Speeches
Monday, 26 February 2024
Reception for Adelaide Fringe Honeypot Marketplace
Rod and I warmly welcome you all to Government House this evening.
I especially welcome Honey Pot delegates who have travelled from interstate and overseas to be here.
It’s great to experience the city during the late summer festival season, and I trust you are enjoying your time with us. I should warn you that some visitors have been so taken with it all that they’ve decided to make Adelaide their permanent home!
Rod and I have once again thrown ourselves into all things Fringe, and are spending most nights out at performances.
There have been many highlights already, including the Sleep’s Hill Tunnel illumination, Natural Wonders at Adelaide Botanic Garden’s with Ngarrindjeri woman Nicole Gollan’s beautiful work, Annabel Crabb’s the Grilling Season, Charlee Watt’s Beating up the Beatles, circuses aplenty, and then last night Oat Milk and Honey, as well as comedy and theatre shows, including the ultra-contemporary Blood of the Lamb – great to have the playwright, director and actors from the US with us this evening.
After twenty performances (so far!), we are now pleased to describe ourselves as ‘Fringe fit’, but not as fit as Heather, Adelaide Fringe’s amazing director, nor no doubt some of the Fringe fanatics here this evening!
We gather to celebrate Adelaide Fringe Honey Pot Marketplace, bringing together delegates to network and enjoy the hospitality of Government House.
Last year, Adelaide Fringe became the first Australian festival to sell one million tickets.
With more than 1400 shows across 500 South Australian venues, the sheer amount of artistic talent in our state at the moment is hard to comprehend!
I’m very pleased that Honey Pot gives South Australian artists, as well as those from interstate and overseas, the chance to connect with producers and buyers from around the world.
I am proud of the opportunity this creates to extend the lifetime of artists’ works, to grow their profile, their experience and of course their ability to support themselves financially.
With South Australian artists making up more than half of the Fringe program, it’s heartening to see Honey Pot’s efforts to help them expand their audience and creative potential.
Thanks to the Honey Pot marketplace, South Australians including Gravity and Other Myths, Matt Tarrant and Lewis Major have all recently been picked up for international touring, which is wonderful to see.
As former diplomats, Rod and I can also appreciate the considerable value of an initiative like Honey Pot in growing international relationships and connections that are beneficial not only for the arts, but our state more generally.
I thank the Adelaide Fringe Board and staff for their vision and implementation of the Honey Pot Marketplace, and for their commitment to its growth and success, particularly in recent years.
I note the time and effort Fringe staff invest in tailored research for each buyer, so they get the most out of their Honey Pot experience.
I also thank the Fringe’s large community of partners and supporters, whose generous assistance makes initiatives like Honey Pot possible.
The success of the Adelaide Fringe, and our festival season, rests heavily on the commitment and involvement of our state community, including our citizens who patronise its events.
Congratulations once again to the ‘hard working bees’ of the Adelaide Fringe, and its Honey Pot delegates. The marketplace is buzzing with life because of you!
Enjoy the Fringe and I look forward to seeing the sweet results of your labour.