September has been a busy month for local creatives as many theatre-makers, actors, comedians and improvisers have been making their way up to Sydney for the Sydney Fringe Festival. Here's a shout-out to the brave souls testing out their new, wild or experimental shows and the phenomenal homegrown acts you can see in Wollongong and Sydney over the next couple of months.
Arguments from Ignorance
To kick off the Sydney Fringe Festival at the start of September, Liam McCann, a local comedian from Wollongong who majored in philosophy at the University of Wollongong, had tremendous success with his new show, Arguments from Ignorance, which he performed at the Factory Theatre in Marrickville. A hybrid of stand-up, improvisation and debating, the show consisted of several games where Liam was forced to defend or attack unseen opinions that were submitted by the audience via a Google Form beforehand. The outcome was hilarious.
“The last person I debated argued that money couldn't buy happiness because every time they bought something nice, it was stolen by birds. And I just ran with it – ‘Have you considered buying a window that shuts the birds out?'” Liam said.
Liam said he was excited by the level of audience interaction.
“One of the submitted opinions forced me to dance at the final fringe show; I didn't expect that!”
If you want to see Liam performing hilarious stand-up gigs locally, he will be at Yours and Owls Festival at UOW on October 14 and 15, and at Seeker Brewing on October 19.
PUFFS
The incredible cast and crew of Rising Arts Productions that put together PUFFS during the pandemic, and performed it to sold-out shows at the IPAC in 2022, recently toured the show to Sydney at the ARA Darling Quarter Theatre. Described by Rising Arts Productions as a show that "feels like a warm hug", PUFFS celebrates everyone’s favourite yellow house and follows a trio of misfit badger-loving wizards and their loyal friends.
The number of intricate props in the Wollongong production of PUFFS reflected the love that was poured into its creation. Many crafternoons with the cast, coupled with sing-a-longs and PUFFS hugs, resulted in hand-made signs, books and mop puppets that all contributed to the magic of the show.
Molly Moyes, a Drama and English teacher at Wollongong High School of the Performing Arts who played Susie Bones at the IPAC, loved the show so much that she decided to direct it with her Year 9 Drama students at the school this year.
It’s a perfect family-friendly show, using the same set and prop pieces built by the Wollongong PUFFS cast and crew.
You can check out the Year 9 cast on October 26-27 at Wollongong High School Performing Arts Centre. Buy tickets here.
Trauma Bonding
Trauma Bonding is a new, original, one-person show from emerging theatre-maker Bradley Ward that opened on September 19 at the Emerging Artists Sharehouse and will run until 23 September. After Bradley shared its development at Merrigong’s Made from Scratch earlier in the year and performed the full-length show at Side Door Theatre in May, the buzz has been building around this show.
Bradley will now take to a bare stage in Sydney with nothing but his personal stories and a book of bad poetry from his childhood. Exploring why we have the need to bare it all on stage, this one is not to be missed!
Tickets are available here.
No Great Expectations
To end the month, Improv comedians Room for IMPROVment are ready to hilariously ruin the canon of literature at the Emerging Artists Sharehouse on September 26-30.
From Dickens to Orwell, the Wollongong Improvisers will recreate your favourite classic novels on stage, with just one small caveat… they have never read them! Watch the chaos ensue as they are guided by the audience to bring these stories to life like you have never seen them before.
Jarrod Riesinger, co-director of Rising Arts Productions and one of the daring performers in No Great Expectations, told us why you should visit Sydney to see it.
"This show is a fun way to experience literature, comedy and theatre all in one. No matter how you enjoy stories there’s something for everyone. Plus, you’re supporting local Wollongong artists starting to make a dent in the Sydney scene," he said.
You can get your tickets here.
We are lucky to have so much talent here in the Illawarra. Congratulations to all who have performed brilliant shows in Sydney over the past couple of months, and all the best to those still to come.