The woman tasked with delivering the £2m Tour de France cultural festival is confident the event’s “extraordinary deadlines” will be met.
Henrietta Duckworth, who was drafted in to the Yorkshire Festival 2014 as executive producer in December, is excited at the prospect of making the event’s 47 projects a reality in time for the start of its programme on March 27.
The West Yorkshire Playhouse producer of eight years took over after festival director Maria Bota left in December.
The festival’s programme, marking the 100-day countdown to the Grand Depart on July 5 and 6, was announced at Trinity Leeds after an artistic flashmob in late January.
She said: “We have got some extraordinary deadlines ahead of us – four weeks to produce the printed programme was pretty darn challenging. We are absolutely confident in each of the projects to deliver the work.”
Money from Arts Council England, local authorities and Yorkshire Water will pay for a programme that includes art forms such as theatre, craft work, sculpture and land art.
Ms Duckworth, who produced for Manchester International Festival 2013, said: “The economic benefit will be significant from the Yorkshire Festival and the Tour de France. It’s brilliant, it’s fantastic, it’s a one off.”