Two doors down from the Arts House in North Mellbourne, Sokol Melbourne is decked out in the kitsch usually reserved to the local op-shop: plastic flamingos, inflatable palm trees and AstroTurf, and the sound of 80s pop flows out into the street. Clothed in vibrant colours like dolls, Spiker and French sit in a room with a chandelier made of high heels at its centre, and are look nervously at the audience as they stream in. From then on, they take each other on, quite literally as if it were a boxing match, gradually descending into insanity as they grapple with the issues that dominate the lives of modern woman.

With backgrounds in music and modelling, Spiker and French are no strangers to the stage, their acting and their competitive dynamic is constantly enthralling. Their zestful rhythm accelerates until its absurdity and their humour becomes contagious, as it permeates the space. Taking on several identities throughout the show, including expecting mothers, passive-aggressive friends and exaggerated versions of themselves, they are both subtle in their expressions, yet clear in what they are trying to say.

This is not the most significant and subversive work of feminist art, but it never intends to be. It rarely takes itself very seriously, and instead is an easily accessible and endlessly fun look at modern life. However, its fast pace and hysterical nature means Hersteria and neither Spiker nor French overstay their welcome as they literally put their bodies on the line for comedy and for their beliefs.

Hersteria is on at Sokol Melbourne, 497 Queensberry Street, North Melbourne until 2 October at 8:30pm. For more information or to book tickets, please visit the Melbourne Fringe website or call the ticketing team on 9660 9666.

Part mockumentary, part improv comedy and part insightful theatre, three men and three women take suggestions from the audience and turn it into a zany mockumentary. For instance, they asked the audience to choose a topic; sport, history, science. After choosing science, an audience member was allowed to choose a scientific phenomenon that they would wish to defy and suggest where this scientific discovery occurred. From this, a BBC-style film about the discovery of orangutans with the ability of flight in Borneo was produced right before our eyes.

The cast rotates each night, but features such talents as Jason Geary, Amanda Buckley,  Candice D’Arcy and Mark Gambino. Watching them interact and work out which direction they each want to take the story in makes for a exciting experience. Each actor jumps into their individual character before it is fully developed so it is especially interesting to see these actors develop these characters on-the-spot, rather than being already aware of their character’s background, as they interrupt each other to give more and more backstory.

To make the story easier to follow, each character is a stereotype or an archetype of a classic story, whether it be the bumbling undercover KGB agent, the uptight scientist or the gruff American hunter. But while the story and the characters remain simple, certain twists, sub-plots and red herrings are thrown into the mix to muddy the waters of what would appear to be a simple absurd farce.

As is inevitable when the story is made up spontaneously, not every character is fully fleshed out and several plot lines are left hanging. Regardless, True Fiction is a consistently charming and humorous improvised play which showcases considerable talent and finds great truth in its fiction.

True Fiction is on at The Improv Conspiracy, Level 1, 19 Meyers Place, Melbourne from 26 September – 3 October at 7:45pm. For more information or to book tickets, please visit the Melbourne Fringe website or call the ticketing team on 9660 9666.

Rose (No Regerts: The 2015 Law Revue), a 21-year-old law student and Shafar (3 Little Gigs, Footy Couch), a 24-year-old ex- law student traverse their experiences in separate stand-up sets. Shafar focuses on his Jewish heritage and the ridiculousness of the concept of religion as a whole, while placing himself on the level of the audience to welcome them into his world. Conversely, Rose begins by accepting the audience’s criticisms of him and running with it, while also discussing some of the social issues that currently effect daily life.

It is evident from the get-go that Rose and Shafar are good friends, and rather than presenting separate sets, they are constantly interacting with each other even when one of them is offstage. They have complementary styles, but they cover a wide array of topics, most of them being ordinary stories elevated to the point of ridiculousness by their different delivery styles.

Shafar has an obvious gift for comic timing, while Rose’s personality is a lot more off-the-cuff. For instance, Shafar begins with a joke about going to the United States and being unable to buy a zucchini because the guy at the checkout didn’t know what a zucchini was. Rose, on the other hand, opens by asking the audience to guess how much he weighs and making his thin figure the brunt of the joke.

