The dynamic between the two women is what really brings the play to life. Jessica McKerlie’s performance of Jo is not only humorous, but also extremely raw. Her ability to flow through different states of minds, from calm to utter panic, gives truth to the play that is bold and daring. Petra Elliott’s performance is diversely entertaining as she plays out two characters; Sam and seventh century who has the mind of a teenage girl and loves teen comedies such as The Princess Diaries and Mean Girls. Her outspoken and confident performance works well, playing off McKerlie’s character to create a comedy that covers a very serious issue with sensitivity.

The debut play written by Isobel Marmion, People Piss in Here is compelling and eccentric, engaging the audience through its well thought out characters and meaningful subtext. There is one point where the saint, through Sam, informs Jo of the upcoming judgement day, which that sends Jo into a frenzy as she worries about going to hell. This reflects upon how anxiety can be so extreme as to make the sufferer think that the world is ending, but is subtle enough to ensure the play moves forward.

The set contains only three chairs with toilet seats on it, but the actors use the space cleverly, using their bodies and their restricted movement to suggest stalls and sinks, and also that they are trapped in the bathroom and unable to get out.

Ultimately, People Piss in Here is about the many misconceptions that people have about mental illness; Marmion’s use of poetic dialogue reflects upon this issue, and helps the audience gain a better understanding of the suffering that Jo, Sam and all those who struggle with mental illness, endure.

Candid and sincere, People Piss in Here is a surprising, yet gratifying production that is both informative and compassionate in its depiction of mental illness.

People Piss in Here runs from the 30th of September to the 4th of October at The Butterfly Club, 5 Carson Pl, Melbourne. Book tickets at melbournefringe.com.au or call (03) 9660 9666.

Taken from his own personal experiences and through interviews with other sufferers, the story is confronting, but King convinces the audience that it needs to be said. There are certain moments that touch the audience, such as when he re-enacts singing, “Feeling Good” alone at home. This particular moment made me feel, not only empathetic, but connected, as I was able to look back at my own similar experiences. He uses metaphor well, giving a very poetic insight into the expression of depression, and adding to the dramatic tone of the show.

King’s performance is engaging and raw, flowing through the various scenes with ease. Dressed in only a shirt and bike shorts, King exposes his feelings and emotions to the audience. His truthful reenactments of the past are vivid, drawing the audience in rather than pushing them away. His use of an arm puppet as one his inner monologues is charming and helps engage the audience through humour, making the play more endearing. Following along an audio track of both music and inner monologues that narrates the play, moving it forward, King never misses a beat and seems completely at home on the stage.

The set design is efficiently used, and adds to the tone of the play. There is a streetlight that shines blue and has a picture of a sad face hanging off it, and a step ladder that King uses to draw attention to his character’s suicidal thoughts. Props are used simply and efficiently to convey the scene, such as a cigarette, a suicide letter, and a wig and glasses for the puppet to wear when portraying King’s Tinder dates. And music adds to the charming nature of the play, mostly being swing or jazz, which are played during King’s monologues.

i’m not alright is an authentic experience that will connect with audience members on a personal level.

i’m not alright runs through the 1st-4th of October at 9:45pm at Tuxedo Cat – The Atrium, 293 – 299 La Trobe Street, Melbourne. Book tickets at melbournefringe.com.au or call (03) 9660 9666.

Amos explains early in the show that he would be trying out new jokes for him to use in upcoming shows, so the stories were a bit jumbled up at times. But the audience didn’t seem to mind, we thoroughly enjoyed them.  From the moment he walks onto the stage, he has an immediate presence about him that allows the audience to relax: perhaps it’s his charming demeanour or his ability to engage with the audience without direct audience participation. Even when he does talk directly to audience members, he doesn’t make them feel uncomfortable, he is able to think on his feet, respond quickly to the moment and settle comfortably into the energy of the room. At one point he spoke to me and made a general observation about how my older brother most likely knows which bin will fit perfectly over my head. Being able to relate to this observation, I was in hysterics.

