Holden Street Theatres Backs Local Artists

The venue is a centre of internationalism at the Adelaide Fringe, but also offers remarkable support premiering new writers

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Isolate & Izolál
Photo by Chris Herzfeld
Published 08 Feb 2019

Holden Street Theatres' historic venues become home to over 20 shows this Fringe. And among the program comes three world premieres which showcase Holden Streets' commitment to emerging acts who can call the Fringe home. 

Adelaide's own CCTheatreCo scooped the Theatres' Fringe Award in 2018. The company now bring their latest musical comedy, Which-Craft? under the limestone of The Arch. It is a tall story in more ways than one. There's an incongruous mix; with witches living, not in an obscure wood, but in a modern high-rise block. The Wormwood Sisters can do magic, but unfortunately their powers haven't meant breaking the spell of a run of bad luck. The neighbours are a nightmare and their landlord is on their back. But, perhaps, their gifts are just the kind of talents prized by reality TV...

Meanwhile, for those seeking the very latest Fringe show, those who take pride in saying they saw a work of art first, there's the play The Promise. In a sense, this is more of a premiere before its premiere. The script will be part of Holden Streets' initiative to hold table readings for brand new writing. Local actors will voice Maude Laire's script, which focuses on the aftermath of death and the complicated arrangements left, or not, for the family by the deceased father. 

The world premiere of Isolate & Izolal is better described as otherworldly. An astronaut is on a mission to Mars and while floating towards the red planet we might well ask: should humanity even go there at all?

Potential Kinetics Theatre provide a double bill, with the theatre part followed by dance and live music by Petra Szabo and Delia Olam. Both sides of the production look at our identity through different prisms, whether we find ourselves alone in deep space or celebrating together through dance. It's a project that asks: what is it to be human?