Kimba is truly on the Fringe
The Eyre Peninsula town is hosting Fringe shows for the first time in the town’s history, and it’s going off.
Marc Ryan will perform his show “Not here to F**k Spiders” in Kimba on 16 March.
Deb Larwood, Chief Executive Officer of the District Council of Kimba, said having Fringe shows in town has been a welcome addition to the town, which is about a five-hour drive from Adelaide.
“We’re hoping that the locals will get on board, and combined with support from our neighboring towns and communities, it will result in a high turnout of visitors,” Larwood said.
Comedian Kel Balnaves sold out the first show at the Kimba Gateway Hotel in the centre of town on 6 March.
The two remaining shows are Marc Ryan on Thursday 16 March at 7pm, and the Jingo Brothers on Monday 20 March at 7:30pm at the Kimba Hall.
Ryan will share his lived experience with PTSD and depression through his “Not here to F**k Spiders” show.
Born and raised in the northern suburbs of Adelaide, Ryan said his main drive for performing is to spread awareness of mental illness.
“My motivation for my act is to normalise the conversation around mental illness, especially when it comes to men, and spread the message that it’s okay to put your hand up if you are struggling,” Ryan said.
“I do not do this show for financial gain, I do it to save lives. If people are struggling in the audience and they reach out to someone after my show, then my job is complete. I just want to help people.”
Ryan has been performing for over a decade and began to share his struggles when he realized he was not alone in his experiences.
“I want people to know that they are not alone in this complicated, and confusing world,” Ryan said.
“While the price of everything is going up, kindness is still free.”
Ryan said he believes everyone deserves the opportunity to experience the Fringe in their hometown, especially those in remote country towns like Kimba.
“My dream is to create hype and get these country towns feeling Fringey,” Ryan said.
Larwood agreed with Ryan and said she hoped that the Fringe coming to Kimba would be the start of a yearly occurrence.
“We would encourage any acts that are interested in coming out to Kimba to reach out to us, as we would love to have them here,” Larwood said.
“We would like to see this as an ongoing tradition.”
