Global operator
Susan Nickalls
6 Oct 2006
For many international Kiwis the ideal situation is to live between the hemispheres rather than having to choose. Susan Nickalls talks to Alex Reedijk a Kiwi creative who is living that dream in Scotland.
WORLD CLASS KIWI: When Alex Reedijk was ‘but a lad’ he had a dream that he would live a life between the northern and southern hemispheres and one day woke to find out it was real. During the 1990s as a technical freelancer he flitted between the UK and New Zealand until the turn of the century when he completed a stint at the New Zealand Festival before revitalizing NBR (National Business Review) New Zealand Opera as chief executive officer.
However, the wanderlust was still strong in Reedijk’s veins so when the opportunity arose to take the helm at the financially troubled Scottish Opera in January this year, he didn’t think twice. In something of a quirky cultural exchange, Reedijk’s old position at NZ Opera will be filled by Brit Aidan Lang, an artistic director who also worked at Scottish Opera. Time will tell whether New Zealand or Scotland is better off, jokes Reedijk.
"There’s almost no difference between New Zealand and Scotland, they’re both small countries punching above their weight in the shadow of their neighbours. Both have produced fabulous sons and daughters and I felt privileged when I was invited back to New Zealand, to feel I could take all this stuff I’d learnt in the UK over seven years back to New Zealand and help make a difference. It was the same pull factor with Scottish Opera, I felt I could make a difference."
Scottish Opera has recently gone through one of the most turbulent times in its history with job losses, including the full-time chorus; the resignation of its artistic director and no main scale productions for over a year. Having survived all this, however, Reedijk is confident the company has a bright future. It’s evident that the Kiwi ‘go for it’ attitude of ‘yeah, well I could do that, how hard could it be?’ has taken the boy from Wainuomata a long way.
Reedijk’s love for all things dramatic started at Wainui School where he took part in high school productions. "For me it was suddenly one of those moments where the light goes on and your interest gets unlocked and off you go. From that moment onwards in the fourth form there was no doubt that whatever happened I was going to work in the entertainment industry. There was no sudden epiphany, just a deep down inner conviction that here was something I could sustain an interest in."
Although Reedijk studied geography, English and anthropology at Victoria University in Wellington, it was his drama studies that really took hold and in his final year he was approached by Palmerston North’s Centrepoint Theatre to work backstage.
"It was a marvellous time but there was always the question of could it go on so when I was approached by NZ Opera to work as a lighting designer and production manager I said yes. The company had just finished the City of Mahogany and were doing Britten’s The Turn of the Screw. This was my first exposure to opera and I was drawn to the complexity of the puzzle rather than the music. But although these were fantastic productions the theatres were empty in Auckland and Wellington, it was the wrong time in New Zealand to be doing works of that sort so we were made redundant. I wasn’t surprised as the audience numbers tell you this but secondly, and I didn’t realise this for another 15 years, it’s about listening to your audience. It’s important to talk to your audience and although you can’t always give them everything, you try and give them mostly what they want."
Reedijk then freelanced in New Zealand until he found himself in Hawaii on a tour of Evita. In a classic antipodean scenario, he had a friend in London who said ‘why don’t you come on over?’, so he did. It was 1984 and with something of a shock Reedijk found himself working as a casual stage hand for £1.62 an hour at the Richmond Theatre in London.
"I was 21 and had been technical manager at NZ Opera for a couple of years and here I was number 31 stage hand. However, it was the beginning of learning the trade."
Before long through various contacts, Reedijk found himself as assistant manager at the London International Festival of Theatre. "The fax machine had just been invented and we were writing and sending pages of stuff all over the world. I was bedazzled and excited by working with the Poles, Yugoslavs, Russians, Chinese and the French. Here I was in the heart of the theatre universe doing this eclectic work, I thought I’d died and gone to heaven."
Reedijk worked as a freelancer for Dublin and Wexford Operas, Mayfest in Glasgow and Garsington Opera before being invited back as technical director to the New Zealand Festival in 1992. After that he commuted on a bi-annual basis between New Zealand and the UK for most of the 1990s on freelance projects in the west end, touring shows and at Scottish Opera.
He confesses his current job as general director is quite a journey out of his comfort zone. "Every job you do whether it’s front or back stage is all about budgets. Can you do it for the money in front of you. There’s a bit of a New Zealand attitude where you go ‘yeah, well we could do that’, and ‘yeah that will be all right’. If something’s not working you try something else. You have to be very positive about change which is certainly a common Kiwi characteristic. I’m proud to be a New Zealander in this part of the world and have no unease to return there."
– NZinspired magazine, August