Like most young comedians, remnants of other famous comics are evident in Rose and Shafar’s speech. But, Rose and Shafar demonstrate that they have the natural talent to develop their jokes, and will continue to inspect the changing face of society.

Michael Shafar and David Rose begin to write their name on the wall of Australian comedy with Outsiders, a mixture of comic brilliance, vivid storytelling and sardonic social commentary.

Outsiders is on at The Improv Conspiracy, Level 1, 19 Meyers Place, Melbourne from 26 September – 3 October at 6:45pm. For more information or to book tickets, please visit the Melbourne Fringe website or call the ticketing team on 9660 9666.

The audience is ushered into a pitch-black room with a single mattress at its centre, where two figures are making love under the sheets. The play follows one continuous conversation between the university-aged couple, Tom (Nottingham) and Daisy (Marston), following this passionate embrace. What ensues is a half-hour introspection into their tortuous relationship, looking deeply at humanity’s need to avoid pain and strive for perfection, even if it means hiding in the dark.

Nottingham (The Gods of Wheat Street, We are Darren and Riley) and Marston both present tortured characters and successfully balance out the dramatic intensity and bland British humour of Schiffer’s script. Nottingham plays the naturally charming playboy who always knows what to say to a girl. He is the seeker of idealised beauty, but is challenged by Marston as Daisy who seeks the darkness so that nobody can see her imperfections.

With the title taken from a passage in the seminal 1920s novel The Great Gatsby, this too is a story of people defining themselves in relation to others. It shows the devastating effects of choosing to see others as flawless to compensate for one’s own flaws. Schiffer and director Richard Edge never shy from pushing Tom and Daisy under the scorching light of the microscope. Static bodies simply conversing after their act of passion, throughout the piece Tom and Daisy become more and more restless, both in their movements and their dialogue, until the play reaches its psychological crescendo.

The play slightly diminishes its impact as an exploration of our dependence on visuals and appearance because the space is lit by the slight glow of the exit sign above the door, albeit barely. However, the intentional lighting, scarce as it is, presents an other-wordly look into the lives of the characters.

His Ghostly Heart is a harrowing, yet poignantly reassuring window into the equal amounts of harm and good that love can inflict on a person’s life. It is a unique experience which vividly shines light on the often neglected truths to be found in the shadows of the world.

His Ghostly Heart is on at Upstairs at Errol’s, 69-71 Errol Street, Melbourne from 26 September – 3 October at 10:30pm. For more information or to book tickets, please visit the Melbourne Fringe website or call the ticketing team on 9660 9666.

Following the five stages of grief (denial, anger, bargaining, depression and acceptance), Teitelbaum closely analyses the reasons for her disappointment with life and why everything that she does is “half-arsed”. Between these moments of “free therapy”, she breaks out into popular songs which reflect each of these stages, such as Gnarls Barkley’s Crazy and Ella James’ At Last.

However, Teitelbaum is anything but morose, her presence on stage is electrifying and brimming with wit. At the same time, her voice possesses this strained and husky tone that tells her story with authenticity. Her sudden changes from manic aggression to sadness to indifference as she comes to terms with herself throughout the show are appropriately exaggerated through the chosen songs, as well as her darkly disillusioned perspective of the world. In one particular song, she even plays a drum kit in rage.

Teitelbaum places herself valiantly on the chopping block when it comes to providing laughs. She is accompanied by a pianist, who also acts as a sort of omniscient narrator, occasionally breaks the fourth wall to bicker with her. In a cosy room in Melbourne, Teitelbaum makes the audience feel comfortable to share in her self-inspection.

Teitelbaum is instantly relatable and likeable. Wet Cement is never a disappointment, it is a commendable first show for a budding artist and a delightful night out with laughs, drinks and songs aplenty.

Wet Cement is on at Tuxedo Cat, 293-299 La Trobe Street, Melbourne from 24 September – 3 October at 8:30pm. For more information or to book tickets, please visit the Melbourne Fringe website or call the ticketing team on 9660 9666.

