The Last Bit:

Fringe Awards: Conchords Ignite Fringe Hall Of Fame

The New Zealand Fringe Festival capped off the one of the biggest festivals in its 19-year history by naming Flight of the Conchords' Bret McKenzie and Jemaine Clement as the inaugural members of the New Zealand Fringe Festival Hall of Fame. More >>

Oscaresque Glitz: Awards Set To Crown Successful NZ Fringe Festival

The glitz, the glamour and the gloriously-talented folk of cutting-edge entertainment will be showcased next Sunday at the New Zealand Fringe Festival's Awards and closing night party. More >>

Themes: Late Fringe Brings Out The Ladies

Ten years ago director Jan Bolwell, at the age of 48, was recovering from two bouts of breast cancer. She decided to start dancing again to aid her recovery. A group of women about her age saw Gaylene Preston’s film about breast cancer ‘Titless Wonders’ in which Jan dances her work ‘Off My Chest’. They approached her and said, ‘we want to dance like that. Will you teach us?’ Crows Feet Dance Collective was born. More >>

ALSO:

• NZ Fringe Festival - The Rodwell Monologues
• NZ Fringe Festival - Women’s Circus Aotearoa: 2009 – A Space Oddity
• Almost a Bird Collective - Wolf's Lair - Hitler's Last Secretary
• NZ Fringe Festival - In The Night, All the Cats are Grey: Album Launch
• NZ Fringe Festival - Post Gay by Patrick Graham

Other Fringes: Plucky Auckland Festival Finally Gets Its Own Fringe

Auckland’s inaugural Fringe Festival looks to sprawl and heave all across the city come February 27 – with a range of shows taking place in locations as diverse as paddocks, churches, streets and parks. More >>

ALSO:

• Auckland Festival - Mad, Sexy And Sophisticated Red Square Programme
• Chamber Music NZ - Stunning Eroica Trio Returns to New Zealand
• Dogs Of Auckland - Live music and stunning artwork - Dogs of Auckland
• Metro - Auckland The New (Cultural) Capital
• Positively Wellington Tourism - “We’re good, but we’re not that good.”

Non-Fringe Parties: Cuba Street Carnival 21 Feb

On 21 February the Cuba St Carnival will mark its 10th year of celebrating the distinctive culture of Wellington’s much loved street. Each year the Carnival continues to grow and this year will be no different, with crowds of 150,000 people expected. Image: Karim Sahai (2007) More >>

ALSO:

• Wellington City Council - Traffic delays with Cuba St Carnival & Hog rally
• Cuba Street Carnival - Don’t Miss Cuba St Carnival – The Big Extravaganza
• Cuba Street Carnival - Come To Cuba St Carnival On 21 February
• Cuba Street Carnival - Masses of Free Music at Cuba St Carnival

Self-Promotion: Unnamed Scoop Staffer To Appear In Improv Show

Good-natured failure, we’ve got it and we are bringing it to the burbs! Crash and burn elimination improve in the style of “whose line is it anyway” is heading your way. The Wellington Improvisation Troupe present an exciting new season of MICETRO improv for the 2009 NZ Fringe Festival.More >>

ALSO:

• Adam Page Solo
• Heart & Legs
• Keep it Rural
• Once Upon A Time In Aro Valley
• A Series of ridiculous Radio Plays
• Cabbage auditions for Fringe Festival play
• Suitcase
• The Trons: Robot Band Rocks Mighty
• Who's Poppin?
• Luxury and Delusion

Circus: The Navigators - An Outdoor Circus Adventure!

This summer, Fuse Circus, creators of the acclaimed Gravity and Other Myths and Heavenly Burlesque are proud to roll out their new work for 2009. Journey to a new world with their outdoor circus show: "The Navigators". Taking over Queens Wharf Square as part of the Summer City and Fringe Festivals, The Navigators is sure to sweep Wellington crowds up in its excitement! More >>

ALSO:

• Wellington City Council - Circus performers to circumnavigate the wharf
• TV3 Video - Fuse circus explodes into Wellington

Dinner: NZ Artists Receive Grant To Return Home With Innovative, Delicious Show

Young Melbourne-based trio Unicorn Productions has received a Kakano grant from the New Zealand Fringe and Creative New Zealand to enable them to premiere their new show "Instructions to a Double" in Wellington. More >>

ALSO:

• A Most Outrageous Humbug
• Benjamin Crellin: Apocalypse Soon!
• The Comediettes
• tick, tick… BOOM!
• Tuturo Tawhito, A Place of No Memories

Non-Fringe: Perilous '09 Circus In Civic Square

Perilous '09 landed at Wellington's Civic Square on Sunday. The annual circus event includes open air performances and the chance for the public to try out a range of circus skills for themselves. More >>

ALSO:

• Wellington Circus Trust - Perilous ‘09 in Civic Square
• Coming Up - The Navigators: An outdoor circus adventure!
• Images: Perilous '07 Circus Over Civic Square
• Images: Perilous '08 Circus In The Square

Fringe-Fringe: Common Ground & LaserTag @ TheNewDowse

Common Ground opened at Lower Hutt's TheNewDowse on Friday night. The exhibition, a collaboration between New Zealand's Cut Collective and German group Via Grafik (also including skateboard decks by local designers), was launched with music, skateboarding and live stencilling. More >>

