It’s Fringe Fever time in Melbourne and I’ve been reviewing shows for The Age. I was particularly pleased to be able to cover so many disabled performers for the festival; our sector is going from strength to strength.
Computers and their algorithms are ubiquitous in our lives and with a disarmingly warm delivery McKenzie mines this successfully to connect with his audience. I’m not keen on being hacked, but I’m keen on seeing this show as it develops.
Rarely does bedtime for two-to-12-year-olds involve chaos, cows and peals of laughter. That is, unless you’re at The Listies show ROFL, where Rich and Matt are tackling bedtime with the verve of over-sugared toddlers.
Welcome to Trades Hall where a town meeting has been called to unmask the Mafia hitmen among us. We’re here to witness a game of strategy, accusations, and outright lies (don’t worry, no audience participation required).
“We recommend you enjoy this show with headphones and jammies” is advice I like to hear at the opening of any performance. All the better coming from the soothing voice of Telia Nevile, poet laureate and fellow sleep-seeker.
We all want to feel like we’ve seen something unmissable, never to be repeated. Stuart Daulman delivers just this in each night of A Day in the Life, a show he writes daily based on what happened to him since he woke up the very same morning.
Piper Scott’s satire goes beyond low-hanging fruit. In an acutely powerful monologue, she evokes compassion by exploring valid reasons JK fears men. Tackling this fraught territory simultaneously humanises her and lays bare her misguided logic. Arguments are followed to their logical conclusion and the destination is ugly.
In The Birth and Death of a Physical Artist, Roya the Destroya and Peter Sette aim to show why, despite all the challenges it entails, they pursue life as professional artists.
Things are still going full steam ahead at Limited News. It’s exciting to see the site finding a consistent readership, and our authors are settling in to the regular features well. Being part of a team with this much talent is really enjoyable. We’ve all got such different interests and ideas.
I’m working on a chapter for a book about publishing and writing which will be out next year. The topic is close to my heart and I’m doing my best to do it justice. It’s a new challenge, but I’m looking forward to seeing how it pans out.
Life at Express Media is as varied and hectic as always. We had a planning meeting last weekend and it was great to have the board and staff around the table looking to the future. We have so many ideas and such a load of enthusiasm. Sometimes it’s easy to forget we are a relatively small organisation, especially when you see how much we achieve with so few resources.
First Dog on the Moon and I have just wrapped up the first season of Cartoobs and Other Typos at Melbourne Fringe Festival. It surpassed all of our expectations, with full houses and great reviews. To top it all off the show was awarded the Adelaide Tour Ready Award, which is beyond exciting. We’re looking forward to developing the show further, and of course having it ready to perform at Adelaide in February. Producing it was a great opportunity to return to festival production, which I haven’t done for a few years now. I really enjoyed it.
The perfect conclusion to our debut season of Cartoobs and Other Typos! Adelaide Fringe Festival director Greg Clarke came along to one of the final performances of the show, and saw fit to award us the Tour Ready Award.
This recognition and assistance will be invaluable as we set about taking the show on the road, heading to Adelaide Fringe Festival for a limited season in February 2013, and then to the Melbourne International Comedy Festival.
I think I speak for both Mr Onthemoon and I when I say we were beyond chuffed to win, and we thank everyone involved in the Melbourne and Adelaide Fringe Festivals for their support.
For months I’ve been slaving away in production land, preparing First Dog on the Moon‘s first foray on to the stage. After seeing him perform around a year ago at a poetry slam I was excited about his potential to do a full show of his own. We talked about it over the year, and I finally convinced him to give it a go for Melbourne Fringe Festival. Now here we are on the eve of his first show, Cartoobs and Other Typos.
The lead up has been incredible. We’ve sold out the entire season, added more shows, and nearly sold out those. The trial shows have gone well, and Mr Onthemoon and I are looking forward to getting things underway.
It has been really enjoyable to get back to producing a festival show, and I hope there is more of a chance to do it again soon. There are tickets still available, so come along and enjoy!
