Gone are the days when “nothing ever happens in Perth†is a viable cause for complaint. Over the past few years, our isolated utopia has blossomed into a city with its own bourgeoning arts scene. Artrage have been cultivating Perth’s creative side since the mid ’80s, providing platforms for local talent to develop and showcase their work.
This month, they are setting the stage for what is surely one of the most exciting festivals in Perth history: Fringe World. On the eve of the festival we spoke to Marcus Canning, director of Artrage, about what he has in store for Perth – Fringe World and beyond.
On Febuary 4 the Northbridge Urban Orchard – the gardens situated directly opposite the Art Gallery of WA – will be transformed into a bustling centre of performance pleasures. The dazzling star of the festival is our very own Spiegeltent – De Parel (The Pearl).
But what exactly is a Spiegeltent?
‘A Spiegeltent is where Romance was born and still resides in heady splendour,’ explained Canning. ‘Everyone should escape to a Spiegeltent for at least one night in their life, or their life is simply not complete.’
Born in 1905 in Belgium, De Parel is an ornate travelling circus tent, lovingly crafted from polished wood, canvas and stained cut-glass windows. Walking into a Spiegeltent is like visiting a 1920’s carnival from a childhood storybook – intoxicating, enchanting and ever-so-slightly sinister.
Throughout her 105 years of life, De Parel has toured far-off cities posing as a lavish dance hall, performance space and cabaret bar. And now, in her new role in Perth, she will house a world of comedy, cabaret, circus, burlesque, live music and performance art pieces collected from Fringe Festivals around the globe. Artrage call this Fringe World.
De Parel is one of only 20 Spiegeltents still in existence, and Perth is now one of the very few cities in the world to own one of these rare gems.
‘If I had a dollar for every time in the last 15 years I’ve heard local festivals and organisations say ‘we have to get a Spiegeltent to Perth’, well, I’d have enough to buy a Spiegeltent,’ said Canning. ‘WA obviously needed its own so we would never have to worry about whether one could get here again: Lotterywest agreed. It’s like a lovely gift for the people of WA, forever… It still blows me away that we have her.’
As well as the bevy of shows on offer inside the Spiegeltent, Fringe World will also encompass solo acts at PICA and an outdoors stage featuring a variety of freebie shows. In fact, the festival is structured so that punters can see several shows in one night for a full-blown Fringe Binge: an early PICA show at 7pm – followed by food, beverages and a free show in the Urban Orchard, followed by a Spiegeltent show at 9pm and then ticketholders have access to the Spiegel bar and late night shows until close.
As exciting as all this is, Canning insists that the Fringe World festival is only a tasting-plate for the ‘smorgasbord’ of the Fringe Festival next year: ‘You have to change and adapt to keep abreast with the times, and that now is the time for Perth Fringe. We hope that Fringe [2012] is a place where local artists have a chance to cut their teeth and get daring and brave with their work, and we hope that as a part of an international network, that they can then take their work to other Fringes around the world.’
To prepare hopeful artists for next year’s Fringe, Artrage will be running a Fringe World Summit throughout this year’s festival – consisting of seminars, discussions and even one-on-one meeting opportunities with Fringe directors and performers from around the world. For those interested in taking part in Fringe 2012, the Fringe World Summit is an essential stop-off. All Summit events are completely free, but those interested must register at the Fringe World website to avoid disappointment.
For the rest of us, we have Fringe World to enjoy and Perth’s proudest pavilion pin-up – De Parel – to marvel.
Fringe World runs from February 4 to 26. Tickets for all shows are $25. For tickets, programs and information on the Fringe World Summit check out www.fringeworld.com.au Registrations open June 2011 for the Fringe Festival 2012.
Andrew Searle
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