Culture

Among the shattered glass that litters our streets and the misrepresentation of Dunedin as a place that’s full of wasted students, this city has a lot to give — especially when it comes to the arts. From James K. Baxter, Janet Frame and Alan Dale (the guy who plays the evil, rich grandpa with the foot fetish in Ugly Betty), Dunedin has been a birthplace of artistic excellence. Besides, it’s not every day that the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO) hails a place as a City of Literature, and this week Dunedin proves that it’s the cultural place to be with the Dunedin Fringe Festival.

The Dunedin Fringe Festival was established in 2000 by the non-profit Dunedin Fringe Arts Trust, in 2004. The Fringe Festival is described as an “injection of creativity in Dunedin” — an injection that not only brings local artists to our town but also international acts. Last year, 9000 people attended Dunedin Fringe Festival events and, with this year’s line-up of acts, there’s no doubt that 2015 will be a repeat.

Kicking off with a two-hour opening-night showcase at the Regent Theatre, the Dunedin Fringe Festival is certain to have something for everyone to enjoy: theatre productions, stand-up comedy, dance performances, music in the Dunedin Botanic Garden, cabaret — the Dunedin Fringe Festival has it all. If you want mystery and variety, there’s the Fringe Black Box. Dear fans of Freaky Friday (who also enjoy contemporary art), look no further, for artists Zoe Crook and Aodhan Madden bring you Suspicious Minds.

The Dunedin Fringe Festival starts on 12 March (with the opening night on 11 March) and runs to 22 March, which means that there are ten spectacular days to go see Bruce Fummey (Scottish Comedian of the Year 2014), a production about a girl who tries to grow a blue beard and the comedy, Benedict Cumberbatch Must Die.

With so many artistic events on show this week, the Dunedin Fringe Festival is guaranteed to keep you occupied for the next couple of weeks.