I have been receiving text messages, emails and in casual conversations I have been asked repeatedly, “So… the Sydney Fringe… there’s just so much on… I don’t know where to begin… what should I see?”

So in response to them, I say “Well there’s plenty to see- just don’t panic! Don’t panic! Stop trembling! Put down that chocolate bar- you’ll be OK! Just make sure you catch something at the inaugural Sydney Fringe!!!” And so I thought I would write a little post to let you know what I am keen on seeing, and what I know about… and what I’ve been working on… it’s been a busy couple of months! There’s a mix of stuff in here- yep, even a visual arts show! And that’s what festivals about- sampling a little bit of everything…

Visual Arts:

TIM ANDREW – WHERE’S MY PRIVATE JET?
September 9th-26th
Opening Thursday 9th 6-8pm.
ESP GALLERY 228 Illawarra Rd Marrickville NSW 2044.

There’s lots to like about Tim Andrew. And I’m not the only one who reckons his paintings are great… within the last month he was been a finalist in both the Marrickville Council’s Contemporary Art Prize and the Mosman Art Prize… so you don’t have to take my word for it. But let it be known, I am an unashamed fan. His work is bright and brutal and demands you look at it. Self conscious, utterly self-aware, awkward, yet brave and therefore loveable his work is fun, accessible and beautifully presented. One thing is for certain about Tim Andrew – his work is never, ever pedestrian.
“While dealing with the heavier, pessimistic anxieties and abjection about living and surviving in the world, I hope my work delights the viewer with bright, humorous, graphic themes and persistently entertaining titles.”
http://www.timandrewart.com/STORIES FROM THE 428
September 11th @8pm , 12th @8pm, 18th @5pm, 19th @2pm & @8pm
Sidetrack Theatre, 142 Addison Road, Marrickville
$24/$20 + Booking Fee

After a sold out season at Sidetrack Theatre earlier this year, Stories from the 428 returns for a very special season as a part of Sydney’s inaugural Sydney Fringe Festival. Inspired by the 428 bus route (from Circular Quay to Canterbury) a group of award winning and emerging playwrights have written a series of stories which will make you laugh, cringe, cry or even fall in love… best thing of all- the 428 stops right outside the theatre!
http://centurylive.com.au/default.aspx?Interface=3&Fshcode=68384AAD-DFC4-4F22-ACFE-46BCA3F6378B

THE HIDEOUS DEMISE OF DETECTIVE JERICHO SLATE
September 14th @ 8pm, 19th @ 5pm, 22nd @ 8pm, 23rd @ 9.30pm, 25th @ 9.30pm
The Boiler Room at the Factory Theatre, Marrickville
$20 / $16 + Booking Fee

A piece of film noir parody live radio theatre; Imagine a 1940’s hardboiled detective radio serial traveled through time, but on the way it got mixed up with that nuclear waste that made the ninja turtles, and grew legs, a fish fetish and an incredible amount of convoluted similes and threw itself on the stage. ‘With cream yourself funky live music and a stand out cast, this is a radio play like you’ve never seen before – sexy and hilarious.’ – Raymond Chandler
http://centurylive.com.au/default.aspx?Interface=3&Fshcode=9138AF2D-4C96-4A72-A183-B308294D9285

SEXY TALES OF PALEONTOLOGY
September 16th @ 8pm, 17th @ 6.30pm, 18th @ 9.30pm, 19th @ 6.30pm, 24th @ 8pm
The Boiler Room at the Factory Theatre, Marrickville
$20 / $16 + Booking Fee

Sexy Tales of Paleontology has everything you could possibly want: science, evil corporations and a lumberjack! When a group of scientists are taken over by an un-self-consciously evil corporation, a clash of ethics and robots ensue. Expect hysterical geologists in pit fights with paleontologists, flamboyant glam-pop mercenaries breaking out in song and the world’s worst narrator.
http://centurylive.com.au/default.aspx?Interface=3&Fshcode=DA4433E8-45D0-4F27-80C2-F5A9ADF05F18

