Sydney Festival have announced that playwright and theater director Wesley Enoch will be the next incoming Festival Director for a three-year tenure starting from 2017.Sydney Festival is one of Australia’s major arts festivals running annually for three weeks in January. The large array of free and ticketed events attract hundreds of thousands of people who travel to New South Wales in order to see international artists in the fields of theatre, dance, music, film, and visual arts. The Festival also offers talks as well as a program of free large-scale outdoor events.Sydney’s Lord Mayor, Clover Moore MP said of the announcement of the new Noonuccal Nuugi Festival Director, “under Wesley Enoch’s watch I’m looking forward to seeing more Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander artists and audiences, who make such a valuable contribution to our country’s creativity and culture, taking part in the Festival.”Wesley has been the Artistic Director of the Queensland Theatre Company since 2010 having previously served as Resident Director for Sydney Theatre Company as well as being on the board of trustees for Sydney Opera House between 2003-2011. He also was appointed as Director of the Indigenous section of the 2006 Melbourne Commonwealth Games Opening Ceremony.Well equipped for the Festival Director role, Enoch has directed six projects for the Sydney Festival over the past 15 years: The Sunshine Club (2000), Eora Crossing (2004), The Sapphires (2005), Nargun andthe Stars (2009), I am Eora (2012) and Black Diggers (2014).Deputy Premier and Minister for the Arts, Troy Grant, said of the decision “Wesley has already made a significant contribution to the Australian arts landscape and brings a wealth of experience to this coveted role in which he will lead one of our country’s most important annual events.”Wesley himself seems delighted with his new appointment stating in the press release, “excited is too inadequate a word for how I’m feeling. I have had a long love affair with Sydney Festival and its audiences. […] Festivals provide a huge cultural canvas and help reimagine a city, helping it think creatively and see things differently. I’m looking forward to rolling up my sleeves and getting started.”Wesley will take the reins from Lieven Bertels, who completes his term in 2016, marking the Sydney Festival’s 40th anniversary.
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