Fringe event to celebrate 25 years

By The Star - Brenda Harwood | Posted: Monday Jan 20, 2025

The Dunedin Fringe Festival team have hit the ground running, as they work to bring together more than 85 shows and events, as the festival celebrates its 25th birthday.

Fringe event to celebrate 25 years | Otago Daily Times Online News

Festival co-directors Ruth Harvey and Kate Schrader and their team are excited to reveal the full 2025 Dunedin Fringe Festival programme, released online yesterday, detailing the extraordinary range of theatre, music, comedy, visual arts, family events and more, to be featured from March 13-23.

The printed version of the programme will be launched on February 13.

Ms Schrader said releasing the programme online, and starting ticket sales, this week meant that keen Fringe Festival punters would have the chance to get in early on popular shows to secure their tickets.

"As always, the festival shows are very affordable, with lots of free and koha events, and the vast majority of the festival shows are under $30," she said.

Comedy remained an important part of the festival, although this year’s programme also featured an especially strong contingent of theatre productions, both local and touring.

Ms Harvey said about 50% of the programme was made up of locally-produced events, plus national and international shows — from as far afield as the United States and Europe.

"This year, we also have some great family-friendly events that everyone can enjoy."

In an exciting new approach, senior Fringe Festival staff had been assigned about 10 artists to "take under their wing" and support as they prepared for the festival.

"This has been a fantastic opportunity for us to connect one-on-one with these performers, and to help bring some brilliant shows to fruition — we can’t wait to see them on the stage."

The Fringe Festival opening night party, on March 12, will be a chance to celebrate the festival’s 25th birthday in style — and there will be cake!

Dunedin Fringe and Dunedin Pride

And, as March is Pride Month, the Dunedin Fringe Festival is continuing its partnership with Dunedin Pride to celebrate and support the LGBTQIA+ community.

The popular SoliloQueens: Act 2 showcase of local drag performers will return as part of the fringe programme.

The Dunedin Pride team will also be stationed in the Fringe x Pride Hub, ready to support anyone who wants to chat.

Fringe Festival highlights

With the Dunedin Fringe Festival 2025 programme featuring 85 events across about 40 venues, it is difficult to highlight them all, so here is a selection of highlights across a range of genres.

• Comedy

There is plenty for comedy lovers to look forward to, with more than 20 shows on offer.

Local legend James Mustapic will be joined by his mum Janet to present All Good If Not — an hour of multimedia comedy providing plenty of laughs.

Fringe Festival stalwart Harriet Moir flips the bird to patriarchy in her bold solo comedy Just Eat the Damn Sausage, tackling everything from puberty to perimenopause with wit and irreverence.

Delightfool introduces Booth the Clown and Jak Darling, a comedy duo bringing queer joy to the stage with a fun mix of mime, musical comedy and magic.

• Theatre

This year’s theatre programme brings together compelling stories and cutting-edge perspectives.

NO NO NO heads to Dunedin after a sold-out season at NZ Fringe, reuniting a group of former Dunedinites who met and trained here. This dark sci-fi comedy dives into AI, heartbreak, and identity, offering a sharp and witty take on technology’s role in our lives.

Award-winning local theatre practitioner Nick Tipa (Kāi Tahu) presents Babyface, a genre-blurring exploration of identity, societal roles and professional wrestling. Featuring music by Zac Nicholls (Koizilla, Space Bats, Attack!) and dramaturgy by Bronwyn Wallace (Late Bloomers), Babyface uses theatre, music, and visual art to tell a deeply personal story of growing up in Aotearoa.

​​​​​​​• Family-Friendly Fun

This year’s Fringe Festival programme is packed with enchanting, accessible events for all ages.

​​​​​​​The Tiny Show invites families to lean in close for a charming, award-winning theatre experience featuring a quiet clown, her troupe of toys, and a collection of whimsical fables. With sassy looks, dazzling harmonies, and playful intimacy, this show is suitable for both deaf and hearing audiences aged 3 and up.

Meanwhile, The Magic Shop offers an imaginative and interactive performance where audiences can trade outdated habits for transformative "magic". Led by sociodramatist Cissy Rock, this playful theatre experience is accessible to all and invites participants to step into the shop and discover what’s possible when you’re willing to barter.

The Art at Heart: Kids Exhibition is presented and curated by Dunedin youngster Sylvie Wardell, 11, who has invited children from across the city to respond to the theme of "big feelings".

Sylvie wanted to showcase children’s art so that people could see "how much effort we put into things, we can show people what we mean, so they can understand us better".

• Dance and movement

The dance line-up for this year’s Fringe Festival features everything from boundary-pushing choreography to immersive experiences.

Motion Sickness fuses New Zealand Sign Language with contemporary movement in an innovative and inclusive performance. Dreams of the Small Gods uses aerial circus and mythology to delve into the divine, animal and human within us all.

In Manage Your Expectations, award-winning artist Eliza Sanders blends dance, clowning and absurdism to create a captivating exploration of communication and connection.

GlowJam offers a pop-up fusion of music, dance, art and a neon-clad audience, presented by Xzenia Kutia, Claire Rye and the Otago Dancers, and designed for all ages.

The event will be a spontaneous pop-up performance, in which audience members are encouraged to wear UV-reactive clothing (such as white or neon colours) to take part, and will feature a live DJ and MC playing music in the Octagon.

• Interactive and experimental

For those who like their Fringe experience a little offbeat, The Em-paw-rium transforms Artsenta into a fantastical celebration of pets, imagination, and well-being.

Frangi-Galore Art Workshop invites participants to explore Pasifika art through hands-on carving with local artist Ana Teofilo.

ROADKILL The Uber-Cool Musical takes you on a wildly immersive journey through love, life and rock ’n’ roll — all from the back seat of a van. This intimate one-man musical combines humour, heart and unforgettable tunes for an experience like no other.