The astonishing, and deserved, success of Wexford Festival Opera continues. It is nothing new for the full operas to be booked out, but this year the lunchtime events and nearly all of the opera scenes booked out before the festival even started. It seems people just can't get enough of obscure operas in the often less-than-sunny south-east.
Chief executive Jerome Hynes contends that he can't judge the success of a festival by the number of bums on seats, however: "There are so many other barometers. Is it good artistically, it is good in the town?" What he particularly likes is argument about whether operas worked or not, and this year there was plenty of that.
Overall, however, Goldmark's Die Konigen von Saba won out, with Michael White of the Independent on Sunday calling it "an alluring pageant piece of Viennese exotica". He goes on: "Goldmark's score has an alluring lyricism, vivid orchestration and, where necessary, real dramatic impact." He praises Massimo Gasparon's "Klimtian" design, and describes the show the most "fabulously stylish" he has ever seen in Wexford.
Hynes argues, however, that the festival isn't campaigning for "re-entry to the repertoire" for every opera it stages - but rather that the operas are worth seeing again. However, several companies are looking at the possibility of staging Pavel Haas's Sarlatan, which was a hit last year. Of this year's menu, Goldmark's opera onigen von Saba is already scheduled to be performed in Vienna this year, and Giordano's Siberia is being "talked about" for Zurich in a couple of years - decisions which were not directly prompted by Wexford's choice, but which may have been influenced by it.
The programme for next year includes these three operas: Tchaikovsky's Orleanskaya deva (The Maid of Orleans) (1881), sung in Russian, Si J'Etait Roi by Adolphe Adam (1882) and Riccardo Zandonai's Conchita (1911). The Tchaikovsky is a more populist choice than Wexford would have been associated with in the past few years.
The team which has brought Wexford to its new pitch of success looks like it will stay together in the medium term, at least. Artistic director Luigi Ferrari's contract has been renewed until 2002. Chief executive Jerome Hynes has been in the job for 10 years, and doesn't plan to stay to the end of his days, but he hasn't seen any other job advertised which would match Wexford for "professional challenge and personal happiness". However, he cautions: "You can know the past, but not the future."
One of the factors keeping him interested is the festival's building project. The festival will get vacant possession of the site now occupied by People Newspapers next March. The challenge Hynes and the board have given themselves is to raise £12 million to allow the auditorium to seat 750 (instead of 550), and to build another, medium-sized venue which would be a huge asset to the town all year round. An art gallery is also planned as part of the main theatre, so that the visual side of the festival can have more impact.
The fund-raising effort has begun, and strong representations to raise the cash will be made to Government and to private interests both here and throughout Wexford's family of supporters overseas. Hynes says if less money is forthcoming, less ambitious plans will be drawn up.
Less ambitious? Who believes he'll stop before he gets the full amount?
The Wexford Opera Festival, tel: 053-22240
The name is the same and the logo looks almost the same - but Kathryn Lennon of Rough Magic Film Productions argues that the company she runs with Siobhan Bourke is in no way linked to the theatre company. And it's not in the same office, it's next door.
The company was formed to pursue film projects which began in the theatre, such as Declan Hughes's Digging for Fire. RTE failed to come in on that one, which scuppered it, but a film version of Gina Moxley's Danti-Dan is still a runner, as well as two other scripts, one by Pom Boyd and another by Charlie O'Neill.
The company has a success with The Case of Majella McGinty, Morna Regan's story of a strange Derry childhood in the 1970s (yes, that's the Morna Regan who featured in yesterday's arts page as Maire in Brian Friel's Translations in Letterkenny). Having won the title of Best Irish Short at the Cork Film Festival, it will go on to the Foyle Film Festival in Derry (November 12th-21st), the Junior Dublin Film Festival (November 21st-December 8th) and the Bilbao International Film Festival (November 22nd-28th).
Kirsten Sheridan, who directed the film, is planning to direct a film version of Enda Walsh's hit play Disco Pigs early next year, which again shows the potential of Irish theatre as a potting compost for film.
The AIB All-Ireland One Act Drama Festival is coursing through the highways and byways of the country at the moment, involving 37,000 participants giving 300 performances. Due to an enhanced sponsorship package, each of the 22 preliminary festivals will be publicised and a bursary for a drama workshop will be available to the group from each county which achieves the highest marks. Tonight, tomorrow and Friday there is a preliminary at Mary Immaculate College, Limerick and they continue around the country until the finals in the Watergate Theatre, Kilkenny, from December 2nd to 4th. Details from the Drama League of Ireland on 01-8090478.
A stunning line-up of traditional stars - including Altan, Cran, and Maighread and Triona Ni Dhomhnaill - take part in a concert on Friday at Vicar Street at 8 p.m. The concert is in memory of Eithne Ni Uallachain, the lead signer from La Lugh who died earlier this year leaving four children, and fellow musician, husband, Gerry O'Connor
. . . A concert of the tango music of the Argentinean composer, Astor Piazzolla, takes place at the National Gallery on Friday, November 12th at 8 p.m. - compositions developed through the organisation's innovative music therapy programme will also be performed - phone 01-2695355/email:cpimarketing@oceanfree.net . . .
Yawannabe a star? Open auditions for the parts of Sleeping Beauty and her Prince at St. Anthony's Theatre will be held in the theatre on Merchant's Quay on Sunday from 11 a.m. . .
