Events director was creative genius at Mardi Gras, Vivid and Olympics

1 week ago 9

By Glenn A Baker

May 10, 2024 — 12.19pm

IGNATIUS JONES: 1957-2023

In 2007 I recovered myself backstage astatine the 2nd Countdown Spectacular concert, which drew unneurotic Rick Springfield, John Paul Young, Samantha Fox, Sharon O’Neill, Plastic Bertrand, M, Kate Ceberano and cardinal members of the Motels, the Knack, Little River Band, Racey, Pilot, the Angels and the Bay City Rollers, among others.

Ignatius Jones, Vivid Sydney originative director.

There was overmuch madness afoot successful the dressing rooms and communal gathering spaces, arsenic these sometimes momentary legends loudly caught up with aged friends and made caller ones.

I was connected the lookout for, among others, Ignatius Jones, whom I yet spotted successful a country absorbed successful a publication astir Shakespeare, aloof, unsocial and indifferent to the madness astir him.

Iggy was determination to execute the lone existent deed that his theatrical daze stone set Jimmy & the Boys – an enactment truthful outrageous that Joh Bjelke-Peterson sought to person them banned from Queensland – managed to achieve, Tim Finn’s They Won’t Let my Girlfriend Talk to Me; a communicative of 2 wastrels incarcerated successful abstracted infirmary wards.

In earlier years Jones, pictured successful 1997, besides worked arsenic a euphony journalist, TV presenter, actor, director, and writer.

The crippled enactment enabled him to concoct a show menacing, arresting and uniquely his ain – conscionable similar I’m Not Like Everybody Else, a Kinks opus that I had suggested to the band, aft I had seen them unrecorded and written a mag communicative astir a double-jointed quality who incorporated calisthenics and bloodied dolls into an assaulting hard stone set. I had adjacent been enticed into the workplace to supply guidance to the signaling of this archetypal azygous and insignificant hit.

Jones was manager of the Mardi Gras successful 2012.

Truly helium was not similar anybody oregon everybody else. Juan Ignacio Rafaelo Lorenzo Trápaga y Esteban, calved successful 1957 successful to Basque-Chinese father, Nestor Juan Trápaga, and a Catalan-American mother, Margot, helium could not determine conscionable what helium wanted to bash with his life, truthful helium decided to bash effort everything until thing clicked into place. Educated astatine St Ignatius College, Riverview, Jones contended for dux of his year, level with Tony Abbott. (Apparently helium struggled with maths but excelled successful past Greek and Latin).

The Filipino-born Jones had followed Sydney-born sister Monica Trapaga to her creation lessons, and started his theatrical vocation arsenic a classical ballet dancer earlier switching to, let’s say, much modern music. Though that would see cabaret and torch/swing epoch songs erstwhile helium moved from Jimmy & the Boys to the musically other Pardon Me Boys, with the precocious Bill O’Riordan (aka Joylene Thornbird Hairmouth and Monica).

Ignatius Jones and his sister Monica Trapaga.

Before helium became 1 of the world’s celebrated events organisers, Ignatius Jones was a euphony writer for RAM Magazine, The Edge and Stiletto, which helium edited; a newsman connected younker affairs and an interviewer connected Culture Shock for SBS-TV; an histrion successful a scope of films and TV shows – erstwhile playing a matrimony celebrant successful Pandemonium and the vocalist of Love Is successful the Air successful Strictly Ballroom; a fashionable talking caput connected speech shows; a justice connected tv endowment quests – erstwhile joining The Mavis Bramston Show’s Noeline Brown, Julie Anthony and Melissa Tkautz and maine connected 1 occurrence wherever we decided the destiny of hopeful young artists; a published writer with the books True Hip (with Pat Sheil) and The 1992 True Hip Manual; and a manager of euphony videos for Monica & the Moochers. He besides recorded immoderate moderately palmy solo disco singles, including the Steve Kilbey-penned Like A Ghost and Whispering Your Name.

In 2003, Jones directed the opera Orpheus.

Everything helium took connected was motivated by his bristling quality and curiosity. Those adjacent to him person spoken of him being extraordinarily bully company, sophisticated, well-read and ever charming. After toying with each those pursuits helium yet came upon thing that genuinely challenged him.

I came upon him again erstwhile I was engaged by Rik Birch arsenic a euphony advisor for the closing ceremonial of the Sydney 2000 Olympics. Jones and dancer David Atkins were the originative directors for some the opening and closing events. He was past liable for Sydney’s Millennium Celebrations and directed its New Year’s Eve and Centenary of Federation celebrations.

In 2002, again with Atkins, Ignatius co-wrote and co-directed the signifier musical, The Man from Snowy River: Arena Spectacular, with a formed of implicit 250,47 horses and 2 dogs. Then astatine the invitation of Nobel Laureate Jose Ramos Horta helium directed for the United Nations the independency ceremonies for East Timor, which would soon beryllium known arsenic Timor-Leste. He described his relation successful an event, attended by 175,000 radical and implicit 40 satellite leaders, with immoderate pride, arsenic 1 of the fewer radical ever to nonstop the “opening nighttime of a country”.

In 2012, Jones was the creator manager of the King’s Cross Festival.

That twelvemonth besides saw him make the opening of the Gay Games which helium opened earlier astir 40,000 with the words “Australia and the cheery and lesbian assemblage is not truthful overmuch a melting cookware … We are much of a mixed salad, wherever each portion remains separate, yet adds to the wonderment of the whole.” He had been the archetypal creator manager of the Sydney Mardi Gras since 1992. From 2011 to 2019 helium was the originative manager of Vivid Sydney.

In 2005, aft Ignatius wrote and devised The Australian Outback Spectacular, connected Australia’s Gold Coast, Jones and Atkins were disconnected to the Middle East to nutrient a firm lawsuit astatine the Jeddah Economic Forum successful Saudi Arabia. Then came the Doha 2006 Asian Games.

Four years aboriginal they worked connected the opening ceremonial of Shanghai 2010 World Expo and the Ceremonies of the Vancouver 2010 Olympic Winter Games. He took upon himself Sydney’s New Year’s Eve fireworks – the archetypal explosions to reverberate astir the world. He conceived the thought of basing 1 taxable astir Eternity, which was written anonymously connected Sydney footpaths galore decades before.

By this signifier Ignatius Jones was 1 of the champion known and successful request lawsuit organisers successful the world. He was awarded an AM successful the 2019 Australia Day Honours.

Jones was 1 of the champion known and in-demand lawsuit organisers successful the world.

Ignatius Jones died astatine his location successful Manila connected 7 May. In his aboriginal years helium had to usage a cane for mobility – the terms helium had to wage for the maltreatment helium enactment his limbs done for overmuch of his show years. He had nary children and his younger siblings were brothers Luis Miguel, Rocio Maria and sister Monica.

Start the time with a summary of the day’s astir important and absorbing stories, investigation and insights. Sign up for our Morning Edition newsletter.