Question: Is this festival what you envisioned 15 years ago?
Nick Stuccio: I honestly never look back or look forward that far. Who knows what artists are going to be doing, thinking, and making, and who knows what audiences are going to want to see? In five years, it could be that audiences are going to hate coming together live, and my job will be mediating this virtual conversation in the world. I hope not. But I don't know.
Fifteen years ago, I just wanted to keep this thing going as long as people found value in it.
Q: To put together such a large, eclectic festival, you have to plan in advance . . .
Stuccio: This piece this year with Sidi Larbi Cherkaoui and Shantala Shivalingappa [a U.S. dance premiere called Play] is an example. I first saw Sidi Larbi dance at the Edinburgh festival, and I don't think he was 20. Over the years, I saw his work develop. Given our narrow window, he wasn't available one year, or the work I could bring I didn't really like. So it's a dance between availability, the right work, the right timing. He's here in 2011, after 16 years following his work.
Q: That's extreme, though. How long is the usual planning?
Stuccio: Probably two years. We're about halfway through '12, and we're negotiating on works for '13. For international companies of scale, there's a lot of planning. The bigger they get, the more complex they get, and the more complex the funding picture gets.
Q: You said you saw some work you hadn't liked and waited for work you liked. How much of the Live Arts festival is you?
