The Melbourne Fringe Festival
September 22 – October 10, 2010

From the fringe of society to the front of the stage …

Reviews

The Event by John Clancy – Nick Pelomis
A very bold and somehow forcibly engaging monologue that challenges the fabricated role of the audience as listeners as much as the actor himself. Read More…

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Cinema’s Other Room – Richard Touhy
What exactly defines art? A collection of experimental 16mm short films by Richard Tuohy and Dianna Barrie is the event that makes me question this definition. Read More…

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(woman) – Dave Callan
If he hadn’t turned it into a comedy show, Callan could probably host it as a seminar on what women really want and have been a world class hit with the boys. Read more…

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Burlesque Through the Eyes of Minsky Malone – Charlie Robinson
Burlesque has been around for over a century and, when done well, it is a truly inspiring form of artistic expression. Ask Minsky Malone – she’ll (show and) tell you all about it. Read more…

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Skinny Man, Modern World – Sammy J
Sammy J successfully manages to paint a portrait of himself as a human being trying, and at times hilariously failing, to fit into societies heavily constructed ideals of hegemonic masculinity. Read more…

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Unpacking the Epic – Wells & Son
David tells stories of his life through word and body, accompanied by Moses on the piano accordion and drum. There is a familial familiarity to this sign language that pervades “Unpacking the Epic”. The parent part of me smiles. Read more…

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The Waiting Room – Born in a Taxi and Public Floor Project
Surreal, was the word that initially came to my mind when thinking about the effect The Waiting Room had on me. Unreal would work just as well, as would totally real or altered reality. Read more…

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The Jane Austen Argument – Spaces Between
Spaces Between is a heart-wrenching, entertaining and hugely enjoyable cabaret show by a couple of passionate young performers, who explore the highs and lows of life’s topsy-turviness. Read more…

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The Hayloft Project – Thyestes
The Hayloft Project has been stirring up all kinds of praise around the country. Their latest production of Thyestes shows that the praise is well deserved. Read more…

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The launch

It’s 11am and I’m standing shoulder to shoulder with the Lord Mayor of Melbourne in a packed beer hall, sinking pots as I watch a heavily made up woman eat a banana while spinning a hula-hoop around her neck. Not your average weekday morning, right? Well, the Melbourne Fringe is not your average festival.

The launch of the Melbourne Fringe Festival for 2010 was an excellent prelude to the incredibly versatile line up of over 4, 500 artists. Athletic circus acts are placed a short walk from serious theatre with a healthy dose of social commentary. A multitude of burlesque and cabaret add a dollop of sex and glamour to the menu. Best of all, a specially erected nightclub plays host to some excellent musical performances and a great atmosphere in the festival’s heart, North Melbourne.

Much of the Melbourne Fringe Festival is free of charge or dirt cheap – and Laneway is taking full advantage of the bargains on offer. So join us as we explore the weird and wonderful, funny and thoughtful, and the straight and bent.

Click here for the full Melbourne Fringe Festival program.