Based on the popular card game Cards Against Humanity where black cards with ordinary questions are picked at random and white cards can be used to answer these questions in ridiculous ways, seven improvisational comedians take four of these pairs and turn them into about an hour of hilarious and off the wall comedy.

As is to be expected with live and on-the-spot comedy, not every joke or scene hits its mark, but the show moves at such a rapid pace that the audience gets caught up and time rushes by. Each of the comedians have their own unique style which blend together perfectly, and they know exactly how long a joke should go for. Using the Cards Against Humanity rather than suggestions from the audience as impetus for the show is innovative, sets them apart from other improv groups playing around town, and makes their talent even more impressive as they expand these predicaments to preposterous levels.

If you have never seen improv comedy done live, The Improv Conspiracy is a great starting place.

Improv Against Humanity is on at The Improv Conspiracy for one final show tonight at 9:00pm. Several performers are also presenting their solo shows at the Improv Conspiracy, including Big Strong Boy for a final show tonight at 8:00pm, Bits of Us from 26 September – 3 October at 8:15pm and 9:15pm and 3 Mad Rituals until 3 October at 9:00 pm. For more information or to book tickets, please visit the Melbourne Fringe website or call the ticketing team on 9660 9666.

Kirk initially advertised Lucid as a play which would follow two men and two women in and out of their dreams while they are literally naked on stage. So it is a little confusing when Kirk emerges alone in smart casual attire. He begins by admitting that he failed to pull together a constructed art piece, but that he wants to freely express his emotions without any limits. He spends the next hour jumping unpredictably between various topics such as spirit animals, the significance of deities and the unappreciated beauty of the human body.

Kirk’s own identity and views about life and culture often negate each other. For example, he disregards modern culture, the corruptions of capitalism and those who follow it blindly, but also desires acceptance and praise from the art world. He constantly reminds the audience that he knows he is a hypocrite, but this only serves to widen the divide between him and his audience that has been created by  his pretentiousness, thus making every word essentially meaningless.

This is most evident when he invites willing audience members to be naked with him on stage. This would be more welcoming if his writing reflected acceptance of the audience as human beings, rather than passive parts of Western culture. It becomes a disconnected exhibition where the other bodies on stage are just props or the vehicle for his expression and those left in the audience are dehumanised.

Kirk does discuss some relevant points about the vulgarity of language and how it has degraded the body, sex and art. However, any impact this has is dulled by his self-degradation via language: “I am not another hetero slave, I’m a fucking faggot shaman, you fools.” While some of his idioms are inspired, ultimately the presentation of these ideas invalidates most of his linguistic skills. There is never any real emotion which bleeds through the meticulously scripted and structured words.

Overall, the show could potentially appeal to a select few who appreciate challenging theatre, but its scope is too narrow to captivate many. Lucid is a grating and potentially offensive “play” which breathes hostility from Kirk and encourages defensiveness from his audience.

Lucid is on at the Mechanics Institute, 270 Sydney Road from 22-27 September at 11pm. For more information or to book tickets, please visit the Melbourne Fringe website or call the ticketing team on 9660 9666.

Performed by Reuben, Eaton and James, the show features a series of short scenes exploring the ways in which different cultures cope with death. The central skit, set in a not-so-distant future, follows the planning and execution (pun intended) of the “death party” of Mary (James), a 30-year-old in her prime, and her two friends (Reuben and Eaton). Disgusted by the ‘unnecessary’ preservation of life, society has come to value youth above all else, and people are encouraged to commit suicide before ageing settles in.

Scattered throughout the play are short, increasingly witty scenes that examine death in different cultures, including a peek at the exaggerated bravado of the Viking heaven, Valhalla, and real soundbites of children and teenagers sharing their innocent perspective on what it means to die.

Many scenes also point out the farcical nature of the obsession with youth, often elevating this concept to the point of comical artistry. Essentially, each sketch tells a story of a character trying to find the ideal in their death and thus, neglecting the treasure of life.

