Dunedin Arts Festival

25/08/2026

Trust us - this will be worth seeing!
Following on the resounding success of its season in Wellington, and hot on the heels of the 2026 elections, Birds of a Feather are proudly bringing JULIA by Joanna Murray-Smith to Dunedin.
11 – 22 November 2026
★★★★★
“Julia is an intoxicating and fascinating experience that hits something deep and resounding within us.” – Time Out
Featuring: Lara Macgregor as Julia
Not now, not ever. One speech. Millions of voices.
In 2012, Julia Gillard delivered a speech that ricocheted across Australia, New Zealand, and around the world. Now, the woman and the moment is brought to the stage in Julia. This gripping one-woman show puts us inside a very public storm and reveals the life and career that led to it.
From idealistic young advocate to leader under relentless scrutiny, Julia takes us behind the microphone of the landmark “misogyny speech.” It steps into the personal, political and socio-cultural forces that forged it. Blending real excerpts with scenes inspired by true events, this is more than one leader’s story. It’s a sharp, human look at how we judge power, how we listen to women, and what we demand of those who lead us.
Against a backdrop of progress and pushback on gender equality, Julia takes on fresh resonance here in Aotearoa. It draws the line between conviction and compromise, private life and public duty. And it asks what it costs to stand your ground and say “not now, not ever” in a world that still questions women who lead.
“Julia provokes laughter, gasps and a standing ovation on opening night. In this election year, may it prove to be a spark that flares us up to hold flaming torches that guide us towards an enlightened outcome in November.” John Smythe - Theatreview
VENUE ADDRESS
Allen Hall Theatre: 90 Union Street East, North East Valley
RUNNING TIME: Approx 90 minutes NO INTERVAL
Please note: Mild language warning. Age recommendation 13+.
ALL BOOKINGS at TryBooking:
https://www.trybooking.com/nz/BENB

In 2012, Julia Gillard delivered a speech that ricocheted across Australia, New Zealand, and around the world. Now, the woman and the moment is brough

24/08/2026

Our great friends, and regular presenting partners the Oamaru Opera House have their festival coming up - the Waitaki Arts Festival!
Check it out, and pop up the road to catch shows like Fly My Pretties, Penny Ashton's The Tempestuous, and last Dunedin Arts Festival's star Te Radar. Plus, a lot more of course!

https://www.facebook.com/WaitakiArtsFestival

Waitaki Arts Festival: 12th - 22nd October 2023.

19/08/2026

“Local pillars, such as Polyfest and the Dunedin Arts Festival, who have missed out on recent Creative New Zealand funding, is deeply worrying for the protection and preservation of our vibrant and important cultural and artistic landscape and those who deliver it.

“It threatens to stifle the creativity, achievement, standards and long-term vision needed for so many leading artists, creatives and arts organisations in performance and education that we are blessed with in this city and this country.”

Dunedin Arts Festival Patron and Ambassador Prof Jonathan Lemalu in today's ODT.

Cuts could have ‘deeply worrying’ impacts on arts and culture for decades to come

15/08/2026

Two former Arts Ministers - Dunedin Arts Festival Patron Helen Clark and Chris Finlayson lamenting the state of the arts funding in New Zealand.

09/08/2026

The amount of money that organisations/events like ours and Otago Polyfest bring to the local economy is in the millions, and this doesn't even begin to account for the wellbeing and societal shifts attributed to arts experiences like ours.
Both organisations cover more than just Otago, with our collective catchments ranging from Invercargill to Christchurch.
Also, for an industry that contributes more to the country's GDP than red meat, and twice as much as sport - we should not be fatigued from fighting for every cent.
But here we are.

‘We’ve got fatigue from fighting for the arts’: community reeling from recent cuts to Dunedin arts

09/08/2026

Opinion: Arts are not a luxury purchased after prosperity is achieved.

When governments stop investing in the arts, the damage is rarely immediate, but it is often permanent.

The decision to deny the Dunedin Arts Festival funding from Creative New Zealand for the first time in its history is one of those moments.

This is not simply about one festival.

It is about what happens when years of stagnant funding leave Creative New Zealand unable to support the organisations that enrich our communities and sustain New Zealand’s creative life.

The Dunedin Arts Festival has been a cornerstone of our city’s cultural identity since 1999.

Every year it creates opportunities for local artists alongside national and international performers, attracts thousands of visitors and contributes an estimated $4 million to $5m to the Dunedin economy.

Yet in Creative New Zealand’s latest funding round, less than 10% of multi-year funding was allocated to Te Waipounamu, and the Dunedin Arts Festival received nothing.

Creative institutions take decades to build and only months to lose.

This should concern everyone.

Arts organisations are not businesses that can simply be switched back on after a period of closure.

Once they disappear, they are extraordinarily difficult to rebuild.

Skilled staff leave, volunteers move on, audiences drift away, sponsors lose confidence and artistic networks dissolve.

Years — often decades — of trust, reputation and expertise can be lost in a matter of months.

