The following excerpt is taken from a Sydney Morning Herald article published on the 21st May 2021.
By Linda Morris:
The state’s largest independent arts festival will return in September but will consolidate its shows to inner-city Sydney and the CBD to limit the risk of short, shock lockdowns.
Sydney Fringe director Kerri Glasscock said she hopes to program more than 300 shows for the month-long festival, as many as in previous years, to celebrate the tenacity of the performing arts sector after a year of hibernation.
Acts will perform in intimate venues hit hard by lockdowns including in Marrickville, Sydenham, Erskineville and Newtown but the festival is not planning live events in Liverpool, Parramatta and Hurstville.
A festival first will be a new series of Auslan-interpreted performances at Eternity Playhouse in partnership with Darlinghurst Theatre every Monday in September.
Also new is a refreshed children’s program that culminates in a weekend of free family-friendly and kids events including silent discos, headline music gigs and performances at Darling Quarter in Darling Harbour.
Following its shift to a digital program in 2020, Fringe received $360,000 from the federal government’s COVID-19 stimulus package, RISE, to return to live performance.
That support and corporate sponsorship have been redirected to participating artists and venues, underwriting venue hire and registration costs.
