Shane Bosher has been appointed as the new Artistic Director for the 2023 Tauranga Arts Festival.

Shane succeeds Gabrielle Vincent who left in early February to have her second child.

'Prior to finishing, Gabrielle had started work on the foundations for a fantastic 2023 festival programme," says Tauranga Arts Festival Trust Board chair Kathryn Lellman.

'We are excited to now have Shane as part of the team, and cannot wait to see how he further develops this year's festival offerings and brings the programme alive for our community.”

'Shane brings a wealth of experience in programming performing arts of all genres in New Zealand and Australia, is very well known in the sector and has an infectious enthusiasm for what we do. We're excited by his ideas and vision and it is a privilege to appoint him to this role and introduce him to Tauranga Moana.”

Shane, who lives in Auckland, has been a director, actor, and producer for over 20 years. He has created work for most of New Zealand's mainstage theatre companies, venues and festivals including Auckland Theatre Company, Court Theatre, Aotearoa New Zealand Festival of the Arts and Auckland Live.

From 2001 to 2014, Shane was the Artistic Director of Silo Theatre. During his tenure, he created a distinctly contemporary programming portfolio, built a celebrated brand with a multi-faceted audience and championed a generation of new artists. In 2021, he was recognised for his practice as an Arts Foundation Te Tumu Toi Laureate.

'I'm an absolute cheerleader for the transformative impact of storytelling," says Shane. "No matter the genre or delivery mechanism, storytelling exists to tell us that we are not alone.

"I'm really excited to work closely with the artists of Aotearoa and beyond to create a vital, participatory festival for Tauranga Moana which truly connects.

'I'm placing the question ‘what if?' at the centre of all my thinking, and can't wait to get started.”

Tauranga Arts Festival 2023 will run from October 19-29.

The full programme will be launched on August 3.

For more information go to: taurangafestival.co.nz