That is the cultural damage this government is inflicting through chronic underinvestment in the arts.

The arts are not a luxury purchased after prosperity is achieved.

They are part of what makes prosperity worth having.

I care deeply about this, not only as a local MP but also as the mother of a professional musician.

My daughter has a music degree and earns her primary income as a performer.

I encouraged her to pursue that path, despite knowing it would never be the easiest way to make a living.

Like so many artists, she chose her profession because she has something meaningful to contribute, not because it promised financial security.

Artists perform an essential role in society.

They bring joy during difficult times, challenge us to think differently, help us celebrate and grieve, and reflect back to us our strengths, our weaknesses and the wonderfully imperfect nature of the human condition.

They help us understand ourselves and one another.

We rightly expect artists to enrich our lives.

We should also respect them enough to ensure they can earn a dignified living.

In a country the size of New Zealand, the market alone cannot sustain the breadth of artistic work that makes our communities vibrant.

Public funding is not about subsidising a luxury.

It is about recognising that the market, by itself, will not support many of the artists and organisations that create enormous public value.

Creative New Zealand cannot distribute funding it does not have.

When respected organisations like the Dunedin Arts Festival miss out despite their proven track record and significant economic and cultural contribution, it raises serious questions about whether the agency has been given the resources it needs to fulfil its purpose.

The arts are not an optional extra.

They are part of our national identity, our wellbeing and our economy.

If we allow our creative institutions to disappear, rebuilding them will take years — if it is possible at all.

That is a price New Zealand should never have to pay.

06/08/2026

Thank you Ingrid Leary MP for your piece.

When governments stop investing in the arts, the damage is rarely immediate, but it is often permanent.
The decision to deny the Dunedin Arts Festival funding from Creative New Zealand for the first time in its history is one of those moments.
The arts are not an optional extra.
They are part of our national identity, our wellbeing and our economy.
If we allow our creative institutions to disappear, rebuilding them will take years if it is possible at all.
That is a price New Zealand should never have to pay.

03/08/2026

Such a well written article on the state of funding in the South - worth the read.

Erin Harrington on the lack of South Island investment in Creative New Zealand’s Arts Organisations and Groups (AOG) funding round, including the news that South Island organisations collecti…

30/07/2026

Thanks Otago Daily Times for helping us get the message out about the state of funding across the South.

‘Blindsided’: Dunedin Arts Festival dropped by national funder

30/07/2026

Update on the Dunedin Arts Festival funding.

Earlier this year we applied to Creative New Zealand for organisational support to deliver the 2027 Dunedin Arts Festival and beyond. Devastatingly a few weeks ago, we were informed that we were unsuccessful in our application and were awarded no funding at all – the first time in the history of the organisation that we have received such a result.

This is despite CNZ telling us that our application was recommended for funding by the assessors, with positive feedback about all we were doing for our community. We were informed that we missed out because other applications were given a higher priority than us.

We were shocked, devastated and confused.

As this news has filtered through the industry, we have received messages from across the country, and the world – messages of support, but also like us - shock, devastation and confusion.

We have had several meetings with Creative New Zealand, with more still to come as we try to ascertain the reasons why we, a well-proven provider of arts experiences to Dunedin’s under-served community, wasn’t considered a priority.

Sadly, ours was not the only Southern organisation to receive this or a similar result – less than 10% of this round of funding was allocated to Te Waipounamu. Several of our colleagues are in similar positions. We are in constant conversations and supporting these organisations as they are in turn supporting us.

Decisions are being made that not only affect the arts experiences being delivered to our community, but also people’s jobs and careers. These decisions will have an impact on Ōtepoti, the greater Otago and the whole Island.

Like everyone else, we are very aware that CNZ’s funding availability is extremely limited due to the decades-long financial neglect of the Arts and that they have had to make difficult decisions within a constrained financial environment. This can’t have been easy – especially when they are currently facing budget cuts and job losses, but inequity in their decision-making across the North and South Islands makes this pill even more difficult to swallow.

The Dunedin Arts Festival brings approximately $4-$5 million to the Dunedin economy each festival, as well as the immeasurable wellbeing and social benefits that come with arts experiences for both artists and audiences. Nationally, the Arts as a sector contributes upwards of $17 billion to New Zealand’s GDP annually. In comparison, Sport contributes $8 billion and red meat (lamb, beef, etc) $17 billion. Yet, the Arts’ funding has been slowly eroding for over 20 years.

So, what now?

We are not rushing in to make any big decisions. Our Board are meeting regularly to weigh up all our options. As soon as we make a decision regarding our next steps, we will let you know.
We will still be delivering the inaugural TAHI Ōtepoti in October – Dunedin’s dedicated one-person performance festival in collaboration with TAHI: Festival of Solo Performance (Wellington) and we are excited about this new offering that we know you will love.

We acknowledge and are incredibly grateful to all in our community that have supported the Festival for our first 25 years – we wouldn’t be where we are without you. Hopefully we will be around for at least another 25 more years.