Free at the Fringe

Pretty much the best thing about the Fringe Festival is how accessible it is. Accessible for performers, in that it’s open access… but also accessible for audiences, in that entry into performances is often cheap or even free.

This year, fully half of all Fringe shows are either free or entry by koha, meaning that being on a tight budget is no excuse for not getting out there and exploring what’s on offer. To start with, almost all of the Visual Arts events are free; a particular highlight is sure to be the Performance Arcade, which “is a line of shipping containers providing a series of miniature performance and installation spaces for artists and designers”, and will be set up on Taranaki Wharf.

Otherwise, your free or koha options span dance (Tardis, What Would The Neighbours Think, Raw Circus), comedy (Sexy Old Bags), theatre (Honey, Sea of Stories, Puppet Fiction, Babylon) and music (Sing for the City, Songs from the Bottom of a Hilltop, Road 2 Da Riche$).

I’m particularly keen to see Honey, which is a play written by comedian, playwright and fan-fiction author Joseph Harper, who I guess probably also performs in it (the promo materials don’t make this especially clear). Songs from the Bottom of a Hilltop, from 16 piece musical collective Sven Olsen’s Brutal Canadian Love Saga, also looks pretty intriguing – a live performance of songs from the album of the same name, featuring 5 singers, a string section, and some Wellington themed love songs.

And if you’re heading to a show at BATS anyway, then why not drop into the Pit Bar to check out Puppet Fiction – which is essentially Pulp Fiction performed by puppets…