Renewed Festival Programme Now Taking Place

Renewed Festival Programme Now Taking Place

After a successful first weekend with a number of sell-out shows, the 2010 Dunedin Fringe Festival programme has renewed itself for the final week. With a completely new line-up of events, this week sees artists from New Zealand and around the world flooding into Dunedin to celebrate the final week of the Festival.

Dance is one aspect of the programme with a particularly strong focus this week, drawing local, national and international artists to the Festival. Vicky Van Hout, one of Australia’s most in-demand Aboriginal contemporary dancers will be performing alongside Ngai Tahu’s Louise Potiki-Bryant and Rachel Ruckstuhl-Mann in Te Ngaru Hou at Puketeraki Marae. Also visiting from Australia will be the Chimera Dance Collective with their show Project One, exploring the processes of dance creation.

Local dancers and the wider community also have a chance to take part. The Pedgogy Project by innovative and expermental French company Cie Porte will be holding dance workshops and masterclasses this week at the Mary Hopewell Theatre. All are free of charge.

Outdoor performances also have a stong presence in the final week of the Festival. This Saturday will see Joe Worley’s purpose-built, one-way travelling Beam Crawler making its first, and possibly final, crossing over the Water of the Leith. Surprise crowd-faveourite from last week, Danny Stills’ show Mr Bun Bun’s Terrible Day continues to delight children in playgrounds and outside schools across Dunedin with his comic solo performance in a giant bunny suit.

The Polson Higgs Comedy Club returns to XII Below lounge bar for a second season, from the 24-27 March, with an all-new bill of talented comedians. Former Dunedinite Simon McKinney is back in town to recount his time on the TV2 kids show Squirt with his show My Time as a Talking Fish. Crowd favourites from 2009, The Comedittes take the stage with their show Better Living, fresh from the Wellington and Adelaide Fringe Festivals and full of hilarity, heels and handy home hints. Billy T Award Winner Justine Smith will also take to the stage with her new-work Jussi Town, created especially for the Dunedin Fringe.

Musicians playing this week include 90’s Dunedin band The Troubadors of Mercury, back after a ten-year hiatus with just one final show, and the ever-popular Dr Glam presenting his unique mix of music, dance, theatre and fashion in The Glitter Show .

Festival Director Paul Smith is pleased with the Festival so far. “There is a great Festival buzz about town, the Octagon is alive with performance every day and we have had some great feedback from audiences..”

“Dunedin has really embraced this year’s Fringe Festival and with a whole new line-up this week there is still a lot for people to look forward to. It’s not too late to catch some great shows so we hope people make the most of the opportunities provided by the Fringe.”

ENDS

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