During February and March every year, the Adelaide arts scene is absolutely buzzing. Artists from all over the world descend on our fine state to partake in the Adelaide Fringe and Adelaide Festival. For local producers, such as Joanne Hartstone, it is months, and sometimes years, of working with these artists to curate a brilliant program.
Joanne is a multi-award winning theatre maker, performer, playwright, director, producer and presenter who has been presenting work in the Adelaide Fringe since 2006. This year, Joanne has curated her biggest and most spectacular Adelaide Fringe program to date, which features 14 shows across six venues. The program Joanne has curated is a showcase of some of the finest international theatre, comedy, music, kids and family shows.
Joanne spoke to Glam Adelaide about her brilliant Adelaide Fringe program, the work that has gone into curating it. and what it is about the arts and creating theatre that she finds so infectious.
“I think it’s the way that it changes people. It does it in a way that is unexpected all the time. whether you’ve had an amazing night out and you feel things inside and you’re enjoying yourself, or whether it’s because seeds of thought are planted in your mind or you’re given a glimpse of the human experience or you’re able to express empathy. It’s such a diverse way of nourishing ourselves as human beings that you just can’t get from other mediums. I also include digital art in that because, obviously, you can go and see a film and it’s amazing. but it’s this side of humanity that we often forget is so vital to our experience. The arts is a very old medium and one that tends to not be prioritized when you’re thinking of human necessity. So I’m here kind of championing it, saying that this is vital. This is a vital part of how we progress as a society, as individuals, as the entire human race, to keep on making and thinking and talking and experiencing and sharing. And so that’s why I continue to be a part of it, because I feel that I can be of value and I can be of service in this industry to our community.”
Joanne spends a lot of time in the lead up to a festival like the Adelaide Fringe looking for the perfect shows to feature in her program lineup.
“First of all, I have to find either the shows or the artists to be of a certain quality. So I use my own experience for shows – do I like it? I’m pretty discerning when it comes to theatre because I have seen a lot and I have been privileged to have that experience. Then I have to think about whether I think that this is good for our society. Is it good for our community? Is it good for our audiences to see something like this? And often it will be a question of, will they like it or will this expand them? Will this be a good conversation to have? Do they need to see this amazing piece of art and this person’s storytelling abilities? So I then sort of put that filter through from the perspective of our audiences. I also think about the artist and whether this will be of reciprocal benefit to them – if coming to Adelaide is going to be a good thing for them. So I think, will we give something back to them by them coming here? And then if all that formula kind of fits in, then I find the right venue that will do this show justice and translate the story properly to the audience.
“I don’t particularly look for a theme as such. I can’t really do that; shows either come to me or I go to the shows. That’s why I have more of a broad program and something for everyone in there. I don’t just stick to several shows on one thing. I just have a look at what’s being discussed out there in the world and how I can harness it and bring it back to Adelaide.”
Included in her program are two wonderful shows for kids: Meg In The Magic Toyshop and Grandpa Poseidon.
We asked Joanne what it was about those two shows that caught her attention.
“With Meg In The Magic Toyshop, I actually went to school with the show’s creator, Merrilyn Greer, but it was only after high school that we became friends. I worked with her for the first time last year on Meg In The Magic Toyshop. I was in the UK, where she lives, and we had discussions about bringing it back to Adelaide. I said to give me a little time as I wanted to see if we could get it into Gluttony. Last year it was performed at The Warehouse Theatre in Unley, and this year it will be in Gluttony in The Kingfisher. It’s such a beautiful children’s show full of imagination and wonder and I’m so pleased I can help give it the spotlight it deserves.
“Grandpa Poseidon is going to be a very special production. Wright and Granger have made some brilliant shows in the past. They’re Fringe Royalty. They made Orpheus, The Gods, and Helios.These guys are top-tier Fringe artists. Audiences often ask if they can bring their kids to come and see Orpheus as it’s quite wordy and has some adult themes, it’s not exactly for a young age bracket. So Wright and Granger have adapted this version for their regular audiences but it has also been created so that young people can appreciate it as well.”
Another show in Joanne’s lineup is the controversial production, Help! I Think I’m A Nationalist.
“I was almost not going to say yes to presenting Help! I’m A Nationalist because of its controversy. Then I had a long hard rethink about it all and came to the conclusion that this is exactly why I do what I do and this is a really important conversation to be having, particularly now. Because it might not be someone’s cup of tea or it might get some tongues wagging or it might have a negative impact on someone or it might have a really positive impact on someone – that’s why I present shows. It’s created by a Cornish artist and he is looking at this question through the eyes of Cornwall being like akin to Scotland, Wales or Ireland in that the English took it over many, many years ago and took the the Cornish language and kind of gentrified it – a typical English colonialism kind of thing. He goes back to the whole history of Cornwall and looks at how it’s been kind of taken by the English. We looked at how the show would translate to Australian audiences and changes that might be needed. It’s been a very interesting process because we’ve had several meetings, actual artistic discussions, and we’ve been consulting with more artists over here about how to translate this to Australian audiences, because there are different conversations to be had. We have First Nations people who are the traditional owners of the land. How does that translate into what message we’re saying? And which side will this person fall on in terms of that discussion and that ownership? This is an adaptation of the show that has been touring Europe and the UK and is being made for Australian audiences. So I think it’s going to be controversial. It’s an amazing show. It’s on at two different venues because we wanted to reach as many different audiences as possible.”
To see the full line up of Joanne’s shows, and to purchase tickets, visit: https://adelaidefringe.com.au/fringe-lists/joanne-hartstone-presents-2025
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