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Otago Daily Times
4 days ago
- Otago Daily Times
Festival anti-social conduct ‘deeply stressful'
Dunedin Fringe Arts Trust co-directors Kate Schrader (left) and Ruth Harvey. Photo: Gregor Richardson Inflammatory rhetoric from political leaders is to blame for a "significant" rise in anti-social behaviour, including hate speech and sexual harassment, at this year's Dunedin Fringe Festival, organisers say. Festival co-organiser Ruth Harvey, who lived in the United States during the first presidency of Donald Trump, said New Zealand needed to send a message as a country that "everyone is welcome here". "That is the thing that we champion in our work and our expectation is that others, including community leaders and politicians, should be doing the same thing." A final report on this year's festival, which ran for 10 days in March, said there was a "significant uptick in anti-social behaviour" of a level which had not been experienced in the past three years. Organisers cited "imported culture wars; a rise in misogynistic, racist, queer-phobic and ableist attitudes generally; and the erosion of social cohesion due to political and civil divisiveness" as contributing to the rise in such behaviour. "We had multiple instances of both in-person and online abusive behaviour, including two instances of hate speech, an [instance] of sexual harassment and multiple instances of disruptive audience behaviour in both our venue and others around the city." It was "one of the most challenging aspects of the entire festival" and created an unsustainable workload. Leadership dealt with each situation and the fallout as younger staff were left with too much to do and had their confidence shaken. "It was the first time staff have felt genuinely scared to do their jobs," the report said. There needed to be better behaviour and leadership from politicians and civic leaders, who set the tone for what behaviour was acceptable within communities, and significantly more funding to help community organisations address the "fraying levels of connectedness in our communities", the report said. Ms Harvey said the disruptive behaviour — which included heckling and involved inebriation — was experienced particularly during late-night events. Police were not contacted, and it was noted some of this behaviour was directed at events involving the city's queer community, she said. "I think that both locally, nationally and internationally you have quote unquote 'leaders' in our communities who are espousing some very racist, misogynistic and homophobic ideas. "It's given people permission to act in a similar way and it was so evident during the festival." Ms Harvey drew a connection to "very nasty" incidents in the North Island earlier this year, which included the actions of Destiny Church members who stormed a children's drag science show held in a library in Te Atatu. She knew of other businesses and event organisers in Dunedin who had also faced anti-social behaviour. "So I think it is indicative of the broader environment politically and socially." However, the "vast majority" of the thousands of audience members who attended events this year had been well behaved, Ms Harvey said. Fellow co-organiser Kate Schrader said the incidents were "deeply stressful" and they were not experts in dealing with anti-social behaviour. It was only a small team working behind the scenes at the festival and such behaviour took them away from their work running it. With more funding, the festival could increase the number of hours it employed security for, Ms Schrader said.
Otago Daily Times
30-04-2025
- Entertainment
- Otago Daily Times
Poetry, opera combine in musical monodrama
Mezzo soprano Dr Tessa Romano in her role as ringmaster in last year's opera production The Trapeze Artists. Photo: Charmian Smith A musical "monodrama" created by Dunedin composer Prof Anthony Ritchie, in collaboration with author Fiona Farrell, will be performed next week for NZ Music Month. Entitled You! Who?, the song cycle will be given its premiere performance by senior lecturer in voice Dr Tessa Romano (mezzo soprano) and Prof Terence Dennis (piano), next Wednesday from 1pm at Hanover Hall. The concert is part of the ongoing University of Otago School of Performing Arts lunchtime concert series. Prof Ritchie composed the monodrama earlier this year, while on sabbatical leave from the university, creating musical settings for eight poems by Fiona Farrell, which follow the ups and downs of a married couple's relationship. The poems were written specially for the You! Who? project by Farrell, a long-standing friend of Prof Ritchie, after discussions of possible creative collaborations. "The poems trace the evolution of a human relationship, from first meeting through marriage, babies, separation, reconciliation, and finally death," Prof Ritchie said. "The songs flow from one to another without a break and the work was conceived as a monodrama, with the singer encouraged to act a role — it is like a mini-opera for one singer." Composer Prof Anthony Ritchie. Photo: Josie Garner Prof Ritchie said the monodrama was written with Romano in mind, after he saw her "wonderful" performance as the ringmaster in Opera Otago production The Trapeze Artists, which combined his music with the poetry of Cilla McQueen and Hone Tuwhare, and libretto by Louise Petherbridge, and was performed during the 2024 Dunedin Fringe Festival. "I was really inspired by her performance," he said. Next week's NZ Music Month concert will also feature two other local compositions. University of Otago music honours graduate Cameron Monteath's work Ballade for Cello and Piano (2023) will be performed by Heleen Du Plessis (cello) with Monteath himself on piano. Also to be presented will be The Spindle of Necessity (2005) by current Mozart fellow Simon Eastward, performed by University of Otago music students.
