Five Fringe shows to get immersed in this season
Ever wanted to be a pop star? An artist? Or perhaps an adventurer? We’ve compiled some of the opportunities to give it a go this Fringe season.
Dance Club: Dancing in the Streets
This picture: Naomi Matthews
In the first hour and a half of this workshop, celebrated dancer and flash mob lover Liz Baker will teach you the moves to a simple dance.
Before there is a moment to hesitate or rethink your decision, you’ll be outside performing for passersby in the Gluttony Gardens.
“I find people are usually on a real high afterwards and it’s just a very joyous thing to be involved in,” says Baker.
“[Flashmobs] inject a little bit of unexpected joy and delight and surprise into a sort of ordinary day… it uplifts both the people who are doing it and the people who are witnessing it.”
Each show will feature a new dance and song, including Chappell Roan’s infectious ‘Hot To Go’, Beyonce’s country hit ‘Texas Hold ‘Em’, and a go-go-inspired number to Quincy Jones’s ‘Soul Bossa Nova’.
Baker assures CityMag that all ages are welcome and no dance experience is required.
“It’s really important to me that people don’t feel like they have to be a dancer to dance. Everyone is welcome.”
You can join the Dance Club at Gluttony on Saturdays from February 22 to March 8.
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Sleeps Hill Tunnel
Picture: supplied
Uncover secrets and bathe among mushrooms in this immersive self-guided tour of Adelaide’s history.
Once a steam train line and now a wine storage facility, the 377-metre-long Sleeps Hill Tunnel will be open to the public and transformed into a spectacle of lights and visuals.
The tunnel is divided into seven zones that tell a narrative of time and space through collages of newspaper clippings, archive film, a soil projection piece, mushroom timelapse, fluorescent display, and drone footage.
If that doesn’t sound like an adventure, Fringe head of marketing Kirrilee Hay says audiences are in for an extra treat this year with a new installation of “mirrored surfaces, lights, and music” by Innovation Partners Novatech.
“It’s just a really fun experience,” Hay says.
Visit Sleeps Hill Tunnel at Panorama from February 24 to March 30.
Heysen’s Gums
Picture: supplied
Unleash your inner artist with a charcoal drawing workshop at The Cedars, home of renowned Australian artist Sir Hans Heysen.
Guided by local artist Sheila Whittam, take in the surroundings of the Shady Pool and 400-year-old eucalyptus trees that inspired Heysen’s iconic works.
“Charcoal was the material that Hans Heyson loved more than anything else,” Whittam says.
The experience includes an exclusive tour of Heysen’s historic studio with curator Allan Campbell followed by a complimentary tea or coffee at The Cedars Kitchen.
Drawing materials are supplied and the workshop is suitable for all ages – so don’t worry if you’re not a pro.
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Whittam says it’s often children who produce the most wonderful work.
“They just sit on the ground and away they go… they do it best of all”.
Heyson Gum’s is at The Cedars in Hahndorf, on March 5 and 15.
Footy Fanatics – AFL Singalong Pub Quiz
This picture: supplied
AFL and cabaret are two words that don’t often appear in the same sentence, but you’ll just have to hear it to believe it at this Singalong Pub Quiz.
Celebrated music director and artist Dr Antony Hubmayer, known as ‘Dr H’, combines iconic footy songs (think Never Tear Us Apart, Eagle Rock) with AFL-themed and general knowledge questions.
Full of games, umpires’ decisions, and free kicks, teams will be vying for the coveted premiership title… and of course bragging rights.
“It’s all about interactivity,” Hubmayer says.
“We encourage people to wear their footy gear, scarves, footy jumpers and jackets. I give them plenty of opportunities to wave them around.”
If footy isn’t your thing, Hubmayer and fellow London artist Luke Meredith (known as Mister Meredith) will be teaming up for a general knowledge Singalong Pub Quiz in another 18 shows across the Fringe season.
Catch (or should we say mark?) Footy Fanatics at The Jade on March 13 and 20.
Dupang Kurrangk (Coorong) Camp
Dupang Festival 2024 on Ngarrindjeri Country, Coorong National Park, South Australia. This picture: Justin McManus
Join Senior Elders Major Moogy Sumner and Aunty Ellen Trevorrow with other First Nations Artists for a day of cultural workshops and an evening of storytelling on Ngarrindjeri Lands along the shores of the Kurrangk (Coorong).
Learn traditional basket weaving, wood carving, and dance before coming together for a sunset smoking ceremony and a relaxed evening of storytelling around the fire.
Participants are encouraged to camp overnight, ensuring they bring their own equipment and adhere to the camp’s guidelines.
“Our ceremonies and our culture for a long time have been left behind… the culture that’s been going for thousands and thousands of years,” says Sumner.
Teaching “everyone else about who we are” and sharing traditions is the key to keeping this culture alive says Sumner.
Dupang Kurrangk Camp is on Saturday 22 March at Long Point campground at the Coorong.