{"id":49170,"date":"2026-07-12T21:56:18","date_gmt":"2026-07-12T21:56:18","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/australia\/49170\/"},"modified":"2026-07-12T21:56:18","modified_gmt":"2026-07-12T21:56:18","slug":"sydney-fringe-festival-2024-why-surreal-clowning-and-absurd-comedy-are-the-themes-of-this-years-program","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/australia\/49170\/","title":{"rendered":"Sydney Fringe Festival 2024: Why surreal clowning and absurd comedy are the themes of this year\u2019s program"},"content":{"rendered":"

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In a world that seems almost daily less tied to sanity, reality and certainty, it\u2019s hardly a surprise that clowning is back.<\/p>\n

Not your circus-traditional big shoes and squirty flower variety of clowning but more the surreal, unsettling, anarchic kind that can provide a coping mechanism and perhaps a mirror for the real-world absurdity that surrounds us.<\/p>\n

\"FreidahFreidah Will See You Now performers Caitlin Duff, Isabel Knight, Hannah Raven, Glynis Traill-Nash and Thomas Gorham rehearse on the platform at Waterloo Metro station.Steven Siewert<\/p>\n

According to Sydney Fringe chief executive Patrick Kennedy, recently returned from the World Fringe Congress in San Diego, it is one of the major themes of fringes worldwide. And it is also one the strongest currents running through this year\u2019s Sydney Fringe Festival, set to bring more than 2500 artists and 366 shows to 69 venues across the city from August 29.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe world is so absurd and so horrific that the only solution to that is to see something even more absurd that is so far from real life,\u201d he says. \u201cIt\u2019s that nonsensical uplifting comedy that you need in a world that seems to be on fire.\u201d<\/p>\n

Among the clown-heavy offerings are Freidah Will See You Now with Caitlin Duff playing a clown charged with bringing souls over the Styx to the afterlife; Landed from veteran merchants of chaos Frumpus; and Nun Slut, described as \u201can absurd journey through religion, the body and Barnaby Joyce\u201d.<\/p>\n

Now in its 17th year, Kennedy believes Sydney Fringe Festival, which launches its program today<\/a>, is more important than ever as the cost of living squeeze and the citywide dearth of venues conspire to make life harder than ever for independent artists.<\/p>\n

\u201cSydney Fringe was set up initially to answer that problem of giving equitable access to artists to infrastructure within the city. For the past 17 years we\u2019ve been working towards that,\u201d he says. \u201cWe may not be as flashy as Melbourne, but we have a very, very lively artistic community in Sydney.\u201d<\/p>\n

Kennedy is also conscious Sydney Fringe continues to suffer an identity problem alongside better understood events such as Sydney Festival.<\/p>\n

\"HannahHannah Raven in Gadigal Metro Station. Venues for this year\u2019s Fringe have been considered with public transport in mind.Steven Siewert<\/p>\n

\u201cWe must build audience capacity and understanding of what Fringe is,\u201d he says. \u201cWe\u2019ve put lots of effort this year into education for audiences around what the verb \u2018to Fringe\u2019 means.\u201d<\/p>\n

Sydney Fringe is also focusing on educating performers themselves about the at times bewildering business of entertainment.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s probably the only industry where the artist is expected to be an expert in marketing, publicity, production, technical theatre, insurance, risk \u2026 You are loaded with all the responsibilities of a producer,\u201d says Kennedy. \u201cWe are trying not to leave artists stranded with that, so in February we start a series of masterclasses that touch on things around tax, insurance, marketing. All that sort of stuff.\u201d<\/p>\n

This year\u2019s Fringe is staged against the backdrop of squeezed household entertainment budgets that have recently seen the failure of several high-profile shows, including Waitress and Beetlejuice, for lack of ticket sales. Kennedy is keen to promote the festival as a good value night out with an average ticket price of $29.<\/p>\n

\u201cPeople are looking for something affordable,\u201d he says. \u201cWe always think about the pipeline of an audience member, which is not just buying a ticket. It\u2019s the parking, the travel, it\u2019s the food. We\u2019re making it as easy as possible to have a good night out and that involves partnerships with local business where you can show your tickets and receive discounts for dinner or drinks.\u201d<\/p>\n

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