This show is an opportunity for fans of The Lord of the Rings to get lost in the music. Jordan has been a fan of Tolkien’s work since reading the books in the 60s. He was mesmerised by the creative tales in a world of their own, inspired by ancient Norse culture and language. Jordan had the chance of meeting Tolkien himself and since then it has been a goal of his to honour the great writer through a creative venture.

Jordan is a talented and accomplished trombonist, he has played in array of bands and orchestras and can be found from time to time busking in the city with the Mel’Bones Trombone Quartet. The Mel’Bones performed beautifully at the launch of the Fringe Festival for 2015, and the same spectacular performance can be expected in One Show to Rule Them All. Jordan is very excited to share his passion with an audience, and hopes others will feel the same.

“One Show To Rule Them All” will be performed on the 1st, 2nd and 3rd of October at St. Stephen’s Anglican Church, 306 Church Street, Richmond at 8pm Friday and Saturday and 3pm on Sunday. To book tickets visit melbournefringe.com.au.

You can also visit Jordan’s website at www.donjordanmusic.com.

The play is set in the dining room and bedroom of Jennifer Marcos (Tegan Jones), which has been constructed out of cardboard boxes. Jennifer has the intricate mind of a genius, the clever dialogue from writer Rolin Jones is humorous and sassy yet awkward and fearful. The premise of the play is that she never leaves her bedroom, due to her obsessive-compulsive agoraphobia, but she is on a mission to find her biological parents, her curiosity sparked by underlying feelings that her busy, work orientated, highly strung, angry mother doesn’t love her.

The premise of the play is genius itself, quirky and fun. In this world, Jennifer can work for the US government fixing missiles, design a robot clone of herself, all while never leaving her bedroom. There are many laughs to be had but also times when you empathise deeply with the characters and want to cry or jump into the middle of an argument.

Overall, the performances were excellent, with six actors playing twelve characters. Sam Lavery was particularly talented, playing four different characters with great vigour and passion. Each character was weird, intricate and humorous in their own way, from an eccentrically vocal professor to a conservative Mormon seeking sexual pleasure over the internet. The play also incorporates sex and religion into the story line, as Jennifer trades naked pictures of herself in order to get the Morman to hunt down the details of her biological birth mother. This taboo subplot seems to jar a little with Jennifer’s personality, but it is done quite humorously and retains Jennifer’s naivety.

When the play comes to an end, Jennifer is still an agoraphobic, but she has achieved a lot and made a difference in people’s lives. Her robot self is very compassionate and they form a strong bond with each other. Her relationship with her mother builds however is not yet healed and neither is Jennifer, her mother still doesn’t understand her disorder. The ending is somewhat unsatisfying, it seems confused with so much to process. However, overall The Intelligent Design of Jenny Chow is a very complex and entertaining play without any dull moments.

The Intelligent Design of Jenny Chow runs until the 3 October at Brunswick Arts Space 2a Little Breese St.

Blue lighting illuminates the high ceilings, the crowd is drawn to the centre of the space, mingling and enjoying the open bar. The crowd buzzes; friends and colleagues catching up, sharing stories and anticipation, excited to celebrate the 2015 Fringe Festival.

Suddenly, the lights change  and with a swift movement heads turn to the back of the room where ‘No Punchline’ gives a stunning performance. The two woman trapeze act, performing at Fringe this year, is captivating: the strong and talented women support each other over the thin bar of a trapeze with intense emotion and intimacy.

After the stunning conclusion, the crowd turn to the stage and are greeted by Yana Alana, a vibrant, sassy lady with a fabulous array of costumes and humour to match. The Honourable Martin Foley, Victorian Minister of the Arts, gives a short speech to show his support for the Fringe, and distaste for George Brandis’ budget cuts. Fringe will go on free from the politics of Canberra, he says, with its own ‘excellence’ shining though.

Mr Foley continues, acknowledging the legacy of Ralph McLean, the first openly gay Mayor of Fitzroy and notable supporter of the arts. McLean will always be remembered for the integral part he played in the bringing the Fringe to Melbourne, and as an ambassador for LGBTQI rights. Mr Foley is followed by Damien Welsh from Bank of Australia, the major sponsor of this year’s festival, whose financial support is greatly appreciated.

Formal proceedings finish with Simon Abraham, the Creative Director and CEO of Melbourne Fringe. He officially launches the program with great enthusiasm, and is not shy to put Brandis in his place. “Excellence?” Arbraham exclaims, “by George, we’ve got it.”

The party continues into the night, but as the crowd slowly trickles out they are armed with programs, filled with hope for the independent arts sector, and excited to explore the world of Fringe in just a matter of weeks!

For the full program visit www.melbournefringefestival.com.au

As a graduate from Curtin University with a degree in Performance and Creative Writing, Joske spent much of her time trying to work out what her career next move was: how was she going to discover the secrets of the world that the adults around her seemed to know? She still doesn’t know the secret and doesn’t yet feel like she is an adult, but at the very least she can put on an entertaining satire about how she will tackle this. It’s something we can all relate to, and the show is a great opportunity to pick up a few tips on how we could all be a little more functional.

Become a Functional Adult in 45 Minutes is a one woman comedy, with Joske playing a heightened version of herself. In the show she has been in a ‘mature learning institute’ for six months and the audience is there to see her graduate, which proves that she is a ‘proper grown-up’ and ready to leave and take on the adult world.

Joske uses satirises beauty queen aspirations to challenge the stereotype. On the posters she is ripping barbie’s head off with her mouth while wearing her victory crown.

“Basically,” she jokes, “I really just wanted to get a boob out for the poster.” Don’t be fooled, though, “this is more than just a topless barbie show!”

Sophie has been a stand-up comedian since she was 17, and has now quit her full time job to tour with this show and get herself out there in the world of theatre. She is member of the improv theatre group, The Big Hoo Ha and has previously appeared in their Fringe shows. Become a Functional Adult in 45 Minutes is her first solo show, which she wrote herself. The show was a hit in the Perth Fringe this year, has just returned from touring Sydney and now Joske is ready to take on Melbourne.

Become a Functional Adult in 45 Minutes will run from 23 – 28 of September at Club Voltaire, 14 Raglan Street, North Melbourne, at 7:30pm.

For tickets visit melbournefringe.com.au or call (03) 9660 9666. 

Sharing her obsessive diary entries in the form of cabaret and satire, Snelling is hyper-aware of the ego, and steps outside her own headspace to entertain and teach the audience something from her experiences by  “taking the piss out of her younger self.”

It was only earlier this year that Snelling decided she was ready to read through and embrace  her journals, and then share them with an audience. She has come from an interesting background, being a three-time national champion in sport aerobics, studying at Mountview Academy of Theatre Arts in London, and performing all over Europe for seven years, until issues with her UK visa brought her back home to Australia, and the 2015 Melbourne Fringe Festival.

This unique step back into the life of a young Andi Snelling will explore all of the fun, silly, intimate, heavy and traumatic moments of her life featuring tribulations such as mental health battles, losing her virginity, travelling and the life of a performer, linking it all back to the big question, “what can self-reflection do for our mental health?”

Snelling is also coming up with some pre-show surprises, acts of guerrilla kindness in the form of handmade diaries hidden in The Butterfly Club and surrounding streets. Anyone who finds one of these long-lost diaries will also get a discount to the show. Who knows, maybe you could be the lucky recipient.

#DearDiary will play at The Butterfly Club from 22 – 27 September at 7pm (5pm on Tuesday 22 September). To book tickets visit www.melbournefringe.com.au or call (03)  9660 9600.