Line-up is better than ever for 2019 festival
COMEDY, music, performance, theatre, and anything in between — the Dunedin Fringe Festival is back for 2019!
The dazzling lineup features over 80 acts from local haunts and faraway lands. Director Gareth McMillan is thrilled by the variety of talent on offer.
‘‘The quality of this year’s lineup is higher than ever; there is truly something for all Dunedinites to experience,’’ he says.
Running for 11 days from March 21 to 31, there is something for everyone in this eagerly anticipated annual highlight.
The festival kicks off with the everpopular Polson Higgs Opening Night Showcase on March 20, hosted in Dunedin’s iconic Regent Theatre. The showcase offers a tasting platter of fringe delights, with fiveminute previews of a range of talented performers.
The night is jampacked with talent, including the vivacious MCs Jesse Griffin (Wilson Dixon) and Tahu MacKenzie, house music by Inati, and vibrant performers such as James Mustapic, Charmian Hughes, and cabaret collective Four Night Riot. It’s the perfect way to test the waters, and then go out and experience the full shows for yourself.
Highlights of the full programme include top Kiwi comedians Ben Hurley and Chris Parker, and returning fringe favourite David Correos. Local musician Phil Davison, better known as Dr Marigaux, presents his oneman black operetta
Jacks the Ripper.
Originated by New York’s Heidi Latsky Dance Company, the global event On Display comes to Dunedin, a living art gallery of human sculptures celebrating diversity and inclusivity. The latest creation by local theatre company Talking House, Toy Factory Fire, is an immersive audiovisual installation based on the Kader factory fire.
The City of Dunedin is embraced by the fringe, with a record 43 venues. Little
Paisley, a solo visual art show by Holly Aitcheson, is inspired by the rich history of the Southern Cemetery. The show will be on at an oftoverlooked location right in the Octagon, the crypt in St Paul’s Cathedral. Written by 2019 Burns Fellow Dr Emily Duncan, Le Sujet Parle: And Then
He Shot Me combines performance and immersive projections at Otago Museum’s Beautiful Science Gallery. The Dunedin Botanic Garden is the location for
Trickster Game 001, a liveaction videogameinspired adventure through the garden’s mazelike paths.
The biennial Lines of Flight experimental music festival is back at two venues: the Dunedin Public Art Gallery and Port Chalmers’ Pioneer Hall.
A festival staple, the Emerson’s Festival Club will be in the Community Gallery on Princes St, providing a venue, bar, and postshow hub for festivalgoers. The club is also the location for a number of sizzling shows.
Hailing from Brighton, UK, Bear North is a comical musical odyssey featuring a dancing bear, a wolf, and a buffalo. Internationally renowned comedienne Sameena Zehra makes her Dunedin debut at the club with her new show Arsebiscuits.
Dunedin’s Ian Loughran and Aaron
Davies present Bonkers Bingo, a hilarious interactive games night.
The Festival Club also presents Perraux Audio Nights, with local music curated by Nadia Reid, including Die Musikband, Lars Von Trio, Tiny Pieces of 8, and Rollercoaster.
DUNEDIN FRINGE FESTIVAL
March 21-31, various Dunedin venues. See www.dunedinfringe.nz for more information