Brisbane Fringe Festival

Brisbane Fringe Festival
Various Locations
Aug 14-31

Backed by the creatives of Brisbane, The Brisbane Fringe Festival is celebrating its third year during the 2014 season. As a non-for-profit organisation, the open-access festival supports the arts scene of Brisbane with a no-boundaries policy on creativity.

This year’s Brisbane Fringe Festival will be featured throughout the streets of the river city in non-traditional art and music venues such as laneways, cafes, book shops, stairwells and bamboo tents with alternative edgy venues the New Globe Theatre, The Bearded Lady, Black Bear Lodge, The Skukum Lounge, Padre, The End and The Judy getting in on the act.

With a myriad of fabulous events in numbers too big to mention, here’s a mere sample of all that’s going on.

House Rewired

Set within the nooks, crannies and rooms of a Highgate Hill share house, House Rewired is a night of experimental performance and installations. Featured will be new works from local artists including Luke Jaaniste, The Feather Collector and Ma Ya Ga Ng Re Ne and visitors get to choose their own experience as they move through the ambience of sound, vision, text and connection. 73 High St Highgate Hill Aug 21 7.30

Babushka & Alicia Jane’s Cabaret

The sassy singers of Babushka are known for funky and theatrical musical celebrations and the talent that lies beneath their pop-red lipstick and eccentric taffeta. The four quirky cabaret femme-fatales will deliver a mash-up of opera, jazz, contemporary cabaret and vocal acrobatics at The Bearded Lady  Aug 24. 7.30

Simply Splendid Soiree

An afternoon garden party that is reminiscent of a bygone splendid era, with vintage fashion, lawn games, jazz bands and best-dressed prizes. Put on the best hep-cat suit and floral frock and pack the picnic rug and cucumber sandwiches. Drinks and sweet refreshments are available on site. Musgrave Park Croquet Club 90 Cordelia St South Brisbane Aug 24 2-7.30 $10 CU12 Free

The Smooth End of the Pineapple

One of the highlights of the Anywhere Theatre Festival, comedy duo Matt Bell and Scot McPhie perform madcap sketches in the style of a Monty Python meets The Goons radio broadcast, including live sound effects performed on stage. The Depo Aug 22,23 9pm

The Don Johnson/Butlers

The world’s first declared bogan funk band in sequins and stubby shorts draws from the stockpile of 70’s and 80’s funk and turns it into a wacky show of classic hands-in-the-air hard rock anthems. Band members are Wrong Scott (lead vocals, cow bell), Hungry Anderson (bass), Rob Hurts (drums) and Sharon Nolls (vocals, keys, stuff). New Globe Theatre Aug 22 8pm

Cherry Tree Creek

This intriguing documentary theatre performance is based on the Arnold/Leahy mystery, which remains one of the Deep North Qld’s murder mysteries. The bodies of two women were found by trail bike riders near Cherry Tree Creek and this performance presents the story from a variety of perspectives, including ‘murder blues’ songs written for the show. Judith Wright Theatre Rehearsal Space Aug 20, 21 7.30pm $10-15

Emerging DJ’s, including 90s hiphop banger Gatling Gun, will also feature through the hip and edgy festival.

Full program here

By Katherine Lamont & Jodi Panayotov