20th Century Fish in association with Endlessoptimism, incontinently returns this year with (The Eighth) FESTIVAL OF SURREALISMS, Of the Weird, For the Weird, by the Weird – March 16 and 17th, at Temperance Hall in Napier Street, South Melbourne.
THE FESTIVAL OF SURREALISMS was founded by award-winning playwright Bill Marshall in 1978 to escape a mindnumbingly boring job in the Tax Office. The 4th Festival in 1981, was held at what was then called the Australian Nouveau Theatre, better known as the Anthill. The Seventh Festival saw a return to its roots last year, with Temperance Hall being the same location as the original Anthill’s Napier Street address.
“Previous festivals featured such sweetly weird items as Cryptic Spurt, Beige Brown, George Orwell eviscerating Salvador Dali, inflatable beach toys, death metal, infinite collage, kamishibai, nudity and baked beans,” says Marshall about the event. “This year we’re thrilled to be back at Temperance Hall with the promise of more stupendous surreality.”
Compered by Captain W.N. Fish (Bill Marshall) and his loyal co-producer Marco Lawrence, the FESTIVAL OF SURREALISMS features non-stop performances of Dadaistic poetry, unusual musical offerings, strange theatrical spectacles, psychedelic movies, avant-garde experimental sounds, bizarre “happenings” and for the first time, there’ll also be a COMEDY DEBATE on the topic: “What doesn’t kill you makes you stronger” – where six debaters from Melbourne’s comedy scene will pit their wits for a quizzical examination of preconceived notions. Presiding over the event as Adjudicator is the inimitable Brad Oakes. (The debate has been conjured specifically for the festival by ‘Creativity’s Midwife and Friends’).
Some of this year’s contributors so far confirmed include Funkuncle, Bernard Caleo, Lloyd Jones, Sofie Prints, Gabrielle Everall, Sean O’Callaghan, Dr Kate Shaw, π.O., Duff, Miso Bell, Xtian Eldritch, Steve Smart and Waffle Irongirl, Peter Murphy, D.W.Phoenix, Tristan Haze, Sjaak De Jong and Mark Lewis, Ensemble Newly Formed (E.N.F. Music), Kevin Brophy and Myron Lysenko, Melynda von Wayward, a monologue titled “The By” by Bill Marshall, performed by David Macrae, two short plays by Eddie Burger, Creativity’s Midwife and Friends presenting the comedy debate ‘What Doesn’t Kill You Makes You Stronger’ adjudicated by Brad Oakes, some short mind-bending movies and more. Debating for the negative will be Duff Gregfield, Pauline Sherlock, Sam Kelly and for the affirmative, Ginny Hollands, Sean Collier, and Michelle Spurrell.
Turn up early to secure a spot. Pass-outs are available so you can come and go each day. This is an alcohol-free event and is 18+ recommended throughout.
And if you don’t know what to expect from a surrealisms festival… try swimming potato unicorns in pink invisible air.
Producers: Bill Marshall and Marco Lawrence
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