REVIEW: Instructions and work.txt at Melbourne Fringe Festival
- Natasha Dyson
- Oct 5
- 2 min read
Melbourne Fringe is one of Victoria’s most vibrant seasons, and in 2025 the Trades Hall is definitely dressed the part. Bedecked with patterned lights, lanterns and plenty of literal fringe, the building is home (for the next couple weeks) to so many incredible original works from local and international artists alike. This year the folks from SUBJECT OBJECT have written and produced two wildly poignant shows, instructions and work.txt. This Friday night double bill had me laughing, crying, and even playing with building blocks.
In the Australian premiere of instructions, each night an unrehearsed actor is presented with their role and, well, instructions, either on the monitor in front of them or via headphones. We had the pleasure of witnessing Tomáš Kantor’s take on the play, which was compelled by an openness and innocence that was gradually manipulated by the prompts.
Without giving too much away, instructions was especially confronting for creatives, its fringe season perfectly timed given this week’s headlines surrounding representation of AI actors. I was moved and disturbed by Harry Halliday’s technical design, and Nathan Ellis’ script was so effectively eerie in the way it humanised and dehumanised Tomáš. I’d be fascinated to see further actors take on the play. Conceptually, having a fresh actor every night is a masterstroke, reminding us the value of knowing that the humans you see on your screen have experienced real life. We got to see how the play affected a real person in real time.
The Melbourne premiere of the 2023 Adelaide Fringe winner for Best Interactive Theatre (work.txt) was so much fun, in a way that makes you want to abandon all adult responsibilities. The premise is intimidating. No actors, a show performed by the audience. I was pleasantly surprised to find that really, if you didn’t want to participate the show would be just as effective as an exercise in people-watching. But where’s the fun in that?
The show features elements that are uniquely designed by each night’s audience, and scenes which are scripted and performed (read) on a voluntary basis. Again, genius conceptual design by Ellis when demonstrating the premise of humans being treated as replaceable. As an audience we were enthusiastic cogs in the machine.
Both shows take inventive approaches towards confronting our role in late-stage capitalism, more specifically in the age of AI. They are both funny and irreverent and would be just as impactful if you’re only able to see one. If you’re after witnessing powerful acting, instructions is the obvious choice. If you enjoy shared experiences and more goofy, satirical takes, see work.txt. As a creative, the double bill provides a fun palate cleanse to reel you back into the arts after the gentle disillusionment of instructions. See both if you can.
