Adelaide Fringe 2020 is the biggest Fringe season ever for Preachrs Podcast OnLine & OnStage as they present 5 shows, including collaborations with award winning UK producer Fragility London and Australian producer Big Mood.
Sam About Town caught up with Australian comedian/actor/podcaster and company founder Benjamin Maio Mackay to learn more about this season’s offerings.
SAT: This appears to be a very adventurous and also diverse undertaking this season. Could you give us a summary of the events you are presenting?
BMM: It’s certainly our biggest and most diverse line up ever with events ranging from comedy to music to theatre! We’ve got 5 shows in the Adelaide Fringe, including Andrew Silverwood’s [Late Night] Panel Show, (Please) Validate Me by Benjamin Maio Mackay, Andrew Silverwood: Call Me Janice, Disney Delights and Dr Selflove: Or How I Stopped Worrying and Learned to Love My Thighs.
SAT: Andrew Silverwood’s (Late Night) Panel Show returns for a fourth year. With debaucherous comedy and games, what can audiences expect from this one?
BMM: Utter chaos! There’s a rotating line up of incredible comedians split into two teams and we play a range of games. Typically the performers have very little idea of what’s about to happen before we start – which makes it even more exciting.
SAT: Sounds like a lot of fun! If people have seen this one previously, will they see something new if they come along again?
BMM: Every show is completely different, so absolutely – I know last year some people saw it multiple nights – some even two nights consecutively! It’s all completely improvised and with different teams nightly it makes every show even more unique.
Andrew Silverwood’s (Late Night) Panel Show
SAT: Aside from coordinating and presenting shows, you are also performing. Tell us more about your debut show, (Please) Validate Me.
BMM: Well, it’s A comedy show seeking your approval. I’ll let the blurb do the talking here, it’s difficult to sell yourself! 😉
“Multi-award nominated, ★★★★★ (Glam Adelaide) Benjamin Maio Mackay has been through some sh*t. Now he’s got some stories to tell, hopefully they’ll make you laugh (or maybe even cry). Either way please come make him feel better about his otherwise meaningless existence.”
(Please) Validate Me by Benjamin Maio Mackay
SAT: Family friendly fun is also on your agenda with Disney Delights. With songs from Mary Poppins to Frozen, it sounds like even the adults will be tapping their toes and singing along. Do you have a favourite tune?
BMM: I absolutely love Disney and it’s difficult to pick a favourite – however, I See the Light from Tangled is absolutely up there in my favourites, but also, who could also look past Let it Go.
SAT: Andrew Silverwood’s solo show, Call Me Janice, is an award winning show and described as a show with no boundaries. Could you tell us more about this show?
BMM: Andrew is one of the UK’s funniest, more delightful comedians and he’s got some hysterical stories about the time he accidentally took a date to a concentration camp, had a girl ask him to call her by his mum’s name and mistakenly took dog ketamine on the London Underground. And all these stories are absolutely true.
Dr Selflove or How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love My Thighs
SAT: I think I’ll have to see this one for the concentration camp date story alone! Your fifth show this Fringe is Dr Selflove or How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love My Thighs, which is incredibly intriguing just by the title. A show that poses more questions than it answers. What do you hope audiences will take away from seeing this show?
BMM: I thought it may be best to get Laura Desmond, writer, performer and co-founder of Big Mood to answer this one, as the show is so personal to her. “I hope audiences can see parts of themselves in my stories and learn from my mistakes. I’ve spent too many hours worrying about what others thought of me before I realised I can’t really control that! I just need to work on loving myself and being the best version of myself. Everything else will follow!”
SAT: You are presenting some shows with Fragility London and Big Mood. How did you decide to become partners and what are the exciting aspects they bring to the partnership?
BMM: Firstly it’s exciting to be able to share the load from a sheer workload point of view – producing a show is a mammoth effort, before you add any directing/performing etc. into the mix. Secondly working with two companies who have such exciting catalogs of work is excellent as well, I saw Big Mood’s work in progress version of Dr Selflove and knew I had to help refine it and return it to the stage. Fragility London is Andrew’s company and Fragility have helped bring him out here for all his shows – we literally couldn’t do it without them.
SAT: With so many shows this season, how do you balance your time and energy?
BMM: That’s really difficult and what’s harder this year is that 2 of the shows are on tour from now (Jan 7) until April 9 – and there’s no time between stops. I find it’s really important to eat well and sleep regular hours as much as possible. Not using your voice in the day time works really well too for preserving vocal energy. There’s no magical answer unfortunately for how to stay energetic and healthy across a Fringe season – but my advice to others is always do what feels right for you. If that means not going to the Fringe club much or not seeing visitors in town that’s ok – you have to prioritise yourself!
SAT: Excellent advice for the theatre-goers as well I think. There really does seem to be something for everyone in this selection of shows. Thank you for sharing some insights with us and we wish you all the best for Fringe 2020.
BMM: Thank you Sam, it’s definitely going to be a huge, exciting season!
Tickets can be purchased from the Fringe website (direct links below).
(Please) Validate Me by Benjamin Maio Mackay
https://adelaidefringe.com.au/fringetix/please-validate-me-by-benjamin-maio-mackay-af2020
Disney Delights
https://adelaidefringe.com.au/fringetix/disney-delights-af2020
Andrew Silverwood: Call Me Janice
https://adelaidefringe.com.au/fringetix/andrew-silverwood-call-me-janice-af2020
Dr Selflove or How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love My Thighs
https://adelaidefringe.com.au/fringetix/dr-selflove-or-how-i-learned-to-stop-worrying-and-love-my-thighs-af2020
Andrew Silverwood’s (Late Night) Panel Show
https://adelaidefringe.com.au/fringetix/andrew-silverwood-s-late-night-panel-show-af2020
