The play I bravely, but probably foolishly, agreed to take part in, Head Full of Toys, had its world premiere at the Fortune Theatre last night and I was an absolute bundle of nerves - yeah, thanks work "mates" - after a day of unkind ribbing at the ODT.
The play is on again at 9 tonight, before the final performance at 5pm tomorrow.
Whew!
The fringe was beginning to sprawl over the central city yesterday.
It was like a scene from Zombies Dawn of the Dead at the gothic Dowling St steps, as Joshua Rutter, Motoko Kikkawa and Shannon Watt drew a large crowd with their eerie movement and sound piece, Unacceptable Archaeologies.
I saw the Red River production of Core, a series of bizarre and, seemingly, unrelated, vignettes, in a blackened High St warehouse on Thursday night.
It will be fascinating to see part two of the performance piece, which opens at the Blue Oyster Gallery at 5.30pm on Tuesday.
The fringe fun goes into overdrive this weekend.
Three of New Zealand's top buskers perform at the Busking Blitz at the Otago Farmers Market today.
"Rubberband Man", Shay Horay, will attempt to break his own world record for the most rubber bands on a human face, Mark "Slim Pickins" O'Neill returns with his death-defying sword-swallowing act and Chris Davis will attempt some one-upmanship with a spot of chainsaw-juggling.
An interesting performance today will be the Full [expletive] Moon collaboration, I Am A Strange Loop, which explores the concept of radio in art.
The troupe caused some head-scratching at the ODT, as its name includes a naughty word not suitable for a family newspaper, hence the [expletive].
Radio One 91FM and Toroa Radio 1575AM will broadcast different material simultaneously, during a live music performance in the Otago Pioneer Women's Memorial Association building.
The two radio stations are merging their programming especially for the performance.
At the Blue Oyster Gallery today, Alex Bennett gives his "taxidermied" wind instruments an airing in Stagpipes and Wheeze Box at 6pm.
Same time, same place tomorrow Aerolineas presents the multimedia In Mono.
Pecha Kucha, the Japanese art of chitchat, also returns to the festival at 7.30pm tomorrow in the Dunedin Public Art Gallery.
TODAY's PROGRAMME
Daily: Blue Oyster Gallery Performance Series, Blue Oyster Gallery and various.
Daily: Opuscules, various locations.
9am-1pm: Ltd Festival Kiosk, Farmers Market.
9am-1pm: The Busking Blitz, Farmers Market.
11am-4pm: Dowling Street Project, 20a Dowling St.
11am-4pm: Monolith, Dunedin City Library.
11am-4pm: Express, Dunedin City Library.
10am-5pm: Fringe Inventions, Otago Settlers Museum.
10am-5pm (tours 10.30am, 2pm): Open Home at King Edward Court.
10.30am, 1.30pm: bubblewrap and boxes, Fortune Main Stage.
Midday-3pm: Quixotic, None Gallery.
Midday, 12.20pm, 12.40pm: Mr Bun Bun's Terrible Day, various locations.
1pm: I am a Strange Loop (Blue Oyster Gallery Performance Series), 362 Moray Pl and simultaneously broadcast on Radio One 91FM and Toroa Radio 1575AM.
4pm: Comedy Forum: The Business of Laughter, XII Below.
6pm: T. J. McDonald in A Maori Ate My Great Granddad, Polson Higgs Comedy Club, XII Below.
6pm: Stagpipes and Wheeze Box - Performance (Blue Oyster Gallery Performance Series), Blue Oyster Gallery.
7pm: James Nokise in Is This It?, Academy Cinema.
7pm: The Quantum Enigma, Globe Theatre.
7.30pm: Irene Pink in Metamorphosis, Polson Higgs Comedy Club, XII Below.
7pm: I Love Camping, Fortune Studio.
8.30pm: Wrigglemania Steve Wrigley 3.0, Academy Cinema.
8.30pm: The Troubadours of Mercury, Cellars Bar.
9pm: Jeremy Elwood Thinks Too Much, Polson Higgs Comedy Club, XII Below.
9pm: Head Full of Toys, Fortune Studio.
9pm: The Intricate Art of Actually Caring, Globe Theatre.
10pm: Festival Club, XII Below
11pm: Doom Gravy: A Radio Disaster in 6 Parts, Festival Club, XII Below.
TOMORROW
Daily: Blue Oyster Gallery Performance Series, Blue Oyster Gallery and various.
Daily: Opuscules, various locations.
9am-5pm: Ltd Festival Kiosk, The Octagon.
10am-5pm: Fringe Inventions, Otago Settlers Museum.
10am-5pm (tours 10.30am, 2pm): Open Home at King Edward Court.
11am-4pm: Dowling Street Project, 20a Dowling St.
11am-4pm: Monolith, Dunedin City Library.
11am-4pm: Express, Dunedin City Library.
Midday: Antonin Artaud Talk (Blue Oyster Gallery Performance Series), Blue Oyster Gallery.
Midday-3pm: Quixotic, None Gallery.
Midday, 12.20pm, 12.40pm: Mr Bun Bun's Terrible Day, various locations.
5pm: Head Full of Toys, Fortune Studio.
6pm: T. J. McDonald in A Maori Ate My Great Granddad, Polson Higgs Comedy Club, XII Below.
7pm: James Nokise in Is This It?, Academy Cinema.
7.30pm: Irene Pink in Metamorphosis, Polson Higgs Comedy Club, XII Below.
7pm: The Quantum Enigma, Globe Theatre.
7pm: I Love Camping, Fortune Studio.
7.30pm: Pecha Kucha Night #5, Dunedin Public Art Gallery.
7.30pm: Pacific Curls, Otago Settlers Museum.
8.30pm: Wrigglemania Steve Wrigley 3.0, Academy Cinema.
9pm: Jeremy Elwood Thinks Too Much, Polson Higgs Comedy Club, XII Below.
