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Geraldine Hickey and Laura Dunemann Are Commentating the Grand Q&A:
Planet of the Kings What is your show about? The show starts with a naïve drag king Harden Long first applying to be an astronaut. As his career grows a romance develops with fellow drag king Rex Spandex. Harden becomes the superstar who can do no wrong until his fame starts to go to his head, and things begin to unravel. What sets your show apart from others at Fringe? Drag kings in space is a great theme, and the emotional and physical journey they go on is a wild ride. At times it’s funny, at times it’s raw and vulnerable, but it’s always entertaining. The show is really well put together with the support of some amazingly talented people. How does your show push the envelope in terms of creativity and convention? We’ve certainly never heard of a mockumentary blending video and live drag before. Drag shows are typically less about developing a plot than in Planet of the Kings. Our story explores the world of poly queer masculinity, which is also a pretty unusual angle on space travel. What should a punter expect from your show? You can expect Rex Spandex (Winner of ChillOut’s Jewel in the Crown 2016) and Harden Long (Kong’s Kings heartthrob) to entertain you with their mesmerising chemistry, camp theatrics and thrilling twists. Planet of the Kings incorporates liveperformance and filmed archival interviews to tell a gripping emotional story of love and danger. What part of contemporary Australian culture does your show engage with? Our show explores queer culture, masculinity and ideas of gender and sexuality. We feel like these are important ideas to shine a light on in Australian culture right now. You don’t need to be queer to identify with this story though. Through these characters we tell a story of love and connection that people from all walks of life can identify with. What are the key influences that informed your show? Planet of the Kings is an undeniable homage to David Bowie and Freddie Mercury. We’re big fans of glam rock, and while not all the songs in the show are from that era, I don’t think anyone will leave the show without feeling the glam. PLANET OF THE KINGS will run at The 86 from Monday September 19 - Saturday September 24 as part of Melbourne Fringe Festival.
Coming Up Melbourne Festival
Thursday October 6 - Sunday October 23 Various Venues
Raiders of the Lost Ark Live in Concert Friday November 4 ± S aturday November 5 Hamer Hall
Lord of the Flies
Wednesday April 5 - Sunday April 9 2017 State Theatre
Van Gogh Exhibition to Premiere at NGV The masterworks of one of the world’s most famous and influential artists will go on show at NGV next year in the forthcoming instalment of the gallery’s acclaimed Melbourne Winter Masterpieces series. Drawn from the collections of leading international institutions, including Amsterdam’s Van Gogh Museum, Van Gogh and the Seasons will bring more than 60 of van Gogh’s iconic works to Melbourne, many which are travelling to Australia for the first time in a stunning celebration of the natural beauty. Alongside van Gogh masterpieces, the exhibition will also give insight into van Gogh’s own influences by displaying letters by the artist and artworks he collected during his short and ultimately tragic lifetime. Van Gogh and the Seasons runs at NGV International from April 28 to July 9, 2017.
Final for Melbourne Fringe Forget everything you thought you knew about footy finals because Melbourne Fringe is kicking goals with their 2016 coverage. Exciting events include On The Mark with comedians Geraldine Hickey and Laura Dunemann commentating the Grand Final as it’s screened live in the Festival Club. Elsewhere, Fringe Footy Club with Dr. Professor Neal Portenza and Penny Greenhalgh will be getting you in the mood for the big game in a Fringe special. Grab a pie and hit up the Festival Club on Saturday October 1 for all the action.
Fringe Furniture Winners
Extra Shows Added to
Announced for 2016
World Premiere of ‘Lady
The winners for Fringe Furniture 2016 have been revealed, celebrating 30 years for the landmark event. This year’s theme, Redesign, encouraged designers to re-visit history, separating functional purpose and encouraging impossibility. Taking out the Sustainable Design Award was Anthony Nelson’s Fhable - a fence house table - while bringing home the Emerging Designer Award was Alison Lyons, Joel Donaldson and Danny Triebert. Further winners are Matt Potter, taking home the Craftsmanship Award, Richard Greenacre for his Hex Table Lamp and Ren CrundenSmith scoring Best Student Design Award. Fringe Furniture runs at Abbotsford Convent from September 15 - October 2.
