Adelaide Fringe

Interview: Chris Daniels & Emma Knights – Bringing Us The Newest Fringe ‘Hot’ Spot, LIVE on 5 at the Adelaide Oval

Thanks to Chris Daniels Productions and Emma Knights Productions, Adelaide is about to have a new, exciting Fringe Venue – LIVE on 5 at the (iconic) Adelaide Oval.

Thanks to two young Adelaidians, Chris Daniels of Chris Daniels Productions and Emma Knights of Emma Knights Productions, our city is about to have a brand new and exciting Fringe Venue from 24th Feb to 11th March – LIVE on 5 at the (iconic) Adelaide Oval. I managed to catch up with the extremely busy pair to chat about all things LIVE.

BRIAN:  Exactly what is LIVE on 5 at the Adelaide Oval?

CHRIS;  LIVE on 5 is Adelaide’s latest and greatest Fringe hub. Situated on the Riverbank Terrace on Level 5 in the Southern grandstand of Adelaide Oval, LIVE on 5 is the ultimate Fringe destination, with live, local entertainment every weekday from 5.30 and weekends from 11.30am. South Australian bands, comedians, dancers, authors, and artists are presented alongside South Australian food and drink in the number one South Australian icon. There are also 28 ticketed fringe shows performing around the stadium. Our 7 performance stages throughout the venue have been curated by legendary South Australian producer Emma Knights, who has brought over 58 artists and performances together for two enormous weeks.

BRIAN; How did the concept come about?

CHRIS: That depends on how you define ‘the concept’! We both feel that there’s a solid contingent of Fringe-goers and Fringe artists who aren’t satisfied with their experiences – dusty spaces, dirt floors, porta-loos, un-air conditioned venues, no artist parking, poor value food, so on and so forth. Then I thought – nobody’s using Adelaide Oval for this kind of thing… but why not? I gave it some thought and realised that the facilities in the Oval meant we could deliver a solution to basically every gripe we have had about other Fringe hubs! Once that inspiration hit I immediately called Emma, and basically asked her to make my idea possible! Six months later, LIVE on 5 was unleashed to the masses.

BRIAN:  Where on Adelaide Oval will it all take place?

CHRIS: LIVE on 5 itself, which is the Hub a-la the Garden or Gluttony, is situated on the Lindsay Head Terrace on Level 5 of the Adelaide Oval’s Southern Stand. It is a semi-enclosed terrace bar with unparalleled views South over the Torrens River and cityscape. This space houses our free stage, a giant bar, food and beverage, plenty of chill-out areas with tables and chairs, a dance-floor, and some very exciting other elements to be announced soon!
LIVE on 5 opens at 5pm every weekday, and 11am every weekend, with entertainment beginning at 5.30pm and 11.30am respectively; and each night we run until the party stops!

Click here to find out about the other venues to be found at LIVE on 5 at the Adelaide Oval

EMMA: There are many amazing (mostly South Australian) acts performing here…the full program to be announced very soon! I wanted to curate a space that promoted as much of our local talent as possible and have a smorgasbord of variety for you – something for everyone to enjoy across the two weeks we are open. The space is all set up to be friendly for families every Saturday and Sunday morning with shows for children of all ages!

BRIAN: Emma, is this venture harder or easier (being in partnership with someone else) than your other Emma Knights Productions projects?

EMMA: Every venture brings different opportunities and challenges! Being in partnership with such an iconic venue has given me means to be able to curate and create opportunities I would not have been able to do alone which is pretty exciting!

BRIAN: What are you hoping to achieve for the people of Adelaide and yourself from this?

EMMA: I have curated a program to showcase the diverse talents we have locally, to provide some new experiences for audiences and give opportunity to local performers. I hope that it will inspire others to see what we have to offer right here. I hope it encourages people to get out, attend and support more local events throughout the whole year!

CHRIS: South Australians get locked in to this insecurity, like some kind of inferiority complex versus Melbourne or Sydney… which I hate because it’s often seen as an excuse not to try! People shy away from undertaking something big JUST because it’s Adelaide – I see this ALL the time with my filmmaking projects, especially with advertising gigs. One of my objectives with LIVE on 5 is to say a big “screw you” to that small town mentality – there is no reason to settle with what other people think we should be given, and no reason why we can’t try harder, push further, go bigger!

Interview by Brian Godfrey
Twitter: @briangods

LIVE on 5 website

2017 Fringe website

Adelaide Oval website

Emma Knights Productions website

Chris Daniels Productions website

 

 

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