Staff Picks // Alexis Drevikovsky

Who would know the Festival’s program better than the staff? In this blog series, we interview UWRF staff about what events they want to see or who they’re most excited to meet. This week, we hear from the Festival’s International Program Consultant, Alexis Drevikovsky. 

Alexis did a recce trip to UWRF18 and UWRF19 will be her first Festival as International Program Consultant. During the Festival, you will find her glued to her WhatsApp notifications and making sure everyone’s okay and everything’s going as smoothly as possible – and trying to catch glimpses of the sessions she was so excited to program.

Main Program | How Can Bali Survive?

A small island of 4.3 million, Bali received almost 16 million tourists last year. Tourism-related business makes up 80% of the economy, making it an indispensable source of livelihood and the primary cause of massive social, cultural, and ecological change. As the island struggles with market saturation and environmental degradation, our panel asks, how can Bali survive?

“The more I see of Bali, the more I learn about the impact tourism is having on this island. Just by being here, I am complicit in the stress on the environment and the ubiquitous traffic jams, so I’m very interested to hear from this panel of Balinese locals about their take on the crisis, and what their hopes and strategies are for their homeland.”

Main Program | Behrouz Boochani and Omid Tofighian: No Friend But the Mountains

Behrouz Boochani fled Iran in 2013, seeking asylum in Australia, and has been detained on Manus Island ever since. He wrote the award-winning No Friend But the Mountains via WhatsApp, which was translated from the Farsi by Omid Tofighian. They share insights into the global refugee crisis, their unique relationship, and how WhatsApp can change the world. Behrouz will appear via live stream.

“We are so honored to be featuring Behrouz via live stream and his translator Omid in person at UWRF19. The way governments are responding to the global refugee crisis is heartbreaking – and more than that, it’s not even working. As well as hearing Behrouz’s perspective on seeking asylum, the language nerd within me is thrilled that Behrouz and Omid will be able to share their consultative translation process with us, and their unique writer/translator relationship.”

Main Program | The Karma of Comedy

From gentle mockery to caustic sarcasm, there’s a victim at the butt of most good laughs. Must comedy be cruel to work, and does that mean comedians have a free pass when it comes to how they treat others? We’ve convened a round table of comedic writers and performers to dissect whether good comedy and good karma are mutually exclusive.

“I can’t imagine my life without good comedy, and this session delves into areas that are problematic for so many of us who like a laugh – and who like to make others laugh. Lindsay Wong, Rhik Samadder and James Roque will all weigh in on the idea of comedy without cruelty, and what we do about the jokes that are at someone else’s expense.”

Workshop | Improv for Ideation

When Einstein struggled to solve a complex equation, he’d often take violin breaks. After several hours of fiddling, he found he could return to his calculation and crack it with ease. Expunging creative or inspirational blockage often only requires the courage to get out of one’s own way – what better method than through the age-old playtime of theatre sports?

“I love the writing process once I have an idea – but the idea generation part of the process is pretty slow-going for me and I spend a lot of time despairing. I’m always looking at ways to get the ideas flowing and Paige’s workshop promises some solid strategies.”

Special Event | Take Up Space

“The perfect body is a lie,” writes Lindy West. “Don’t let fiction tell you what to do.” Join these writers as they deconstruct their relationship to the body and the place of bodies in the world, covering chronic illness, privilege, fatness and feminism, and why we all need to take up space.

“This is my absolute #1 Festival pick. Hearing women talk frankly about the body in society is one of my favorite things. Hearing women talk frankly about the body in society at one of Ubud’s best cafes? Even better. UWRF’s Special Events are always something else, and these speakers may never all be in the same room together again, so catch them while you can.”

If Alexis’ picks piqued your interest click here to purchase your 4-Day or 1-Day Main Program Pass, or visit the individual event pages for Workshop and Special Event tickets. See you from 23–27 October.

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