So here's Stephen House, Johannes Scherpenhuizen and Sarah Hamilton.
Stephen House
Appalling Behaviour
Writer and performer Stephen House is a veteran of arts festivals all over the world. Appalling Behaviour is part of the wonderful La Mama Fringe program. About homelessness, he wrote it on the streets of Paris and it’s received raves for it’s Adelaide, Perth, regional SA and Gold Coast productions
What three words best describe you Fringe show?
Dark, Fabulous, Dangerous.
Who does your show speak to?
Nearly everyone who is a human being.
What other Fringe show will you NOT miss?
All the La Mama shows look amazing.
What other Fringe show do you wish you were in?
All the La Mama shows! Really!
What do you love most about the Melbourne Fringe?
It’s so damn arty and amazing.
How many Melbourne Fringes have you performed in?
So many, nationally and internationally.
If you could invite anyone to see your show (and you know they would come), who would it be?
Lou Reed
What is the best theatre advice you’ve received?
Hang in there man.
What was your most embarrassing moment on stage?
A black out and fell off something on to the floor from shock.
Do you have any pre- or post-show rituals?
I pray to my deity and my god – Lord Ganesh – the remover of obstacles.
What’s your favourite theatre superstition? Do you believe it?
Don’t have one.
What was the last book you read?
An old book on yoga that was written in the fifties.
What TV show do you never miss?
Hardly ever watch tv.
What film will you watch again and again?
Cat On A Hot Tin Roof with Elizabeth Taylor
Who will hate your Fringe show?
The very conservative.
What show changed how you see theatre? Why?
The Glass Menagerie, Tenessee Williams. I found the sadness beautiful.
What was your first time on stage?
I played a character called Stanley in an amateur theatre show; I was in my teens.
What is the first theatre show you remember seeing?
Can’t remember
If you had access to the TARDIS, what performance would you see first?
I don’t know what tardis is.
What director/actor/writer would you just die to work with?
Pedro Almodover.
What is your favourite theatre space in Melbourne?
La Mama.
Where in Melbourne do you always take visitors?
I am a visitor.
How do you have your coffee?
Long black.
What’s the best pizza topping?
Vegetarian. I would never eat meat.
What do love most about your Fringe show?
I lived on the streets of Paris and wrote it. And people tell me that it is so real.
Johannes Scherpenhuizen
Finius Flume and The Fabulous Fandangle Factory
Kids can also be part of the festival with the Melbourne Fringe Kids program. Johannes Scherpenhuizen is the co-creator, with Canada White, of Finius Flume and The Fabulous Fandangle Factory. It’s part of La Mama’s Fringe program and he says that it’s jam packed with puppets, stilt walkers, crazy machines and people falling over.
What three words best describe you Fringe show?
Steampunk for kids!
Who does your show speak to?
Anyone from 4-years old and up.
What other Fringe show will you NOT miss?
At the Sans Hotel
What do you love most about the Melbourne Fringe?
Discovering a gem
How many Melbourne Fringes have you performed in?
Four
If you could invite anyone to see your show (and you know they would come), who would it be?
Jules Verne and Charlie Chaplin
What is the best theatre advice you’ve received?
Remember to breathe...
What was your most embarrassing moment on stage?
Almost losing it when my father started making faces at me from the audience.
What’s your favourite theatre superstition? Do you believe it?
Saying chookas instead of good-luck. Don't believe in it, but do it anyway!
What was the last book you read?
Ben Elton, Blind Faith
What TV show do you never miss?
Breaking Bad
What film will you watch again and again?
Wall-E ... genius!
Who will hate your Fringe show?
Grumpy bums.
What show changed how you see theatre? Why?
Carte Blanche production called Attic under the sky. It showed me how beautiful, whimsical and engaging children's theatre can be, even for big kids like me.
What was your first time on stage?
Wizard of Oz, the Cowardly Lion!
What is the first theatre show you remember seeing?
School play of Captain Vegemite.
If you had access to the TARDIS, what performance would you see first?
The original Medea in Ancient Athens.
What is your favourite theatre space in Melbourne?
You can always rely on La Mama for friendly faces and creative juices.
Where in Melbourne do you always take visitors?
ACMI @ Fed Square.
How do you have your coffee?
With chocolate.
What’s the best pizza topping?
Artichoke (seriously, try it!)
What do love most about your Fringe show?
The silliness, the joy, and the quiet moments between the chaos.
Sarah Hamilton
A Donkey and a Parrot
Sarah Hamilton is performing in her third Fringe with a 300-year-old story that’s been handed down through her family. She says that as a child she was gobsmacked by the story of her French ancestor’s escape to England. As an adult she investigated the story to reveal an even thicker and more delicious plot. A Donkey and a Parrot is the result of generations of family passing down what they have known, herd, read and imagined.
What three words best describe you Fringe show?
Embrace. Rollicking. Survival.
Who does your show speak to?
My show speaks to people who like a good yarn; a swashbuckling tale. It speaks to people who feel a connection with their roots. It speaks to people who have escaped and survived, or who knows someone who has fled their homeland.
What other Fringe show will you NOT miss?
Pirate Rhapsody, Mermaid Requiem. The image and blurb really grabbed me. I love the story of the little mermaid.
What other Fringe show do you wish you were in?
Sarah Jones: Does not play well with others. Sarah is a ventriloquist. I would definitely like to swap places with her for a day! I can’t wait to see her show.
What do you love most about the Melbourne Fringe?
It feels like a huge family! Such a supportive web to be entangled in. It is an enormous melting pot of creative people and ideas. The staff at Melbourne Fringe have been incredibly giving. I am so impressed by the artist development program. I have been nourished by what the Fringe has offered me so far, in particular the Outside Eye program and the Salons/Forums. And that’s before the Festival has even started yet!
How many Melbourne Fringes have you performed in?
This is my third.
If you could invite anyone to see your show (and you know they would come), who would it be?
I would invite Francis Roussel. He is my ancestor, one of the heroes at the heart of A Donkey and a Parrot. He would have turned 331 this year.
What is the best theatre advice you’ve received?
To create my own work! Developing this show has been one of the most liberating experiences for me as an artist.
What was your most embarrassing moment on stage?
Singing a song by myself during a primary school assembly about peas. My face glowed bright red. I earned the nickname Tomato.
Do you have any pre- or post-show rituals?
I like to spend some time by myself pre-show.
What was the last book you read?
The Slap by Christos Tsiolkas.
What TV show do you never miss?
Spicks and Specks. But I’m not religious about it!
What film will you watch again and again?
The Castle.
Who will hate your Fringe show?
Tyrants, dictators, oppressors, despots.
What was your first time on stage?
The kindergarten nativity. I played the Angel Gabriel. I wished I’d been Mary, but it was fun being an angel.
What is the first theatre show you remember seeing?
Punch and Judy. It was pretty funny.
If you had access to the TARDIS, what performance would you see first?
I’d travel back and see the first performance of Midsummer Night’s Dream.
What director/actor/writer would you just die to work with?
Judy Dench.
What is your favourite theatre space in Melbourne?
Fortyfivedownstairs. Transforms so beautifully.
Where in Melbourne do you always take visitors?
The Melbourne Zoo. I work there!
How do you have your coffee?
However it comes! I’ve only just got back onto coffee after a five-year break. Hopefully I’ll wean myself off it post Fringe.
What’s the best pizza topping?
Vegetarian. I quite like corn chips and Mexican combinations atop a pizza.
What do love most about your Fringe show?
I love telling a story that has been handed down in my family for over 300 years.