Amos is well known around Australian audiences, and for good reason. Even though Amos is British, he is able to engage with the Australian audience on our level. This allows the audience to be able to relate to what he’s saying, even if he’s doing an over-the-top impression of an Australian, which is so truthful that it’s impossible to be mad about it. Amos knows how to talk to his audience, particularly an Australian one. He comments at one point that Australians have no filter, and as a result he isn’t afraid to make jokes that some may find insensitive, he manages to deliver them in a way that doesn’t offend the audience at all. Every single audience member was almost in tears, laughing not only at Amos but at themselves as well.

An entertaining night for anyone after a long and tiresome day, Stephen K. Amos is the perfect combination of wit and honesty.

Welcome to My World runs from the September 25th – October 3rd at 7:00pm at the Lithuanian Club, 44 Errol Street, North Melbourne. Book tickets at melbournefringe.com.au or call (03) 9660 9666.

In order to connect with the audience, who are most likely Harry Potter fans themselves, a performer must be charming, interpersonal and, like the Gryffindor house, courageous. Dann perfectly meets all the requirements. Not only is she incredibly talented, having a beautiful and graceful voice, but she has a presence on the stage that can only be described as magical. A self proclaimed Gryffindor, Dann is not afraid of taking risks as she fearlessly proclaims her love for Harry Potter. She shows this from the very start, singing a song about the many things she loves about Harry Potter to the tune of the film franchise’s theme. One of the many themes of the show is the fear of being too old to be passionate about a series of books aimed at children and young adults. But Dann shows that she is proud to be who is she is, and how the lessons she learned from the series helped her in her everyday life.

The show itself is wonderfully entertaining. The songs are charming, funny and they pay homage to the Harry Potter series perfectly. There is a parody of ‘Shut Up and Drive’ by Rihanna entitled ‘Shut up and Fly’, which is about Dann’s obsessive crush on Quidditch Captain Oliver Wood, and a new take on Natalie Imbruglia’s song, ‘Torn’, about Dann’s conflicting feelings of liking both Harry Potter and the classic Star Trek TV series.

You can tell that Dann is a Harry Potter fan just by looking at her. Dressed in Hogwarts robes that match the Gryffindor house and a wand in her hand, Dann looks like a fan at Comic Con, which adds to the adorable nature of the show. The set is simple, yet efficiently used, with a silver backdrop that looks like an invisibility cloak. POP! Vinyl Harry Potter figures are scattered across the stage, and are sometimes held affectionately when Dann recalls the time she spent admiring Hermione’s intelligence to obsessing over Ron’s ginger locks.

Dann also uses audience participation in the show; sorting members into Hogwarts houses with the Sorting Hat, letting them read passages from her childhood diary and hosting a dating show where a member chooses an eligible bachelor from the series.

Accio Adulthood is full of nostalgia and it touched the heart of every Harry Potter fan, many of whom are now growing up and moving on from the series. Ultimately, the show is about being afraid to grow up, and Dann tells the audience that it is okay to still have a place somewhere for something you loved as a child, you can take it with you into your adult life. Plus, Dann’s talent as a storytelling musician alone is worth the ticket price.

Accio Adulthood is a magical and whimsical experience that is perfect for, not only every Harry Potter fan, but for every fan of any series who is still trying to conquer the mysterious time of adulthood.

Accio Adulthood will run on the 23rd, 27th and 30th of September at The 86, 185 Smith St, Fitzroy, at 8:00pm each night. Book tickets at melbournefringe.com.au or call (03) 9660 9666.

Smithereens is one of the shows produced by the VCA Acting Company as part of their FRISK Festival. It is actually a collection of productions, as five members of the company, Zachary Pidd, Joshua Monaghan, Charles Purcell, Rosie Clynes and Rebekah Robertson, will each write and direct a single show focusing on different factors of the meaning of life.

“One focuses on death, one on love, one on the origins of the universe, one on nature and one on God,” Pidd explains.“Every night, we each pitch our shows to the audience  and they have the opportunity to vote for which show they would most like to see. What follows is the process of us attempting to build the chosen show there and then.”

