| President's Report - 2005 |
The Midsumma Festival 2005 - A Queer New WorldA Queer New World kicked off with a second sensational Opening Night at Federation Square. The weather was superb and over 20,000 members and friends of the gay and lesbian communities descended on this magnificent cultural space for an expose of some of Melbourne's finest queer entertainers. Whether it was the cool surrounds of club cabaret, the sensation of Summa Diva II or the offer of whirlwind romance at Fastlove - the night provided something for all. Midsumma could not be the rich and diverse festival it is without the contribution of its registered event holders. Midsumma was delighted to once again receive a wonderful array of registered events, and thanks each of the organisations, artists and performers who worked to contribute to this year's festival of A Queer New World. Midsumma's Visual Arts program excelled with a showcase of challenging and exciting works across the municipal councils of Moreland and Yarra, together with the presentation of sensational public works in the centre of the City of Melbourne. Queerstreet led us on a meandering tour of Melbourne's most exciting inner city public spaces, offering Melburnian's from all walks of life, the chance to be exposed to and presented with a diverse range of new and provocative works. This year Midsumma premiered Transitions: Space and Perceptions at the Counihan Gallery, with nine artists presenting high quality works on the theme of fluidity, space and perception. Midsumma's Spoken Word Program, hosted in the City of Yarra was once again a magnificent program. In its second year Novel Conversations was a huge success, selling out this time at Fitzroy's Night Cat - a bigger venue to hold the audience of this very popular event. Midsumma's short story competition generated a good number of entries, with finalists reciting their works at the Glasshouse Hotel. Melbourne Conversations at the Melbourne Town Hall was a thought provoking trip down memory lane. A highlight of the Spoken Word Program and a Midsumma Premier Event was Noel Tovey in...Little Black Bastard. This performance was unforgettable, and audience members were moved through a myriad of emotion, privileged to be taken on a journey of this extraordinary man's life. Chapel off Chapel hosted the Midsumma Festival's Cab Sav where cabaret legends Luke Gallagar, Kay Sera and Adrian Kirk presented a smorgasbord of music and comedy over 4 nights. Once again, the Summa Cruise went off, this time making two voyages. Despite it being a chilly summers day, partygoers were not discouraged and boarded the old Sydney ferry to enjoy a day and/or night on the bay.
Of course Midsumma culminated with Melbourne's biggest queer ghettogether, Carnival Day. Over 30,000 queer friends and families convened on Melbourne's most divine Alexandra Gardens for a day of queer celebration and laughs. Our 3-weeks of A Queer New World concluded with Midsumma's favourite, T-dance, where over 3000 gathered under flood lit Palms for the biggest T-dance ever. Midsumma Office and AdministrationThis year significant changes were made to the Midsumma office structure and guide production procedure. Advertising sales and guide production was brought in-house, in an effort to generate an alternate stream of revenue through advertising sales, and maintain a good level of creative control in the guide production process. This was a successful move. Midsumma was also pleased to announce the appointment of Sheah Sutton as General Manager in October 2004. Sheah previously worked with Arts Victoria and has an extensive history working in arts administration. The appointment of a General Manager for the Festival is a significant step towards long term planning and program development of the Festival. In January 2005 Midsumma was awarded tax deductibility status as a cultural organisation registered with the Department of Communications Information Technology and the Arts. This is a significant point in Midsumma's history as not only is the festival now recognised with the federal government as a legitimate cultural organisation, but also tax deductibility status opens doors to another source of funding, through support of Midsumma Patrons. The Patron Program was launched last month at an exclusive viewing of the Andy Warhol's Time Capsules at the NGV. The evening was a huge success and Midsumma already has 14 registered Patrons - we thank you all for your tremendous support.
The FY04/05 financial statements
I am pleased to note that the attached financial statements show a surplus for the financial year of $12,893. Over the past three years Midsumma has concentrated on securing the future of the festival in a climate where like festivals have experienced financial difficulty. The Midsumma Board of Management continues to operate a financially responsible festival. ThanksThanks and recognition must go to the Midsumma Board of Management Glyn Cryer, Sasha Cunningham, Tim Hunter, Ros Abercrombie, Bohdan Abrat, Craig Andrade, Ray Arthur, Scott Campbell, Mark Hooke, Keiran McGregor, Darren Marsh and Kim Northmore - who worked hard all year to unite A Queer New World. Thankyou also to members of the Visual Arts, Programming, Major Events and Strategy working committees who contributed a great deal of time and effort to each of these areas. Recognition must go to Sheah Sutton, General Manager and Brenton Geyer, Festival Manager, both whom coordinated a brilliant festival. Thankyou to our bookkeeper Geoffrey Smith who continues to ensure that every pink penny coming through the office is accounted for. We further thank our contracted production manager Geraldine Kirby, who worked tirelessly to secure and produce a brilliant Opening Night and Carnival Day. Finally a big thanks all our volunteers who gave up their time for Midsumma 2005. The festival could not succeed without the assistance of volunteers who generously offer their time and good spirit. Midsumma 2006Midsumma has already started planning for 2006 and will be led by the capable and astute Glyn Cryer. Mark your diaries for Opening Night at Federation Square on Friday 20 January andkeep the diary open for the three weeks that follow.GoodbyeIt is with great sadness that Bohdan Abrat, Ray Arthur and Darren Marsh retire from the Midsumma Board this year. While they make room for newcomers they leave with a wealth of experience, knowledge and passion for the festival, which will be sadly missed. Best wishes and see you again in 2006.
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