The Birds Descend on Melbourne Fringe with Sun, Sand and Imminent Doom

Sons of Stratford are back this Melbourne Fringe with Birds, a piece where sun, sand, and impending doom collide. Shayna and Beverley lounge in deck chairs, chain-smoking and chatting about the world’s most trivial and ridiculous obsessions, all while the sky literally falls around them. We caught up with performers Alex Hines and Sarah Stafford to discuss the thrill of revisiting sharing the stage, the chaos of their creative process, and why, after years of solo and collaborative work, nothing about Birds is predictable.

While the pair have collaborated on numerous productions over the years (including To Schapelle and Back, Putting On A Show and Girl Culture), this is the first time in a decade they are joining forces on stage. This unique arrangement was sparked by an idea from Stafford that perfectly suited Hines’ skills and presence. "Birds is something I've had in mind for a very long time," she says. "Having two women on the beach talking as the world ends. I pictured it being performed by myself and a drag queen so naturally, Alex got the part."

Piera Dennerstein is Bringing Plenty of Pleasure, Power, and Provocation to Melbourne Fringe

Pursuing Pleasure is a daring cabaret that mixes opera, pop, and cabaret sensibilities to explore what it means to accept joy, sensuality, and self-discovery. Piera Dennerstein, known for her dynamic performances, takes audiences on a journey that balances humour, vulnerability, and bold theatricality. Ahead of her Melbourne Fringe season, we sat down with the soprano to talk about how she transforms personal experiences into performance, the power of pleasure, and pushing boundaries on stage.

And no better way to begin than ask how a show that centres pleasure as a political and personal act has been a work in progress for years, even though Dennerstein didn't quite know it. "For the longest time, I thought I had nothing to say! I enjoyed writing and was a prolific poet, but whenever I was encouraged to write my own show, I felt I had no stories of value. In 2022, by chance, I saw Betty Grumble’s "Enemies of Grooviness Eat Sh!t" at Brisbane Festival," she recalls. "It was unlike anything I had seen before: a composting of her experiences with domestic abuse, culminating in a communal rebirth fuelled by sisterhood and the power of female pleasure. I related so strongly that I spent the entire ovation typing into my Notes app. I had finally found something I needed to say!"

Comedy, Chaos and Crohn’s: Uma Dobia’s Intolerant (Melbourne Fringe Festival)

Intolerant is the no-nuts-allowed cabaret where coffee, shellfish, and 400-page ingredient substitution guides come together in the name of fun. Performer Uma Dobia invites us into a meticulously chaotic world where attention to detail and a strict “never mention Brazil nuts” policy are the keys to survival. Ahead of her Melbourne Fringe season, we caught up with Dobia to talk allergies, absurdity, and how she turns life’s restrictions into full-blown comedy.

"I created Intolerant to help people understand what it’s like to live with allergies and Crohn’s disease, and, as a way to say “fuck you!” to these conditions that have ruled my life for so long," she tells me. "Initially I made a list of the funniest or most ridiculous anecdotes I have from allergy and Crohn’s mishaps. They couldn’t all make the final version, so ultimately I chose the ones that best served the purpose of the show. It was a tough decision! Some of my favourites got cut because they didn’t serve the story, but that’s okay. I’ll find a way to share them with the world!"

Are You There? review | Theatre Works

In Are You There?, Irene Korsten invites us into the office foyer at Autumn Dale Village, where three very different women navigate the chaos, humour, and subtle sorrow of everyday life. Over the course of a Friday, the energetic Pia, the feisty Colleen, and the sensitive but fading Lauren reveal the joys, frustrations, and the humanity of their routines, proving that the rhythm of life can still hold profound insight and emotional weight.

Josh McNeill's set is anchored in the main reception, practically designed with a desk, stationery, computers, and phones, but the characters make full use of the area under the guidance of Director Rachel Baring. Beyond the imagined walls, pockets of pebbles and flowers add visual texture, breaking the strict realism of the office and giving the stage a layered, theatrical quality. These understated details suggest that life and (most importantly) memories exist outside the confines of this environment, enhancing the audience’s sense of depth and imagination.

Son of Byblos review | Meat Market

Son of Byblos is an engaging family drama that explores the clash between cultural expectations and personal freedom within a Lebanese-Australian household. Adam (Amir Yacoub) is a 25-year-old gay man whose life is thrown a curveball when his closeted lesbian cousin announces she is marrying a man. This unexpected news forces Adam to confront who he is and what he wants from life. But in a tightly connected family where tradition runs deep, Adam’s journey of self-discovery is far from easy.

Anna Kaleeda Rasheed displays great energy as Claire, and her rapport with Yacoub is very impressive. Together, they convey a believable history, and the way they relate to one another shows an openness and trust they seldom share with to anyone else. Marjan Mesbahi is wonderful as Carol, Adam’s mother, notably in the release and joy she is exposed to from her tango lessons. Amir Rahimzadeh brings depth to John, the father, portraying him with a quiet authority that balances the family dynamics and adds weight to the emotional tension.

The Lark review | Arts Centre Melbourne

In The Lark, Noni Hazlehurst embodies Rose Grey, a woman saying goodbye to the pub that has been the backbone of her life for over fifty years. It’s not just a workplace but a living archive of family, patrons, and fleeting moments that have formed her story. As Rose prepares to close the doors for the last time, memories flood back - bittersweet, funny, and tender.


Hazlehurst is captivating on stage. Few performers can command your attention with sheer presence alone, yet it never feels like it's Hazlehurst we’re watching: it’s Rose. The gruffness, the hardness, the no-nonsense attitude shaped by decades behind a rowdy bar are compelling to watch. Beneath that tough exterior, flashes of vulnerability slip through as Rose lets her guard down. She strikes a delicate balance between these two states, her performance layered and deeply human. Even the way she carries her body shows the toll and texture of the years spent in the pub, and the way she looks out to the audience as she recounts her stories is steeped in memory.

Laugh Lines and Life Lessons with A Handful of Bugs' Jester's Privelege (Melbourne Fringe Festival)

Handful of Bugs – Alex Donnelly and Lachie Gough – return to Melbourne Fringe with Jester’s Privilege, a dark comedy focusing on the divide between the public and private self through the eyes of a jester in a Queen’s medieval court. If there’s one thing this company is known for, it’s the collaborative and playful spirit with which they create and perform. So it’s no surprise that when we spoke to them, they responded to questions as a single voice. 

When I first heard they were making a work on someone approaching the sunset of their career, I worried they might be hinting at their own. Thankfully, the duo quickly put that worry to rest. "Even though we formed as a theatre company in 2023, everyone in the Bugs’ team has worked in the performing arts for many, many years," they tell me. "The show is somewhat inspired in particular by Lachie’s experience as someone who started comedy at 13, and discovered success during his teenage years. Now, he’s not at the end of his career, but the fear that he peaked too soon, or that his glory days have come and gone, has been an ongoing feeling since becoming an adult who is attempting to turn this craft into their full-time gig."

"The exciting and equally terrifying thing about a profession in the performing arts is that it could end at any moment; it could also not happen at all. We're looking into this concept that a career lasts for as long as the audience wants to laugh. Although it is a piece regarding the conclusion of one, this is most definitely not the last you’ll see of the Bugs. We are JUST GETTING STARTED!"