IT’S a tough rap travelling the globe scouting out the world’s best theatre, dance and music, and Lissa Twomey has had to do it.
For the past five years she’s travelled the world pursuing the performances that will thrill New Zealand audiences. As artistic director, Twomey’s just launched her third New Zealand International Festival of the Arts programme, three weeks of art events kicking off in Wellington in February. It will be her last. Twomey is moving on. She’s loved the job, but when you’ve got a husband and two young children at home, being away for up to a month at a time, two or three times a year does impact on family life.
“I’m lucky to have a supportive husband and a mother who visits from Australia while I’m away,” Twomey says. “And we use Skype all the time to keep in touch.”
She says the travel isn’t always to glamorous locations and the shows aren’t always to her taste, but she knows she’s selecting for a wider audience.
“I can’t judge a performance just on whether I like it or not. I have to think did I like that? Would my mother like that? Would my neighbour like that? It’s like making a fabulous casserole. You have to balance all the flavours to get it right.”
And Twomey’s hoping she’s got that balance right in her finale programme. Bigger than last year’s festival there’s over 140,000 tickets for 300 performances by 900 artists from 31 countries.
“It’s a very energetic festival with lots of very physical theatre. There’s also a lot more outdoor visibility with the festival hub on the waterfront and Micheal Tuffery’s digital artwork screening on Te Papa’s façade.”
She’s rather reluctant to give her picks for the festival.
“Oh there are so many. Kneehigh Theatre’s The Wild Bride is really wonderful.  Sidi Larbi Cherkaoui is visually spectacular. I’ve seen Hofesh Shechter’s Political Mother twice and came out even more affected the second time.”
There are nine world premieres in this festival including the opera Hohepa, Hone Kouka’s Tu, and the cross-cultural love story Masi. Twomey says while it’s an international festival it was important new New Zealand works were included in the programme.
“We don’t have a quota for New Zealand work. We look at the quality of the work rather than percentages. We do though try to stage works that wouldn’t be possible in the normal course of theatre life.”
New Zealand International
Festival of the Arts, Wellington, February 24 to March 18, 2012.