Melbourne Fringe Festival is turning 40! And there’s no better way to celebrate than with a roaring evening of art, performance and conversation. Wander through State Library Victoria’s major exhibition The Rest is Up to You, a collection of memories, thoughts and ideas about the future of Melbourne Fringe Festival, contributed by artists, producers, directors and audiences. Grab a glass of wine and immerse yourself in an evening of bold performance and thought-provoking discussion, as past and present Fringe artists, including playwright Patricia Cornelius, comedian Sammy J, drag artist Stone Motherless Cold and Melbourne Fringe Living Legend Richard Watts, explore the evolution of the Melbourne Fringe Festival community as a barometer of the city’s social, cultural and political identity. The event will open with a bold monologue by Cornelius, who was awarded the 2019 Windham-Campbell Prize for Drama for her body of work, including Runt, Shit, and Who’s Afraid of the Working Class? The night will conclude with a performance by Stone Motherless Cold, whose striking, sensual and graphic work exemplifies the bright artistic future that lies ahead for the Fringe community. Revel in the past, present and future of one of our city’s best loved and most culturally democratic independent art festivals.
Presented by the Wheeler Centre, Melbourne Fringe and State Library Victoria
Photo by Theresa Harrison. Cult, Melbourne Fringe Festival 2015.
Hansen Hall and Conversation Quarter, State Library Victoria
328 Swanston Street, Melbourne Victoria 3000
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Stone Motherless Cold (she/they/re) is an Arrernte gem, currently based in Naarm. A crystalline being posing as human, they use drag to dabble in performance, spoken word and visual art. They are part of the Motherless Collective ...
Patricia Cornelius is a founding member of Melbourne Workers Theatre. She’s a playwright, novelist and film writer. She’s the recipient of the Windham-Campbell Literature Prize and the 2019 Green Room award for Life Achievement ...
Sammy J is an Australian comedian, writer, composer and broadcaster. He's played in Edinburgh, Montreal and London, had a sitcom on Netflix, is one half of the man/puppet comedy duo 'Sammy J & Randy' and currently ...
Richard Watts is the National Performing Arts Editor of industry website ArtsHub; he also presents the weekly program SmartArts on Three Triple R FM, and serves as the Chair of La Mama Theatre's volunteer Committee of Management ...