THE BEST OF THE FESTIVAL
The Melbourne Fringe Festival is an eclectic open-access event presenting performers from a range of disciplines. The Fringe Hub is the epicentre of the annual festival, with 60 shows across 10 venues in North Melbourne’s Errol Street precinct. Presenting the best and boldest local, national and international artists, the 2014 Fringe Hub program showcases work from every category in the festival. Audiences can see performance, puppetry, dance, cabaret, live art, music, circus, comedy and more – all in the same night. Check the website for the full program and bookings.
■ MFF runs September 17-October 5.
FROM THE EDGES
Chinese Whispers \ This immersive installation-based performance created by Rani Pramesti is a thought-provoking reflection of how racial violence occurs. Chinese Whispers combines Pramesti’s personal accounts of the human impact of the 1998 May Riots in Indonesia – when thousands of Chinese Indonesians left for countries such as Australia – with funny and intimate portraits of the women she interviewed while creating the work.
■ September 23-28, Tuesday-Saturday 5.30-10.15pm, Sunday 2-6.45pm, Sunday Q&A with artists at 6.30pm.
Bluestone Church Arts Space, 8 Hyde Street, Footscray
Tickets: full $21, concession $16. facebook.com/chinesewhispers2014; ranip.com.au
Hook Up \ Hook Up is a full-length mini-musical based on Liaisons, the winner of the Short + Sweet Fringe Development Award 2013. Writing team Nick Hedger and Ben Nicholson’s original songs examine the funny, tragic and bizarre aspects of relationships, and the minefield Gen Y enters as its members turn a certain age.
■ September 19-21 and 23-26, 10.15pm, Sundays 9.15pm. Ballroom, Lithuanian Club (Fringe Hub), 44 Errol Street,
North Melbourne. Tickets: full $25, concession $20, Tuesdays $16.
Inanimately \ Self-professed over-sharer Nicolette Minster’s show is an exploration of her new obsession – objectum sexuality, or the emotional and romantic attraction people have towards inanimate objects, items or structures. Whether it’s flirting with bridges or getting married to landmarks, Inanimately promises plenty of affection for anything lacking a pulse.
■ September 19-October 4. 10.15pm Tuesday-Saturday, 9.15pm Sunday. Lithuanian Club (Fringe Hub), 44 Errol Street, North Melbourne. Tickets: full $21, concession $16.
The Sound of Nazis \ From the creators of the award-winning, critically acclaimed Wolf Creek: The Musical comes a show based on the 1956 West German film Die Trapp Familie – and, legally, nothing else. Written by James McCann, the performance features surefire future classics such as The Hills Are Alive With The Sound Of Nazis.
■ September 19-October 4 (no Mondays). 10.30pm, 9.30pm Sundays. The Loft, Lithuanian Club (Fringe Hub), 44 Errol Street, North Melbourne. Tickets: full $25, concession $20, group $20.
RELATED
Jennifer Kingwell | Fringe dweller