Non-Fringe Again: The Return Of Turbine

What happens when a company that’s doing everything it can to save the environment can’t reconcile with an already environmentally conscious family? More >>

ALSO:

• Department of Conservation - DOC rejects "secret deal" over windfarm

Week 1.5 to Week 2.5

Grunge Goethe: Surreal Take On German Classic

Faust Chroma begins in Manila, 1963, where Gustav Gründgens’ fever hallucinations and drug-induced rants awaken scenes from both his theatrical productions and his life. More >>

ALSO:

• Out-Link - Public Address - In Praise of The Catalysts of Thought: The Free Theatre's 'Faust Chroma'
• Bang Bang You’re Dead
• Drowning Bird, Plummeting Fish
• Hopelessly Devoted: Women behaving badly
• Open Studios: Fringe opens big can of whoop-art
• The Six O’clock Swill – it’s pint-sized theatre!
• Strike Soundsystem: Big beats and good times
• The Therapeutic Hour: Art & Art History Explained
• Words Apart
• Footnote Perforum
• Lost:SHADES
• Kreskinned: The natural Canadian date drug
• The Mountain
• The Pragmatic
• Weaving the Circle
• The Many Other Lives Of Maria Madness
• The Ramps in Turkish Courthouse Disco

Publicity: Fringe PR Photo Has Naked People

The Piradicals displays a new kind of honesty through experimental film and theatre. Expanding from fringe 2007s Curious?, The Piradicals explores the grittiness of sex and gender and the shocking exposure of the prism of identities emerging from the underground. More >>

ALSO:

• Ahuru Mowai a glimpse into an artist’s journey
• Ego: The Musician As Artist
• Improv - The Secondary School Musical
• The Taming of the Shrew
• This Is Where I Live: A Self Portrait
• Hot Drinks and Spoken Words

Not Fringe: Perilous Circus In Civic Square Sunday 15

Awkward Productions, in conjunction with Wellington Circus Trust, brings you a magic day in Civic Square with free workshops in all the skills of the circus- flying trapeze, unicycling, juggling and balance. More >>

Previous Years:

• Images: Perilous Circus Over Civic Square
• Images: Perilous '08 Circus In The Square

Still Not The Fringe: Out-of-place Houses Subject Of One-day Sculpture Friday 13

Changes in Wellington’s residential housing history and the surrounding environment are being explored in the latest one-day sculpture project being exhibited on the city’s outskirts. More >>

ALSO:

• Litmus Research Initiative - One Day Sculpture: February Projects
• New Dowse - Be the first to experience Lasertag
• Wellington Circus Trust - Perilous ‘09 in Civic Square, Sunday Feb 15

Oddly, Not The Fringe Either: Wellington Meets The Sevens '09

Scoop's coverage of Wellington NZI International Rugby Sevens 2009, with an understandable focus on picture of the costumes and the parade. More >>

WEEK 1

Lulz: Friday Fringe Launch Christens New Comedy Venue

Debuting during the 2009 NZ Fringe Festival, The Fringe Bar (formerly Blue Note at 191 Cuba St.) dedicates itself to showcasing the best in comedy from here and around the world. With 13 unique shows spread out over 22 days The Fringe Bar is set to become the raucous epicenter of a ribtickling, knee slapping comedy revolution. More >>

Also Starting this week:

• Chit Chat Lounge
• A Short, Incomplete History of a Very Long Street
• Lies & Other Stories Before Bed
• DUET: Falling in Love… Again & Office FYI: A Music
• The Intricate Art of Actually Caring
• Free Art Project
• Skyrocketeers of Justice Vs The Zombie Apocalypse
• Comedy Unplugged: The Joke Starts Here
• Self Portrait
• Bash
• Along the same line
• Into the looking Glass
• Bats Theatre - How to spoil yourself this week!

Dance, Rather Than Sevens Costumes: Into The Looking Glass

Come Into the Looking Glass. To a place where deep secrets, dark fears, light dreams and carefree whims all come true. When you look in the mirror what do you see? More >>

Fringe: New Show Messes With Your Mime
The Magniloquents return to BATS Theatre as part of Fringe 09 with A MIME TO KILL, a new devised black comedy investigating the plight of a Mime who opens one door too many and accidentally finds himself ensnared in the real world. More >>

Theatre: Dark Fairytales And More From The Yoof!
Back by popular demand, thirteen talented young actors of Long Cloud Youth Theatre are presenting Colony! and Grimm in the Wellington Fringe Festival. More >>

Fringe: Does Your Cabbage Have Star Quality?

Do you have a cabbage that has that extra special something? Do you believe they have got what it takes to make it in the entertainment business? Then the Puriri Arts Guild is looking for you (and your cabbage)! More >>

WEEK 0

Theatre: Sneaky Fringe Shows Get Their Openings In Early
This February, during the Wellington Fringe Festival, an adaptation of the hilarious Greek theatre classic “The Frogs” will be performed underneath the Wellington Waterfront, with the audience in paddle boats. More >>

ALSO:

• Two Day Plays
• Buddha Boy - Depression and Dharma
• Bats Theatre - The Fringe Has Arrived!

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