Viv Hardwick talks to Stockton International Riveside Festival artistic director Frank Wilson about why the borough's 18th event is the best so far.

THE UK's biggest and best annual street arts festival at Stockton is either good or occasionally exceptional according to the level of funding... and this is an exceptional year, according to organiser Frank Wilson. The Newcastle-based boss of Events International has used his ever-growing worldwide reputation in the art of outdoor entertainment to bring the impressive-looking Clipa Theater from Israel for a water-based show on the River Tees and Beijing Chaoyang Circus to Stockton's High Street.

But Wilson is the first to admit that free events at the August 3-7 festival don't come without a price-tag of £500,000. But you'll still need to collect a free ticket for Clipa and Ballet Lorent's Ferryman performances at The Parish Gardens from the Arc, Stockton's Tourist Information Centre of the information trailer in the High Steet.

"This is a very interesting festival with some fantastic highlights and we've benefited quite substantially from Culture 10 funding, the international celebration of rivers and the sea. We wouldn't be able to hire Clipa without its support to come here for a European premiere, so hats off to the funders. This is an extraordinary opportunity for audiences to see something exceptional free of charge.

"I guarantee anywhere else you'd be charged £10-£12 admission fee," he says.

Clipa's Deus Ex Machina event links acrobatic physical theatre and dance plus the use of a water screen finale which Wilson rates as the best thing ever seen so far in the 18 years of the festival.

"We're putting in 2,000 seats because it has to be viewed in an auditorium situation so I'm beginning to feel we're creating a Roman coliseum with a flooded arena," he jokes.

"The distinctive thing about this year is that if people think street theatre is about walkabout acts then they're mistaken because we've got hundreds of seats in different situations and it's now about performances in fixed places."

None of this would be possible without massive support from Stockton Borough Council plus Arts Council England now providing funding.

Wilson does admit that regeneration, European and Millennium budgets ensured that massive arts projects like the festival have flourished throughout the 1990s and early part of the 21st century. He does express fears that lottery money, once destined for the arts, is being directed elsewhere.

"I think the days of substantial lottery funding going into capital arts projects are over. Since the Labour Government came in, in 1997, they've been directing money away from the original good causes towards what they call other good causes but I call it indirect taxation," says the man who won the funding to build Stockton's Arc.

Cannily, Wilson and Stockton Council have developed links with Beijing Chaoyang to the level of city twinning in the full knowledge that the Chinese will be hosting the 2008 Olympic Games with London certain to require Street Art skills in 2012.

"We are looking at what we can do over there in 2008 and, hopefully, there will be countrywide celebration cash for the Olympics in 2012," he says.

One price of success was taking Newcastle's Neighbourhood Watch street theatre company to Chaoyang in February to perform in a park in below freezing temperatures for 50,000 at the city's biggest festival.

"It just shows you what a hardy lot we are in the North-East," he laughs.

If Wilson can achieve his aim of creating the Centre For International Street Art (CISA) on Teesside then the UK's best performers will have the UK's best platform in future... and Stockton's water shows just might end up in Israel one day.

* For performance details of Stockton's International Riverside Festival, August 3-7, see listings on Page 8 or go to www.sirf.co.uk

* Ferryman, a multi media international co-production featuring dancers, musicians and film-makers from the UK, Belgium and Holland has been devised with North-East based choregographer Liv Lorent. This epic production of live dance and music - experienced in the round and enveloped by a stunning film - features balletLorent dancers and uses Stockton and Tees Valley locations as the backdrop. Floating sea sirens, gym bunnies and nightclub podium dancers plus a few surprises are in store at Stockton's Parish Gardens from Wednesday until Saturday.

This is Newcastle-based balletLORENT's biggest project so far since is was founded in 1993.

The Ferryman started a 31-date in June and will be moving to the Netherlands, Belgium and France for appearances this summer.

Published: 28/05/2005