Otago Festival of the Arts Opens 29 September

MEDIA RELEASE
For 29 September 2004

Otago Festival of the Arts Opens Today with Colour and Grandeur

The largest art installation ever seen in Dunedin and a world renowned musical phenomenon are the first events to launch the 2004 Otago Festival of the Arts today.

Opening at 10am today is Luminarium, the very first event in the Festival. Luminarium is a 700 square metre, 8 metre high, muti-coloured, inflatable PVC art installation complete with labyrinths and tunnels through Festival goers can walk, sit, meditate and dream.

“Radiant light, colour and form…imagine the impact on your senses!” says Nicholas McBryde, Festival Director. “The Luminarium is something that should be experienced by everybody in Dunedin, and with just $2 entry I think that is possible!”

This fantastical structure will transform the lawn at First Church on Moray Place until Sunday 3 October.

The first day of the Festival also includes the opening night of Evita. Called ‘stylish and sexy’ by the NZ Herald, this all new stage production is of one of the world’s favourite musical extravaganzas and tells the compelling story of one of history’s most loved (and loathed) heroines.

“With a star-studded cast, fantastic music and a gripping story, Evita is proving to be a very popular event with Dunedin ticket buyers,” says Nicholas McBryde.

McBryde says he hopes that these two remarkable events will kick start Dunedin Festival goers into action and set the pace for the next 11 dynamic days and nights of fun. Continuing the fantastic line-up is the remarkable play Odyssey, Jonathan Lemalu and the NZSO, cutting-edge contemporary dance-theatre Angels with Dirty Feet, hilarious comedy Untold Tales of Maui, Mongolian throat singing and much, much more.

Tickets are available now nationwide from Ticketek. Check out www.otagofestival.co.nz for full festival details.

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