Festival Fatale

Festival Fatale

“Feminist, original and bold” – three words that come to mind when Lizzie Schebesta is asked to describe the WITS (Women in Theatre and Screen) Festival Fatale. Schebesta is the main director of the festival, which comes to the Eternity Playhouse in Darlinghurst on the last weekend in October.

The first of its kind, this two-day festival will have staged productions, play readings and cabaret shows that will take you on a journey through feminism and the female experience today. While the shows are all written, directed, designed, and produced by females, there are also many male participants.

When asked about what this festival brings to the table and what outcome she would like to see, Lizzie responds:

“The Festival is ‘by women, for everyone’. Producing work that is created by women is of course the foundation of the Festival. Making sure that the work speaks to a broad spectrum of Australians and that the artists involved reflect that, has been very important to us as well. Our Festival aims to champion diversity; whether that be cultural background, age, sexuality or ability. We’ve also endeavoured to champion emerging artists and more experimental art forms.”

One of the highlights of the staged productions program is Candy Bowers’ one-woman show Australian Booty, which weighs in on the Australian identity, interracial dating and the ‘booty myth’ through jokes, fierce music and the spoken word.

In between events, Festival Fatale will have a speak-easy Cabaret-style performance space in the Foyer for cabaret performers, musicians and comics. These boundary-pushing, powerhouse performances can be accessed by purchasing a ticket to any other event, or by making a donation at the door.

“I’m excited for Sydney to see what we’ve got, I hope it will inspire our community to get behind woman artists in the theatre and will encourage woman theatre-makers to keep putting themselves out there,” added Schebesta. (KH)

Oct 29 + 30. Eternity Playhouse, 39 Burton Street, Darlinghurst. Individual shows: $5-$36. Festival discount bundles: $88.14-$103.74. Tickets & info: www.festivalfatale.com

BY KAITI HAVILAND

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