This article was first published in 2018, republished in 2022 and has been updated for 2023.

Seesaw’s Nina Levy offers her tips for avoiding a Festival freak out navigating the Fringe World program.

Ah Fringe World. When, for a blissful month, Perth becomes a cultural wonderland, packed to the gills with arty goodness and fairy-lit festival gardens. This year’s Fringe World includes more than 500 events to choose from. It’s set to go off with a bang from January 19, with a weekend stuffed full of free and ticketed treats that will launch us into a month of Fringe fun-times.

Browsing the Fringe World program is exciting… but it can also be daunting. 500+ is a lot of shows. It’s not difficult to morph from Fringe anticipation to Fringe panic.

To help you avoid a Fringe Freak Out, Seesaw Mag editor Nina Levy has put together this handy guide for choosing a show. These suggestions are in no particular order and may be used independently of one another.

Get comfortable and get the app

As the folk at Fringe World suggest, don’t rush this. Make a cup of your preferred hot beverage (or pour a glass of your favourite cold one), and relax while you browse the brochure.

Seesaw recommends downloading the Fringe World app, which has a simpler layout than the website, a pleasant-to-use search function and includes a handy planner that stores your tickets once they’ve been booked.

The “favourite” function is also useful for creating a short-list before you make your final decisions.

Don’t try to do it in one go

Life is short but the program is long. It will be easier to make decisions if you’ve had a few chances to peruse the program before you start the selection process.

Break it down

a) By genre: Tackling a genre at a time is a great way to avoid overwhelm… although – be warned – some of the genres seem like festival programs in their own right. If too much choice stresses you out, try starting with one of the following: circus, dance & physical theatre, community & special events and visual arts & film

b) By hub/venue Some of the Fringe venues run curated micro-programs under the Fringe World umbrella. Seesaw’s pick of the bunch is the State Theatre Centre of WA’s State of Play program. The Rechabite also has a promising looking selection of circus, comedy and cabaret.

Another Seesaw Mag festival favourite that’s not under the Fringe umbrella is The Blue Room Theatre’s Summer Nights program.

Check out the suburban venues, too, such as Lyric’s Underground (Maylands), Comedy Shack Wanneroo or Hayman Theatre (Curtin University, Bentley). You can browse the full list of venues on the Fringe website.

Second time around

If a show is returning from last year it’s likely that it was popular the first time around. You can Google the reviews and/or talk to friends who saw the show to get a better idea of whether it’s for you.

Lucy Peach’s My Greatest Period Ever is a classic example – read the Seesaw Mag review of that show to see if it’s for you.

Other returning shows Seesaw Mag reviewers have seen and loved include New Zealand circus ensemble Laser Kiwi’s Rise of the Olive (read our review), UK theatre maker Patrick McPherson’s Colossal and local ensemble Weeping Spoon Productions’ Vehicle (read our review of both those shows). Or if you’re looking for something for the kids (that’ll also please the adults) our junior reviewers recommend The Little Hoo-HAA which is coming back for another run at the State Theatre.

Artists who are returning with a sequel/follow-up show are also worth considering, for example the Bogan Shakespeare crew – who’ve been bringing us Bogan takes on Shakespeare to Fringe for about many years are giving King Lear the bogan treatment this year. Read our review of their Julius Caeser to get a sense of the concept. Also back for more Fringe fun are crooners Jessie Gordon and Simone Craddock, who’ll each be appearing in multiple shows. The pair joined forces last year in WILD WOMXN, so you can get a taste of both performers in our review.

Take a risk

Don’t play it safe, though. There’s always that show that takes your fancy even though you know nothing about the artists or company involved. Maybe they have a super cool promo photograph or the blurb made you laugh out aloud… whatever, having a strong image or copy doesn’t happen by chance and does tell you something positive about the presenter. 

Go with your gut – most Fringe shows are relatively cheap (especially the ones that are lesser known) and only take up an hour of your life so you can afford to back some outsiders. And there’s nothing like the thrill of realising, a few minutes in, that you totally picked a winner.

Support your local

Seesaw Mag is all about WA so we strongly suggest you include some WA acts when booking your Fringe shows. While we can’t guarantee enjoyment, we reckon you’re in with a good chance of a solid show – one of the reasons we started Seesaw Mag is because of the high quality of artistic work coming out of our state.

If we want WA to remain a cool arty place we need to support our artists, so make sure you’ve got some WA in the mix. Handily Fringe includes the artist or company’s home in each listing, alongside an age rating and sizzle factor.

Sign up to Seesaw’s free e-mag

Although Seesaw Mag is paused for publication until mid-2024, over summer we’ll be sending out festival gig guides to our e-mag subscribers, so make sure you’re signed up. Scroll to the bottom of this page to subscribe for free and you’ll continue to receive news about upcoming shows, exhibitions and concerts during the pause.

Finally…

It’s worth leaving some space in your calendar for impulse tickets but remember that Fringe World venues are often small and word-of-mouth spreads quickly so don’t delay booking once you’ve decided a show is a must-see!

See you there!

Photo: John Leonard