Stellar cast helps ease box-office pressure for festival organisers

Conductor Lorin Maazel of the New York Philharmonic Orchestra, pianist Andras Schiff, jazz pioneer Ornette Coleman and choreographer Pina Bausch are some of the big names gracing this year's star-studded Hong Kong Arts Festival.

The city's annual celebration of the arts started last night with the Stuttgart Ballet's Swan Lake at the Cultural Centre, while the National Theatre of Great Britain's double bill Chatroom and Citizenship played at the Academy for Performing Arts.

The festival has to raise more than HK$40 million through private sponsorships, donations and ticket sales to break even, despite the government chipping in HK$15.73 million and the Jockey Club contributing a further HK$8 million. Its budget stands close to HK$70 million.

Festival executive director Tisa Ho said headlining a stellar cast of performers helped to ease box-office pressure but it was not a means to an end. 'I think stars have always been important for the festival and the box office is always important,' she said.

'But how to keep that going is not necessarily just by [having] star names. It's really about engaging our audience's imagination, keeping the festival exciting and fresh, and making it an event that people look forward to.'

According to festival organisers, more than 70 per cent of this year's performances are a full house while close to 94 per cent of tickets have been sold.

Ho said the challenges ahead were similar to those the festival faces now: 'There are only so many venues and dates and we do our best within those constraints.'