Each of the five shows will incorporate scripted and improvised elements, with the improvisations developed on the night.

“The conceit of the show has obviously posed a huge challenge to our design team, too,” Pidd says. Set designer Anastassia Poppenberg, costume designer Eleanor Hutchinson, lighting designer Michelle Thorne and sound designer Celine Khong have had to design five shows in the time it usually takes to design one. “But they’ve been extraordinary, and their work has been essential in uncovering how five very eclectic shows can co-exist in a single space.”

Originally the company was planning to do a single show discussing the meaning of life, but such a broad question resulted in a broad response.

“We each had a very different take on it, artistically and philosophically, and after many arguments, raised voices and slammed doors, we decided we simply couldn’t work together.”

So Pidd, Monaghan, Purcell, Clynes and Robertson wrote their own shows, which they will direct, but they all perform in every show, making it a very collaborative process.

“Each of us has had total creative control over our own show,” Pidd says. “We’ve each had a fifth of the rehearsal period to write and direct the work.”

Failure has also been a driving force in the production, according to Pidd. “We were inspired to see how far we could push failure in performance, and different ways failure can manifest theatrically. By making the contract that exists between performer and spectator literal, and giving both of these figures democratic responsibilities, the political metaphor becomes apparent. As theatre makers we were very excited to see what happens when five forms of theatre are smashed together, which may or may not happen depending on how malicious we decide to be to each other on the night.”

Smithereens will run from the 24th-27th of September at the Victorian College of the Arts, 28 Dodds St, Southbank. Book tickets at melbournefringe.com.au or call (03) 9660 9666.

The transition into adulthood can be a frightening and confusing time. Knowing who you want to be is not easy to figure out, as Emma (Triana Amazonas) discovers in Emma and the House Special.

Directed by James Khoo, Emma and the House Special  is the story of a young woman dissatisfied with spending her time sitting on the couch, watching TV with her friends, and ordering pizza. When the mysterious Real Estate Man shows up at her door offering the chance to live in an upper class share house, Emma agrees to live there for six months. But she soon realizes that the “Australian Dream” is not all that it seems.

Triana Amazonas’s performance as the carefree, yet confused Emma candidly reflects the lives of many young Australians. Sahil Saluja’s portrayal of Emma’s new roommate, Eric, is charming and endearing, and he and Amazonas have excellent chemistry, smoothly playing off each other’s performances. Another standout is Alex Rouse as the Real Estate Man, who is unpredictable and witty. The performances helped the play flow smoothly, and although there were a few dropped lines, the actors were able to incorporate it into their performance.
Emma and the House Special is Amazonas’ debut as a playwright. It accurately portrays current Australian culture and subtly reflects upon the uneasy transition into adulthood. Although the ending is a little anti-climactic as the audience is left hanging, wondering about the next step in Emma and Eric’s lives, overall the play is relatable and delightfully comic.

The theatre itself is a very intimate space, with couches and pillows for the audience to sit on. The set really helps to capture the lives of Amazonas’ characters, with only a couple of set changes between Emma’s old share house and her new one. The plain walls, milk crates and couches picked up from a front lawn represents the average Australian suburban lifestyle quite well. The only criticism of the set would be the placement of the door: when two actors had a conversation through the door, they had their backs to the audience, making it a bit difficult to see and hear both performances. Otherwise, the space is well utilized.

If you are in the midst of that confusing time between young adult and adulthood, you should definitely see Emma and the House Special, an enjoyable experience that is true to heart and endearing.

Emma and the House Special will run 17-19, 24-26, September, and 1-2 October, at the Scratch Warehouse Cave Theatre, 271-273 Macaulay Rd, North Melbourne, at 8:50pm each night. Book tickets at melbournefringe.com.au or call (03) 9660 9666.