Reuben and Gayler evidently have keen satirical minds, and are gifted with the ability to laugh at humanity’s pitfalls. Reuben  gives a strong performance, jumping smoothly between a grief-stricken granddaughter and a leader of a suicide cult, among many others. Combined with exaggerated extravagance of Eaton and the straight and rational James, Reuben and Gayler have crafted a well balanced production.

Death Party is much more than an empty collection of throw-away sketches. The piece rises high above the usual fare of sketch comedy as it presents a vivid pastiche of modern culture that will hit close to home for many who have lost a loved one. Although it occasionally strays from its target with trivial jokes about current affairs, it is a consistently inventive combination of humanity’s grief and ridiculousness.

Death Party is playing in the Parlour Room at the Fringe Hub, North Melbourne Town Hall, 521 Queensberry Street, North Melbourne from 18-25 September at 6.45pm. For more information or to book tickets, please visit the Melbourne Fringe website or call the ticketing team on 9660 9666.

The play follows the forced migration of Kasia, a Polish woman portrayed by three different actors (Nisha Joseph, Laura Jane Turner and Anna Kennedy). After the Soviet invasion of Poland during World War II, Kasia is marched along the freezing Trans-Siberian Railway to an isolated labour camp. Steppe is loosely based on three letters written by Pundyk’s grandmother to her grandfather, and it breathes life back into her words as Pundyk weaves poetically between fact and fiction.

Joseph, Turner and Kennedy each give visceral performances, embodying different parts of Kasia’s character, as well as Soviet officers and other prisoners. They navigate time and space in a dreamlike fashion, as passages from each of the letters are repeated and reinterpreted. The choice to portray Kasia as a trinity of identities allows for a deeper exploration of the contrast between the pain and suffering she endures and the eternal longing and love she has for her husband, Josef, and their son, Bernard.

Staged in the claustrophobic space of a train carriage in the Newport Rail Yards, Steppe isolates the audience from the outside world. It is unnerving to sit so close to this woman in despair, to have her staring at you as she pleads for water or clothes, and there is a strong desire to help her.

Each part of Kasia – her happiness, her helplessness, her panic –  is made palpably real through the somewhat musical rhythm created by the actors. Through Hunt’s strong direction, the play builds to an almost unbearable pace. At times, certain details are lost in the fray: it is not always clear where and when Kasia is, or even what is occurring onstage. However, it scarcely detracts from Pundyk’s vision. The play does not conform to a linear path but is a spiritual odyssey which will touch each audience member in a different way.

While it may appear to be a window to the past, somewhat obscured by its unconventional structure, Steppe also represents a uncompromising mirror which compels you to look at humanity’s reflection and our many imperfections.

Steppe is on at the Newport Rail Yards, Shea Street, from 17-19 and 24-26 September with evening shows at 7 pm and two Saturday matinees at 2 pm. For more information or to book tickets, please visit the Melbourne Fringe website or call the ticketing team on 9660 9666.

Author Grace Pundyk (The Honey Trail) has created the play Steppe: A Journey of Unforgetting as a way of connecting with Kasia, the grandmother she never knew, a Polish woman who experienced the hardships of life on a steppe during the Second World War. The production depicts three letters which she sent during her imprisonment by the Soviets, which lasted several years.

Three different actors will play out the story of Kasia (Anna Kennedy, Laura Jane Turner and Nisha Joseph), inspired by each of the three letters as these identities become more fluid and ever-shifting throughout the show.

Pundyk says she wants to bring the previously censored details of the Second World War into the light, as the brutality inflicted upon the Polish people by Soviet soldiers is “a story a lot of people do not know”.

“They all know about Hitler and the Jewish people, but because of that silence around the Soviet’s siding with the Allies too, a lot of that horrible stuff that happened was repressed until now.”

Pundyk says she intends to challenge people’s preconceptions of theatre as “this thing where an audience can become very comfortable”. As such, Steppe will be performed in a rail yard, where a disused train carriage will act as the theatre.

Steppe: A Journey of Unforgetting will be performed 17-19 and 24-26 September  with evening shows at 7 pm and two Saturday matinees at 2 pm at the Newport Rail Yard.

To purchase tickets, please visit melbournefringe.com.au or call (03) 9660 9666.