Five Shows, Parties and Gigs to Hit Up at Sydney Fringe Festival 2019

All hail the Keanaissance — for bringing him back to our screens, and for making it acceptable to love his past hits as well. Before he was Neo and John Wick, he wasn’t just one half of Bill and Ted and surfing FBI agent Johnny Utah but also a guy trying to stop the bus that couldn’t slow down.

We know you’re a fan, and we know you’ve always wanted to relive the action movie magic that was Speed — so here’s your chance. Step on board a vintage bus and prepare for the ride of your life.

After thrilling fans and making plenty of new ones during several Brisbane Comedy Festival runs, Speed: The Movie, The Play finally brings its high-octane thrills to Sydney. It’s hitting town as part of this year’s Sydney Fringe Festival, and taking on passengers between Friday, September 20 and Sunday, September 29 — and this is one stint of public transport chaos you should willingly sign up for.

Imagine every single one of your dream dance parties rolled into one. We’re talking representation of every decade — from the mighty 80s prom to a Cuban club straight out of the 40s to a soul train disco from the 70s. Now, turn your vision into a reality by getting your ticket to Dance All Night, Sydney Fringe Festival‘s closing party.

Descending on the City Tatts Hub on Saturday, September 28, this truly epic shindig will have you dancing, as the name suggests: all night long. Prepare to be making shapes for six hours, from 7pm until 3am. Yep, you’re going to have to recall your pre-lockout self to make the most of this one.

Tix, available online, are likely to sell out pretty fast. After all, we’ve got to wait a whole ‘other year for our next injection of Fringe fest glory and madness.

Don’t let Sydney Fringe pass by without terrifying yourself at Hillbilly Thriller. This scary event is taking over Legs Hub’s Lilyfield car park with an interactive theatre show that combines Picnic at Hanging Rock with Wolf Creek.

Your adventure will begin innocently enough where so many adventures do – at the bar. But, before you know it, your fellow drinkers will be disappearing before your eyes. And, at any point, you could become one of them. All the while, you’ll be trying to work out where on Earth you are, be it a campground, a dumping ground or some remote swathe of forest.

Created by Legs on the Wall, Hillybilly Thriller merges live performance with film, sound and art. It’ll run for a week from Sunday, September 1, with six 15-minute shows taking place every evening. Just ten tickets are available to each, so, if you’re keen, dive in quick.

If you’re doing Fringe Fest on a budget (and you have a lot of stamina when it comes to keeping awake) All (H)ours is the show for you. As you might’ve guessed from the name, this one doesn’t close — you have 24 hours to drop by and catch the action.

The show will see creatives from multiple states come to together to take over George Place Foyer for a whole day and night. Expect to watch and listen to a dancer, musician and video artist, who will constantly shifting between movement, sound and vision. You’re welcome to swing by whenever — for as long or as brief a time as you like.

All (H)ours is a brand new production by House of Sand, a creative partnership between siblings Charley Sanders and Eliza Sanders, whose shows and performances aim to “gather people and ideas and build epic imaginative creations”.

Image: House of Sand

In this powerful, one-woman show, Sandy Greenwood brings together the stories of four generations of Gumbaynggirr women from the 1940s to today. Through spoken word, dance, music and multimedia, Greenwood delves into cultural identities and everything that shapes them, from the intergenerational trauma caused by the Stolen Generations to the influences of her relatives.

Matriarch is about “honouring my matriarchs; the strong and graceful women of my direct lineage; I am my mother, grandmother and great-grandmother” Greenwood told SBS. The show is a celebration of the women’s creativity and traditions, as well as an exploration of the impact of violence.

Having appeared at Melbourne Fringe Festival 2018 to rave reviews, Matriarch will make its Sydney debut at Sydney Fringe Festival 2019.