27 August 2017

How to Fringe 2017: James Jackson

James Jackson
Performer, writer and director of The Bloomshed

The Nose
26 September – 1 October
Mechanics Institute

SM: I thought I'd written more about James's work. I've seen a lot of it and he surprises and intrigues me every time. The first show I saw of his was The Government Inspector when he was still a student at Monash. 

The Nose

If you could invite anyone to your show (and you knew they would come), who would it be?
Anne-Marie Peard

SM: Does sucking up work?
SM: Yes.

The Melbourne Fringe in three words.
Exuberant, exhilarating, busy

A favourite Melbourne Fringe memory.
Attempting to see four stellar performances in one evening and arriving on time to all of them.

Your experience as an independent artist being part of the Melbourne Fringe.
It is wild. We are so busy preparing our own shows alongside everyone else, culminating in this massive explosion of creativity. It’s a mind-blowing to witness.

What makes the Melbourne Fringe unique?
Size. The sheer volume of it all—no two things are alike. Multi-disciplinary = wild.

What’s your advice for choosing what to see in the Melbourne Fringe?
Don’t judge by the cover. It’s all nonsense until you’re there watching it.

Do you think there’s a better system than star ratings for reviews?
Some sort of system that compares the work to other works internationally, even films. Using genres, style, mode, form, etc to get people interested

Five shows/events that you will not miss at the 2017 Melbourne Fringe.
Reduced Vision Sound Experiments by Ashley Bartholomew
The Sky is Well Designed
Apocalypse in Blak presented by the Koorie Heritage Trust
For the Ones Who Walk Away presented by St Martins
Everything IS art. See as much of everything as you can.