Adelaide 2019: 5 Shows Celebrating Accessibility

Performer and editor-in-chief of the Safety House Guide, Lisa-Skye accesses all areas as she shares some of the best shows to see during the festivals

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Lisa-Skye
Published 05 Feb 2019

The super good thing about my job as a performer/producer/editor is that I get to use /slashes/ with impunity. Also I get to see a billion shows a year worldwide.

My favourite thing is showing cool stuff to cool people, but it’s hard recommending shows. I end up barking like a mirthful seal and hurling a copy of the Safety House Guide at the well-meaning enquirer while they back away. I can never pick just one show. And I have a tendency to bark. And I’m squishy like a fine, expensive seal.

For real, HOW GOOD IS FESTIVAL TIME?

But much like Tuesday Comedown, every festival has its good and bad. During one Edinburgh Fringe I saw a show called What the Fuck is This, in which a man screamed "WHAT THE FUCK IS THIS" over and over for an hour, at midnight on a Wednesday. But there is also the bad. So buck up, Uncle Skysie’s got you covered!

Two Little Dickheads

For when you’re sad and tired for no reason and you need a pick-me-up. I have seen this show about four times, and every time I leave with a big dumb grin on my face. Their warmth and genuine love for each other and the audience shine through in this story about their last day on earth. Expect bombastic optimism, uncontrollable giggles, silliness and a shitload of cat jokes. (@TwoLittleDheads).

Access notes: Entire venue is accessible, no gender neutral loos. 

The National Wine Centre, times vary, 24 Feb-2 Mar, $15-25.

Jamie Mykaela's Napoleon Complex

For when you want to be uplifted by the power of cabaret – and an angry bejeweled Chihuahua-woman. A beautiful singer and a filthy mouth, Jamie Mykaela takes you on a rollercoaster adventure through her life to this point. A tour-de-force, and she’s just getting started. Filled with love, laughter, anger and pathos.

Access notes: Entire venue is accessible, no gender neutral loos.

The National Wine Centre, times vary, 23 Feb-6 Mar (not 25, 28 Feb), $20-25.

Sweaty Pits: Pity Party!

For when you want to get in on the ground level and enjoy two bright, rising stars. Weirdo high-energy sketch comedy in a similar vein to the magnificent Aunty Donna boys. These glorious idiots don’t just want to show you their boobs, they want to make you laugh until you can’t breathe. (@sweatypitsduo).

Access notes: No ramp or lift, not accessible and has no accessible or gender neutral loos.

A Club Adelaide, 7:40pm, 25 Feb-3 Mar, $15-22.50.

The Safety House Variety Showcase!

For when you want a taster menu of the best of the fest, but no audience participation. Yep, that’s right. I’m hosting a variety show, the only one in the festival that guarantees NO audience participation! So just sit back and enjoy – you won’t be the punchline here. (@safetyhouseguid).

Access notes: Fully accessible venue, no stairs, no gender neutral loos, allocated wheelchair seating, every performance is a Relaxed Performance.

The National Wine Centre, 3:15pm, 16, 17, 23,24 Feb, $25.

Massaoke Mixtape

For when it’s late at night and you just want a big, bawdy singalong. One of those shows that I’m kicking myself I didn’t see years earlier, I finally caught it at Edinburgh last year. The slickest band, the funnest frontpeople, playing party hits that you the audience vote for in a range of silly ways. Even when I cry-screamed along to 'Livin’ on a Prayer’, because I’m 37 and basic, the roar of my fellow punters doing the same buoyed me. (@massaoke).

Access notes: No seats, ramp to the main entrance, no steps, fully accessible venue but no gender neutral loos. Massive lyrics on the screen, fully visible to the crowd.

The Garden of Unearthly Delights, 11pm, dates vary, $21-27.

Special mentions go to Showko – Absolutely Normal, 10 Things I Hate About Taming of the Shrew, Laurie Black: Space Cadette, Wank Bank Masterclass, Exquisite: An Evening with Mama Alto, and literally every other show in the Safety House Guide, all 96 of ’em. Get amongst the festival and gnaw on it like you’re a Rottweiler puppy and Adelaide Fringe is a dried pig’s ear.

Apart from being the editor-in-chief of the Safety House Guide, Lisa-Skye is performing her own show, 1900-Lisa-Skye, at the National Wine Centre.