Friendlyjordies is Coming to Melbourne Hilarious internet sensation Jordan Shanks (AKA Friendlyjordies) has announced a Melbourne show, bringing his brand of political satire to the people in a hotly anticipated live date. Chin Up Stooge marks a step into the live arena for Shanks, whose videos have garnered thousands of views. While much about the show is being kept tightly under wraps, Chin Up Stooge will see Shanks wax lyrical on everything from self help books to hipsters and Coffs Harbour. Catch him at The Athenaeum Theatre Friday November 11.
Eats Apple’ Following huge sell-out demand, more shows have been added to the hotly anticipated Melbourne Festival event, Lady Eats Apple. Coming from the acclaimed Australian theatremakers Back to Back Theatre, the production is brought to life under the direction of Bruce Gladwin. Collapsing the space between the epic and the everyday while divining the mythic in the mundane, Lady Eats Apple is a cosmic dance from the Garden of Eden to a medieval snowstorm, all the way through to the urban jungle we live in today. Catch it at Hamer Hall on Thursday October 13 at 1pm and 8pm. Tickets via Melbourne Festival.
The Other Film Festival B Y M E G C R Aw f O R d
Generally speaking, mainstream movies and television don’t do the world’s best job of accurately portraying the experiences of people with disabilities or the deaf community. While there are some notable exceptions, it’s been far and few between. The Other Film Festival (TOFF) kicked off in 2004 to rectify this imbalance and has run every two years since, featuring local and international movies and shorts about the lived experience of disability and deafness. Importantly, all movies are made by and feature people with disabilities or deafness. This year, TOFF runs as part of the Melbourne Fringe Festival featuring films and shorts over two days at the State Library’s super accessible Experimedia venue with Mija Gywnn at the helm. She first worked with TOFF as a volunteer in 2010. In 2014 she coordinated the Deaf Program, in 2015 she took on the position of Associate Director, and was named as Festival Director this year. Gwynn, who is deaf, has always had a strong appreciation of the arts ± her immediate family includes two visual artists and her background was in communications for an indie cinema and gallery space in the UK. Gwynn explains that TOFF started as a social movement that reflected the broader aspirations of the disability rights movement. “People with a disability who were passionate about the arts questioned why their stories were so rarely reflected on our screens, and when they were, only served to elevate the careers of non-disabled actors and filmmakers,” she says. “We were motivated by the question ± what would films look like that celebrated the lived experience and not just the imagined
experience of disability? Beyond that, we also recognised the flawed symbolism of a screen sector that built careers and audiences from the stories of disabled people, but literally locked them out of these experiences by the imposition of structural barriers such as inaccessible venues, lack of captioning and audio-description, and no career pathways for filmmakers with disabilities. These realities pushed us to imagine the most accessible and welcoming screen culture experience ± and thus TOFF was born. “Cultural appropriation, such as the lack of authentic casting and the subsequent disempowerment is a hot topic in disability arts as there is still very little understanding and awareness of this in the broader screen and arts sectors,” rues Gwynn. Not so at TOFF, where its ethos is summed up in the catch cry: “nothing about us without us”. All TOFF screenings, talks, panels and workshops emphasise the voice and leadership of people with disability and deaf people, ensuring integrity in their portrayal.
G E T S O M E C U LT U R E U P YA
Since its inception, TOFF has always lived its values, screening compelling films by, with and about disability, but even from an authentic perspective there’s been scope for growth. “What has evolved is our understanding of the impact films can have on individuals and communities ± especially at times of significant social change,” Gwynn explains. “Films provide a unique perspective into the lived experience, where we can share deeply in the circumstances of another person’s life, or we can imagine a new and as yet, unrealised future. In this way, films have the potential to future proof social and political reforms, breathing life into the question, what would things look like if they were different?” THE OTHER FILM FESTIVAL runs from Wednesday September 28 - Friday September 30 at the State Library as part of Melbourne Fringe Festival. BEAT MAGAZINE PAGE 23