COMBAT FATIGUE
September 13th @ 8pm, 17th @ 9.30pm, 18th @ 1.00pm, 22nd @ 9.30pm, 23rd @ 8pm
The Boiler Room at the Factory Theatre, Marrickville
$20 / $16 + Booking Fee

Come down, come down to the strawberry patch…A dark incantation, a letter that shouldn’t be read, a blood sacrifice. A golden couple in a toxic city on Valentine’s Day. A husband, an artist, a girl, a murderer with a poet’s heart. A battle for possession of a woman’s soul.
http://centurylive.com.au/default.aspx?Interface=3&Fshcode=34C508B0-F868-4723-9176-2595DD599F37

ZETLAND
September 14th @8pm, 15th @8pm, 17th @ 8pm, 18th @ 8pm, 19th @ 5pm
Sidetrack Theatre, Marrickville
$24/$20 +Booking Fee

Ross, 21, is leaving for the army tomorrow. He has returned home from a failed adventure in Queensland, hell-bent on confronting his older brother about their broken family. Josh (Ross’s Brother) 26, is making a clean break with a career in a call centre and a new pair of skinny-leg jeans determined to cut his losses. Kez, 25, has moved into the brothers family home claiming the throne of facetious installation artist, trying to keep the spirit of art-school activism alive when everyone around him is trying to grow up. Zetland is a play about three young men trying to live together, amid a swamp of poverty, avoidance and failed dreams. It’s a dark comedy that smacks of truth, an intimate experience of how men communicate, how they avoid conflict and how they deal with failure.
http://centurylive.com.au/default.aspx?Interface=3&Fshcode=B3F91B5C-3D50-46F2-AF7C-581166890B8B

THE CAULIFLOWER HOMICIDE: A LOVE STORY
September 11th @ 7:30pm, 17th @ 7:30pm, 18th @ 2:30pm, 19th @ 5pm
Petersham Town Hall, Crystal Street , Petersham

A new supermarket opens and the cauliflower mascot is murdered; it’s not just a case of who did it, but who was in the suit. The story follows four lonely, financially challenged individuals leading up to that fateful day – all of whom are vying for the esteemed cauliflower position. Along the way, relationships are tested and a vulnerable search for love and a sense of place in the world is illuminated.
http://centurylive.com.au/default.aspx?Interface=3&Fshcode=096152D3-74CE-446B-BCC8-C75E325D5289

SONGS FROM THE MUSICALS THAT NEVER WERE
September 12th @ 8pm, 15th @ 9.30pm, 16th @ 9.30pm, 18th @ 1pm, 19th @ 5pm
Fusebox, Factory Theatre Marrickville
$24/ $20 + Booking Fee

A fabulous night of music and comedy! See the shows that never were but should have been! “Underbelly: The Musical!” “Noah! Arc of Triumph!” on stage before your very eyes! Thrill to “Batman the Opera.” In German! (Der Fleidermausse Mench!)
Plus many more in a cavalcade of singing, dancing and fast paced comedy! Music by local musical comedy genius Benny Davis (6 million You Tube hits with Axis of Awesome!) Lyrics by Trevor Johnson (writer for TV’s D Generation plus much more!) Mary Sherman, Ray Chong Nee and Brendon Taylor bring to life Songs From the Musicals That Never Were!
http://centurylive.com.au/default.aspx?Interface=3&Fshcode=84435C3D-7E19-4F36-AD0F-2BB856943D82

Or if you don’t want to complicate things you could pick a venue and just see everything that is on at that venue, I recommend:

SIDETRACK THEATRE
142 Addison Road, Marrickville
http://www.sidetrack.com.au/
Breathe a Little and Call It Life, Landing, Stories From the 428, Violent Delights, Zetland

THE BOILER ROOM
Factory Theatre, Marrickville
http://fringeattheboilerroom.com/
Combat Fatigue, Sexy Tales of Paleontology, Hideous Demise of Detective Jericho Slate, Cuckoo, Starry Comet Night, A Thing Of Beauty