The New Zealand Fringe Festival has been around since 1989 and is having its 20th birthday in February 2010. What makes it unique is its strong experimental nature and its totally open access policy.
The Fringe festival has an open access policy. This means anyone can do any event and still be part of the festival. This policy has encouraged amateur groups and even participants with no arts experience to develop and put together a show or event. The results are varied and it makes for a very interesting program.
To encourage new and experimental events Creative New Zealand (CNZ) provides Kakano funding for New Zealand performers to do new ideas or works. Kakano is a Maori word that roughly translates to seed or new beginnings. As many of the events are budgeted to run at a loss this funding is essential to many performers, and encourages a level of risk taking with these new works.
Something for Everyone
FringeNZ categories include theatre, dance, comedy and visual arts, but due to the organised chaos of the festival and events anything and everything could be happening. Past events included dance terrorism, where lycra clad dances randomly appeared and performed in public places, to advertising hoardings suddenly displaying philosophies on life and shopping.
The lack of specific venues has been both a hurdle and advantage. Theatre groups desperate for a venue have resorted to hotel rooms, car park buildings, and even public toilets to perform in.
During life of the Fringe the standard of shows continues to grow. In order to recognise this The Fringe NZ awards were implemented to highlight excellence in Fringe shows. Every event is seen and judged by panel of judges who then debate the winners and also-rans.
The awards show has evolved into its own event with local celebrities such as Vinyl Burns and Derek Flores hosting a show that includes live performances from stand out shows and a live band. Just like the festival itself the awards show is free and open to the public.
International Involvement
Every year a few overseas artists bring their shows to Wellington. Those that do are well impressed with the level of support and encouragement from Fringe staff and the friendliness of the arts community as a whole in Wellington. Some even go on to win awards for their shows and use the recognition to launch future events. New Zealand performers also use the festival to launch their careers both nationally and internationally.
Many years ago Toa Fraser’s show Number 2 sold out during the festival and it then went on to be a hit at the Edinborough Fringe. The show has since been made into a full length feature film. The pride and joy of New Zealand comedy Flight of the Conchords even started with a Fringe show. The rest as they say, is history.
The 2010 New Zealand Fringe Festival will run from Friday 12 February to Saturday 6 March 2010, anywhere and everywhere throughout Wellington, New Zealand. The awards night will be on Sunday 7 March 2010.
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