Aidan Curtis
ARTISTS, businesses and residents alike are getting ready for the first restriction-free Fringe Mount Gambier since before the pandemic.
The 10-day festival is set to bring a range of local and travelling performers together, with shows and parties spread across the town.
Fringe Mount Gambier artistic program manager Louise Adams said the festival is still rebuilding to pre-pandemic levels, but it is looking good already.
“We’re really excited as the planning team and speaking to many of the different people out there in the community, the excitement is definitely building,” Ms Adams said.
“We’ve set some targets for 2023 and we’re basically hitting those.
“Things don’t just snap back completely into place, but we’re really encouraged by the confidence we’re seeing amongst artists, the enthusiasm we’re seeing with venues and wanting to have that Fringe activity happening.”
Ms Adams said there are always hurdles that come with organising a big event, but the last few years have shown that nothing is insurmountable.
“We don’t have border closures or snap restrictions nipping at our heels like we have the last couple of years, so I think all in all the space and the air to breathe for an event and its planning is definitely getting back to where it was,” she said.
For local playwright and theatre-maker Alysha Herrmann, Fringe has bought forth opportunities to teach the community more about what goes on behind the scenes in the arts.
Ms Herrmann said through Fringe and her show, “Guthrak”, she was really excited to share her experiences as an artist and show people what they can achieve when doing something they love.
“Often with the arts, we do this weird thing we don’t do to other sectors, where … young people are told if they want to go into the arts world, they’re probably not going to be Beyoncé, so maybe don’t bother,” she said.
“But we don’t do that about being a doctor, or if you want to go into science and engineering you don’t have to win a Nobel Prize.
“So for me it’s about visibility and people seeing the pathways and understanding the way that the sector works.”
RSL assistant manager Chris Till said, from a venue’s perspective, Fringe was a very exciting, albeit hectic, time of year.
“We’re pretty excited to be honest – having a lot of people in town helps without business, especially during the weekends as our peak time,” Mr Till said.
“No more restrictions anymore after a quiet few years, it’ll be good to get this place pumping again with a Fringe show.”
“[Big crowds] are a nice challenge for us, especially when you’ve got something different like a comedy show.”
Ms Adams said she hopes to see the people of Mount Gambier support the festival and all the work artists put in to make shows happen.
Fringe Mount Gambier will officially kick off on March 24 and will run until April 2.
