Program feels effects of foreign artists hesitant to tour

UCLA Live may arguably be the West Coast’s premiere
producer in world-class performing arts. Artists from home and
abroad take turns introducing the audience to the beautiful, the
avant-garde and the shocking. However, the conflict with Iraq this
past spring has further fortified homeland security, making the
acquisition of international artists an arduous adventure.

After a series of event cancellations during last year’s
season, the announcement of a strong 2003-2004 program is a sigh of
relief for UCLA Live and its fans. But it’s important to
notice what’s on the program and what’s missing.
Despite the apparent end of war, obtaining visas for international
artists and convincing them to visit the United States continues to
be a difficult task for UCLA Live Director David Sefton.

“I didn’t specifically lose any act that I had
booked for next season, but many artists made the decision not to
consider the U.S. as a touring possibility because it’s so
hard to get in,” Sefton said.

For an arts institution that prides itself on cultural
diversity, this situation is troubling. Though last year’s
season saw the arrival of Simon Shaheen and his Near Eastern Music
Ensemble, a glance at the program shows a visible absence of
artists from the Middle East.

“I think it is definitely true that artists from the
Middle East are reluctant to attempt to tour in these times,”
Sefton said. “I have also heard from several agents, who are
often the crucial link for foreign artists getting tours of the
U.S., that they are reluctant to engage Middle Eastern artists
because of the complications involved in securing work permissions
and visas.”

Even when artists do commit to the program, there is the
possibility of cancellations, as evident by African musician
Youssou N’Dour’s silent protest last spring.
N’Dour scrapped his entire U.S. tour in reaction to the U.S.
government’s decision to invade Iraq. Sefton hopes
politically minded artists will not follow in N’Dour’s
lead, but instead come to the United States and voice their
protests.

Acclaimed filmmaker Michael Moore appears to be one artist who
will not shy away from an opportunity to share his thoughts about
the war on stage.

“Michael is not specifically coming to talk about the war,
but of course I would be absolutely amazed if it did not come
up,” Sefton said. “I would also be amazed if it did not
come up with Art Spiegelman, whose “˜In the Shadow of No
Towers’ strip has been extremely controversial and is without
a doubt one of the most powerful post-9/11 statements yet to
emerge. I’m certain that it will come up with many of the
spoken word performers.”

Sefton noted that differences between this year’s program
compared to last year’s can be attributed not only to the
political climate but also the current economic circumstances.

“There have been some things forced upon us by the harsh
economic realities,” Sefton said. “For instance, the
Freud Dance series, despite enormous success, was still too
expensive to keep going in these times. Fortunately, the Royce
Dance series is an outstanding one so our commitment to great
contemporary dance has not suffered. We’ve responded to the
huge amount of wonderful speakers out there by adding a second
spoken word series, and we are building on the success of the
International Theatre Festival with a whole set of companies new to
L.A.”

Nonetheless, the war in Iraq as well as the prospects of further
conflicts in the Middle East remains a dark cloud hanging over UCLA
Live this upcoming season. What will Sefton do if military action
were to take place during this season?

“If I had a crystal ball, I would have retired to my own
private island long ago off the money I made on the stock
market,” he said. “(But) we’ll keep doing it. My
theory is that it’s never going to be tougher than this to
book a season that is so international. We’ll come out of
these times in great shape for easier ones.”