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1. What does your job as Art Director and the CEO of Sydney Festival Entail?
There are two parts of it really. As the art director I primarily choose and shape the content to be used, and the CEO role is more operational. It takes about 18 months to get each festival in the place so we are already locking in artists for January 2009
2. What was your first job?
My first real job was at the Gate Theatre in Dublin, where I worked when I was about 15. My role was to make the coffee. They performed in the festival this year and I worked closely with Ralph Fiennes, so we still have extremely close ties.
3. What did you want to be when you grew up?
I always wanted to be a producer and was never really interested in acting or directing. I never wanted to do the administrative side because I’m terrible at that. My strengths lie in organising teams of people and formulating and articulating the vision.
4. What’s your favorite perk?
I would have to say the research is the best part. Although it can get a bit much, as I have been travelling all my life, it is amazing to visit places like St Petersburg, Paris Tokyo and New York. I spend much of the year meeting people for projects and discussing what can be done.
Other times I simply lie on my back, listen to music, read stuff and work out what to do. It is a great feeling on opening night of an event when everything comes together.
5. What makes you happy?
Personally, it is spending time with family, kids and friends. In a professional sense when all the work is finished and done, and completed properly it is a great moment. When you know that you have done it and done it well you can exhale and that is a beautiful feeling.
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