Art on the Fringe: Forty Years of Melbourne Fringe

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.

This event will be also be recorded by the Wheeler Centre.

Presented by the Wheeler Centre, Melbourne Fringe and State Library Victoria  

Photo by Theresa Harrison. Cult, Melbourne Fringe Festival 2015.