Gravity-defying: The Pulse puts Sydney Festival audiences first
The organisers of Sydney Festival attraction The Pulse have resisted calls to join a boycott of the event.
The organisers of Sydney Festival attraction The Pulse have resisted calls to join a boycott of the event, saying the priority is to give their audiences some much-needed joy after the months of pandemic and theatre closures.
More than 20 artists or groups have already withdrawn from the festival, which started on Thursday, in support of a boycott organised by pro-Palestine activists over sponsorship of a festival event by the Israeli embassy.
Darcy Grant, creative lead of Adelaide-based acrobatic group Gravity and Other Myths, said his company had received a “polite email” from the boycott organisers, asking them to withdraw from the festival.
The acrobatic group, which operates as a collective, discussed whether to join the boycott and not present The Pulse as part of the Sydney Festival.
Grant said that while his group sympathised with the Palestinians, it decided to go ahead with the Sydney premiere at the Roslyn Packer Theatre.
“We do respect the position of the Palestinian cause – it’s too hard to turn a blind eye to,” he said. “Maybe it comes across as selfish, but … being able to take care of our people and provide them work, and to be able to provide for audiences, also feels like a big issue for us.”
The Sydney Festival, the first from new director Olivia Ansell, is set to unroll across 25 days around the harbour city.
The program has been planned with Covid safety in mind, offering audiences a mix of in-theatre performances, outdoor events and online viewing.
Highlights include the Sydney premiere of the Bob Dylan musical The Girl From the North Country, the Bangarra Dance Theatre, and the Sydney Symphony Orchestra in Parramatta.
Ansell said she respected those artists who stayed with the festival, as well as the right of others to withdraw. “If artists feel that they need to withdraw, and they need to boycott the festival, then we support their freedom of speech,” she said.
“And if artists wish to continue participating in the festival, then we support those artists too.
“Some artists believe that by putting their work on the stage, then the power of their work can effect positive change.”
The Palestine Justice Movement Sydney has objected to a $20,000 sponsorship from the embassy of Israel for a festival dance performance, Decadance, by Israeli choreographer Ohad Naharin.
The group said on social media on Thursday that 30 acts had withdrawn from the festival because of the festival board’s “complicity” with Israel.
It also said it was planning a protest at the festival opening on Thursday night.
The festival board this week vowed to honour funding arrangements for this year’s festival, but will review its practices regarding future funding from foreign governments.
An open letter signed by 120 figures from the international entertainment industry, Creative Community for Peace, rejected the festival boycott and the forced “politicisation” of cultural events.
Signatories include Kiss bassist Gene Simmons, film producer Emile Sherman, and director Stephan Elliott.
Ansell said Sydney audiences would enjoy a strong festival program, despite some performances being cancelled due to Covid, and others having been withdrawn in protest.
“There is still a robust program on offer across the visual arts and performing arts,” she said.
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