See more at: http://buzzcuts.org.au/2015/08/adulthood-is-a-wonderland-an-interview-with-triana-amazonas-melbourne-fringe-2015/#sthash.v0v6MIgz.dpuf

“Emma and the House Special is largely based on anecdotes I’ve been collecting from me and my friends’ shared-housing experiences,” Amazonas says. “The long hours eating pizza on a couch in front of the telly, the milkcrate furniture and the frustration you feel when your housemates forget to take out the bins. The play talks about the ‘Australian Dream’ of owning your own house with white-sleek furniture, a flat screen TV and a completely aesthetic-driven lifestyle.”

Emma and the House Special will be staged at Scratch Warehouse Cave Theatre, using the warehouse-turned-living room space to create an intimate experience. Audience members will sit on couches amongst the cast as the story plays out, and they are encouraged to bring blankets, snuggies, cushions, pillows, anything that makes them feel at home. Some blankets and quilts will be provided, as well as tea and biscuits.

One of the messages Amazonas hopes to deliver to the audience is to “get off the couch” and experience life. “You are young and now is the time to do things, be active. I think it’s sad that so many people are wasting away their youth sitting on couches binge-watching shows and movies. I guess I would like the audience to feel this, but to be honest I think its meant to be a comedy, so I just want people to have a blast, to relate to the share-house experience and maybe consider writing that book they’ve been thinking about for years now.”

This play is the result of Amazonas’ own goals and ambitions. “I guess this semi-biographical play was inspired by my desired to act on my ideas. I am 25 now and when I am 85 I want to remember with a nostalgic smile about that time I decided to write and produce a play for Fringe Festival. I am saving all those hours worth of great TV shows for when I am in a wheelchair on pain killers.”

Emma and the House Special will run 17-19, 24-26, September, and 1-2 October, at the Scratch Warehouse Cave Theatre, 271-273 Macaulay Rd, North Melbourne, at 8:50pm each night. Book tickets at melbournefringe.com.au or call (03) 9660 9666.

Marmion is producing the show through her theatre company, Crowtown, which she founded with creative partner Jessica McKerlie. “We trained together at Charles Sturt University,” she says. “I then moved to the UK where I put on a show. Jessica happened to be there and she was like, ‘Hey, we should do something together’. So we got other actors in the UK and produced a play called Bonk!, which was adapted from a book about science and sex. We had similar interests and we wanted to talk about things people don’t usually discuss.”

Marmion and McKerlie’s latest play, People Piss in Here, takes place in a public restroom where the protagonist, Jo, is having a panic attack after running out of toilet paper. “I was doing a play in Edinburgh, and I was by myself in a crowd, which caused me to have a panic attack,” Marmion says of her inspiration. “I then went into an alley, but there was no exit, so I was stuck for three hours. Eventually, my friends found me and they did weird things to help me get past. Later on, I thought how funny that situation was, and that other people could be able to laugh at it.”

Marmion also takes inspiration from other people’s experiences of mental illness, including that of a friend, her parents and comedian, actor and writer, Stephen Fry. “There’s a quote of his I’ll always remember; that mental illness is like the weather. You’ll have sunny days and cloudy days. It always changes.”

Marmion’s plays tend to be more humorous than dramatic. “There is a lot of value in dramatic theatre,” she says. “However, if you want a conversation with the audience, humor helps make people more comfortable.”

Marmion thinks that that there are now more performances and media forms covering mental illness than there were a few years ago. “People are more open to it, however there are still stigmas when it’s spoken about. Back then it wasn’t as accurate, respectful or honest.”

She agrees that performers and writers who cover mental illness are responsible for representing it truthfully. When asked if they also have the responsibility to address the stigma behind it, she responded, “definitely”.

“It’s not just mental illness,’ she says, “but any important issue. We have the power to discuss it and help audiences understand it.’

People Piss in Here will run from 29 September – 4 October  at 10pm at The Butterfly Club, Downstairs, 5 Carson Pl, Melbourne. Tickets are available at melbournefringe.com.au or call (03) 9660 9666.

