New Zealand Stories - The Womad Wrangler

As the Operations Manager for Womad (World Of Music, Arts and Dance) in New Plymouth, Chris Herlihy performs the essential but often mundane jobs that make this large-scale outdoor event an annual success story. This half-hour documentary follows Herlihy and his crew as he oversees the pop-up city that is Womad 2011 — from looking after VIPs and fixing ticket problems, to mopping up the loos. New Plymouth has fully embraced Womad. Herlihy's love for the festival and his colleagues shines through as he power walks around the beautiful Brooklands Park site.

There was a number of people I think, that saw a wonderful thing happen in Auckland but it failed. There was a vision to bring that to this place and to make it work and it shouldn't...it just shouldn't in a population base this size; on paper this was madness.

– Taranaki Arts Festival Trust Chief Executive Suzanne Porter, on New Plymouth taking on the Womad festival

Key Cast & Crew

Ivars Berzins

Camera

Chris Nichol

Director, Interviewer

Amanda Evans

Producer

Carolyn Weston

Research

Tony Spear

Sound Recordist

Peter Metcalf

Editor