both NZSO and Orchestra Wellington concerts recently commented to me how different he finds these two orchestras’ audiences – the Orchestra Wellington crowd ‘‘younger and a different class’’.
Both now do some excellent outreach ($20 to see the NZSO with The Four Seasons at Wellington College next month) and while orchestra may no longer be the dominant cultural form, the city also affords many classical ensembles.
Yet there’s something an arts organisation will never tell you: they aren’t for everyone. Nor – with the exception of majorly funded public institutions – should we expect them to be. It’s no different in sport: I love my tennis but, other than my daughter’s Saturday morning games, I know nothing of netball. Yet it deserves support.
Every arts organisation gets pressure from funders to talk up how they’re making their work accessible to all. This can lead to dubious claims. The fact is, enormous swathes of the Wellington region never attend.
Don’t get me wrong – the crossover in art forms and their audiences makes Wellington zing. Recently I attended Strasbourg 1518 at Circa, an excellent meeting of dance, theatre, sound, light and jazz. Coming up next week at BATS is Transmission from two intermedia exemplars Miranda Harcourt and Stuart McKenzie – artists at home in cinema, theatre and the gallery. Fringe and arts festival cultures blossomed in Wellington because we love crossfertilisation.
Yet still audiences can remain different. They often represent different social scenes. It’d been some time since I’d been to Circa. I was struck not just by the audience’s arty homogeneity, but also how joyful the atmosphere, as people bumped into each other in the bar. Theatre and gallery provide society, a club, a physical social network – something City Gallery recognises with its smart monthly Open Late series, but bringing music, literary and art scenes together.
In the performing arts the club is traditionally often anchored by subscriptions. You get a season ticket, leaving curation to experts, and look forward to heated conversation on a shared experience afterwards. I hope a younger generation keep this model, along with their Netflix subscriptions, going in some places.
From the orchestras to Circa, impressive work has been done to make tickets more affordable to younger people. Programming has also welcomingly diversified. I reviewed theatre at Circa for many years and even 10 years ago there was a certain template of the types of plays in a season, with a familiar rota of directors and cast. That had many important strengths, and going back 25 years you had more venue choice: Circa, Downstage, BATS and Taki Rua Depot. A healthy scene provides different models.
To reach new audiences we also need to go out to them, and empower fledgling Wellington festivals such as Measina, Kia Mau and Pu¯ tahi to take work from development to community hubs, much as Ma¯ oriland does for film. We need to better resource regional venues. We have many great new ones, like Te Raukura ki Ka¯ piti and the Lower Hutt Events Centre.
What if, when they finally make it to Wellington, the double-billed NZSO and Alien Weaponry gig plays the Taita Walter Nash Centre and Porirua’s Te Rauparaha Arena instead of the Michael Fowler Centre?
Theatre and gallery provide society, a club, a physical social network.