SYDNEY FRINGE: 3QUARED2

Plastic Bag Ladies of the Sea, Frida Khalo, flowcharts and sexy ultimatums – whatever your cup of tea, PACT Centre for Emerging Artists has you covered this September. Adding their very own brand of unbridled theatrical mayhem to Sydney’s already ridiculously well-stocked 2011 Fringe Festival larder, Erskineville’s loveable performance upstart PACT has once again positioned itself at the centre of the action. PACT and the Fringe Festival are natural bedfellows. Critically acclaimed (and hilarious) Applespiel’s Nathan Harrison laid it out for us. “For me it’s a really good chance to try something new – this is the first time I’ve done something on my own”, says Harrison of his one-man show The Art and Craft of Approaching Your Head of Department to Submit a Request for a Raise. “The rest of Applespiel are helping out but working this way is quite a new experience for me. It’s also a great way to further my relationship with PACT Centre for Emerging Artists, who are incredibly supportive and amazing to work with.” The space will feature nine (count ’em!) plays from some of Sydney’s most exciting emerging artists and playwrights, including Harrison, Ex-Trendy, the bodysnatchers collective, FishWife, Alice Cooper, Meiwah Williams, and nifty knitters KnitPiC. Spread across the three-week festival, and as quirky, intriguing and provocative as we’ve come to hope from the PACT, the 3Quared2 plays promise to be a highlight of the Fringe. Do yourself a favour and check out their website for events, dates, times and bookings.

Sep 8-Oct 2, PACT Centre for Emerging Artists, 107 Railway Pde, Erskineville, $10-26, 9020 6980, pact.net.au