Barry Award nominated and one of Australia’s beloved comedians, Fiona O’Loughlin, presented her show that paid tribute to her charming, awkward and bittersweet career. A comedy veteran, O’Loughlin’s experiences helped her grow into the comedian she is today, which wasn’t without some hiccups.

Filled with stories about her hatred for her best friend, her mother’s failed parenting moments, her failed moments in comedy and the time she almost had an affair, O’Loughlin’s retold them to the audience which, thankfully, she can look back and laugh at herself.

O’Loughlin is no stranger to the stage. Her confident and charismatic personality entranced the audience, which made them laugh until they were crying. Her anecdotes were relatable to those who have had dramas in raising children and maintaining a marriage. Even though I haven’t experienced any of those moments, my mother was in hysterics, and I couldn’t help but chuckle along with her.

O’Loughlin’s cringe worthy stories didn’t leave you feeling uncomfortable; they made you laugh and gasp as they tried and guessed what was going to occur next. The shocking moments made you think back to when they happened to yourself, and be thankful that you weren’t the only person who has had that happen to you.

The performance while being overall hilarious, was also incredibly heartwarming, as O’Loughlin also openly and truthfully discussed her alcoholism, while not directly addressing it. Instead of talking about her troubles, she retold moments where it created hilariously awkward moments, such as meeting her celebrity crush while drunk. It reflects on how she has overcome her troubles, and gone on to have an overall successful career.

O’Loughlin’s show is simultaneously funny and touching. Bringing together the awkward and warm moments, My Brilliant Career is courageous and truthful. It is guaranteed to leave you gasping for air in laughter, as you join in with her overwhelming moments of her life.

Photo Credit to the Melbourne Fringe Festival.

Put together and performed by playwright Greg Fleet and directors Tegan Mulvany and Shane Adamczak, the story is told by Jimmy, a man who reminisces of a past relationship he had with a girl called Sophie in his younger days.

An older Jimmy also acts as both an observer and narrator of his past memories. as we look at young Jimmy and Sophie’s relationship that is formed out of their mutual love of music, which acts as a mechanism to express the character’s thoughts and feelings. Like all young loves, Jimmy and Sophie have their problems; Jimmy not being able to take anything seriously and Sophie expecting too much out of Jimmy. Despite this, they try their best to fix their problems and save their relationship.

The play is a love letter to all those who lived and loved 70′s, 80′s and 90′s music. Songs included Reckless, Message to My Girl, and the most significant of all, The Horses, as it was Jimmy and Sophie’s favourite song. Being young, I didn’t recognize some of the songs, however it didn’t take away the effect that it had. The music, which was performed by Micheal de Grussa, wasn’t overly used and awkward. It was performed at the right moments and it helped create the overall tone of the story.

The actors were clearly committed to their performances. Not only were they musically talented, but they were also extremely dedicated, particularly Fleet, whose charming and simplistic acting helped the story flow smoothly. At times Mulvany and Adamczak’s acting seemed a little over the top, however you couldn’t help but smile at their chemistry.

The set was quite intimate, filled with 80′s and 90′s references such as Nintendo 64′s and, more importantly, old records that acted the connecting force between Jimmy and Sophie. The audience were able to feel what the characters were feeling, and while it was quite intimidating at times it felt as though we were meant to feel that.

The story itself was something that was relatable and bittersweet. Anyone who has experienced young love, no matter what decade it is, would be able to identify with Jimmy and Sophie’s relationship. Filled with ecstasy and tension, the tone swerved from being light and humorous, to being dark and tragic.

There were some moments in the play, however, that seemed a little forced. There was a lot of use of swearing, and while it suited the target audience, it felt as though they were swearing for the purpose of swearing. It suited the angered filled scenes, however during the early stages of the relationship, it seemed a little unnecessary. Nonetheless, it didn’t ruin the story, and overall it was simple and original.

This is Not a Love Song is not a love story; it’s a story about love, and the message was clear the moment the performers walked on the stage. Thought provoking and nostalgic, the play was structured efficiently and effectively and enjoyable for all that love music.

Click here for more information and to purchase tickets to the show.