Q&A with Spiegel Fest 2024 artistic director Megan Brown on the magic of live theatre

Megan Brown, TAFT artistic director, says live theatre is all about making connections.

The tent is up, the performers are arriving and the shows are ready to start. The Taranaki Arts Festival Trust Spiegel Fest is in town. Ilona Hanne caught up with Taranaki Arts festival Trust artistic director Megan Brown to find out more about the festival and the work that goes on behind the scenes

As TAFT artistic director, you get the pleasure of picking the shows for the festival. What do you go looking for - what does an act or show need for you to consider it?

Yes, I go “shopping” for shows – which is done via relationships with artists, seeing performances in real life, attending arts markets, seeing performance pitches, and watching recorded versions of shows. The key things I consider are: will we have a regional audience/interest in the performance and how will Taranaki audiences respond to this performance? There are of course lots of other considerations such as suitability of availability, venues, costs, technical requirements. It’s then a juggling act to programme shows into the festival depending on their requirements such as pack in durations.

Have you got a particular act this time that you personally are really excited to have at Spiegel Fest this year?

It’s hard to pick one! I particularly love performances that bring new audiences in. I’m excited to have Projekt Dance in Taranaki, bringing their freestyle dance to the Spiegeltent on Saturday, November 15. It will be a lot of fun. For this performance, children’s tickets are free and I love seeing young people and families having multiple opportunities to interact with the festival.

How many festivals have you been involved with with TAFT now?

Quite a few! I joined in March 2021 and in that time we’ve delivered Right Royal Cabaret Festival (2021), Speakeasy (2022), Spiegel Fest (2022), Right Royal Cabaret Festival (2023), Reimagine Festival (2023), Winter Fest (2024) and Spiegel Fest (2024). Of course during that period we also had a lot of disruption from Covid and we ‘unproduced’ Reset in 2021 and Winter Fest in 2022. It was heartbreaking to cancel festivals particularly after printing programmes. Completing Winter Fest in June was a special moment as it meant we’d delivered all four festivals, since TAFT moved to our new model replacing the biennial festival.

And across all those festivals and acts, are there one or two acts that are your absolute favourites or stand out to you for a reason - what and why?

One of my personal favourites was Taranaki Sings that was part of Spiegel Fest in 2022. This event featured over 200 singers from local choirs and singing groups, and took their songs (that they’d written themselves with Julian Raphael of Community Music Junction) to the streets. It was an incredible project and created songs that live on, long after the festival. Morning People in 2023 stands out too, maybe due to the early starts, when we’re normally used to late nights. I loved bringing that format to Taranaki and seeing the Bowl stage used in such a different way!

Times are tough economically, tell me why a festival ticket is a good spend?

A ticket is an experience. It’s more than just watching a performance, it’s a night out, or a daytime one, often with friends or whānau, creating memories that last a long time. It’s also an experience that you can’t repeat - you may never see that artist again, or we may not have the Spiegeltent return in the future – so we have to soak up these opportunities.

Spiegel fest tickets aren’t outrageous in pricing - is that deliberate - keeping them affordable?

Costs are going up and financially we rely heavily on our box office income, but it’s important that we keep our prices affordable – we offer free events, and a variety of different price points. We know price is a barrier and we work hard to keep our pricing low, thanks to the support of our funders, sponsors and patrons.

The Up Doos will be performing their show He's A Rebel in Taranaki as part of Spiegel Fest 2024.

Do you think there is a particular magic to the atmosphere of shows in the tent versus a theatre?

Absolutely, the tent is an experience itself. It’s a magical venue that really lends itself to the end-of-year celebratory timing. It’s a lot of work, and money, bringing the tent and building it here, so it’s important to fill it. We have 35 performances in there over the 11 days – plus regional and community performances.

If you were to summarise Spiegelfest 2024 in three words - what would they be?

Electrifying, eclectic, and fun.

People live in an instant world - we stream things instantly, download asap etc - what is it about live theatre that keeps people coming back?

I always say the biggest competition is getting people off their sofas and away from streaming shows. The festivals keep bringing audiences back as they create space to belong and share. They create memories, a sense of identity and belonging - forming connections with friends, whānau, colleagues, strangers. I love having conversations with people about shows they saw years ago, experiences they had – we just don’t get that magic from streaming.

We are saying farewell to you personally after this festival aren’t we?

Yes, Spiegel Fest 2024 is my last festival here in Taranaki as I move to a new role as artistic director for Tauranga Arts Festival in December. Being involved with TAFT has been a real privilege – and I’m excited to be joining a new team, working with a new community to bring arts experiences to the Bay of Plenty in 2025 and beyond. It also marks an exciting period for TAFT to welcome a new team and artistic vision. New festival artistic director, Josie Hunter-Annand brings a wealth of experience from her current role as associate programmer for WOMAD Aotearoa.

The details:

What: Spiegel Fest 2024

When: November 14-24

Details and tickets: spiegelfest.co.nz

WIN: We have a double pass to giveaway for one lucky winner and a friend to see He’s A Rebel - The Up Doos which runs over the final weekend of the festival. To be in to win, simply email editor@stratfordpress.co.nz with the word Rebel in the subject line. Include your name and contact phone number in the email. Competition closes at noon on Wednesday, November 20 and the winner will be contacted that afternoon.

Ilona Hanne is a Taranaki-based journalist and news director who covers breaking and community news from across the lower North Island. She has worked for NZME since 2011.