Unrivalled culture centre for second arts festival

Press, 26 July 1979, Page 22

Unrivalled culture centre for second arts festival

Between August II and August 26, Nelson will be the unrivalled culture centre of New Zealand. Between those dates will be held the second arts festival organised by the festival committee The programme is large. It ranges from a special concert by internationallyknown English concert pianist, Richard Deering, and a concert by the New Zealand Symphony Orchestra, to barn dancing, jazz concerts, and the Motueka Pickers and Blowers, to art exhibitions and the Nelson Operatic Society’s production of “My Fair Lady.” In looking through the five-page programme, it is difficult to single out any particular item as worthy of publicity. There is music of every description to cater to the appetites

of a wide cross section — — piano and classical guitar, to folk music and rock. As well as “My Fair Lady,” to be staged in the newly renovated Theatre Royal, Derek Bolt (acclaimed for his presentation of “An Evening with Charles Dickens”) will present the premier performance of “By the Mark. Twain.” Also to be staged are performances in Motueka (“Billy Liar”) by Motueka High School and the Radio Nelson Drama Group. There are all manner of exhibitions throughout Nelson. The new Suter Gallery will exhibit contemporary lithographs of the Divine Comedy and .. tistic books for children, Kinder’s early New Zealand water colours and others. Among films to be

screened at the gallery will be the comedy classic “Some Like it Hot.” There will be adult workshops, children’s festivals, puppets and dancing, pottery _ exhibitions, quilts from Canada, Ger- 1 man theatre posters, weaving and a host of other cultural pursuits. The festival will be opened at the Trafalgar Centre on August 11, by the Minister for the Arts (Mr Highet).