Impressive, beautiful, an experimental approach Review by Jackson Rosie 12th Mar 2026 “Here I am, and there is my body dancing on glass” – Sarah Kane The Dunedin Fringe is an exciting time of year; it’s essentially Christmas if you’re a theatre and arts nerd like me. Notably, the last two years have seen a rise in digital events – purchase a ticket, and receive a link to a video accessible from the first day of the festival through to the last. Colour me intrigued! I love a good film as much as the next guy. But this isn’t a film, not as I expected it anyway. This is a recording of a one woman show, solely created by Ariel Bittner. As I watch this recording, I find myself comparing it to the works of Sarah Kane – a playwright and creative who throughout my own artistic career, I have drawn from and respected a lot. This show uses disconcerting images projected behind Ariel, contorting body movements and dance that unsettle the audience each time she whips her body into a new position, and sound design that pierces through the veil of reality and into a place where Bittner is trying to show us, without explicitly telling us, that the world we live in is not coping. I’m intrigued. I like Sarah Kane, or shows that remind me of that style, and I like art that means something – we’re in for a treat! Bittner herself describes this show as “showcasing the sacred feminine spirit, embodying growth, self-destruction, and balance as a call to reconnect with the cycles of the earth. … This solo multimedia performance celebrates the raw power of creation and destruction embodied by a volcano, as it explores parallels between the cyclical movements of the earth and the emotional landscape of humanity.” This comes across successfully, I see a story of a volcano or mountain rising from the ground up, and despite adversity (fire, storms, strong wind), it refuses to give up and fall. The metaphor is strong, and holds true to itself until the very end, where beauty re-emerges from adversity. This show could be categorized into five separate scenes: Earth, Water, Fire, Air, and Rebirth. Bittner moves through each scene with ease. With a few costume changes and a set (or costume in some instances?) of a volcano made of recycled materials and sheets, which she often emerges from. Bittner doesn’t have much to work with, but works with it to full potential. The opening monologue, delivered through a voice over and subtitled onto the back wall which projects video that would be nauseating to watch for a second time (in a good way, naturally), offers an insight into what this show really means. “I am a form of many fragments, a tapestry” she explains, while discussing her own birth – the warm place where her existence began – the warm place where she was conditioned before being thrust into the world. There is an evident fear factor shown through the depiction of the world, as Bittner journeys through it to find the beauty on the other side. I’m not female, so I won’t comment much on the feminine aspects of the show, however I can see the direction taken in the opening monologue, a section around the beauty of childbirth, and likely also the female experience of being knocked down and thriving through adversity – especially if we look in the United States (where this show comes from), into abortion laws for example and the political climate overseas. It’s very clear throughout the show that these are aspects relevant in the creative process, and Bittner should be commended for taking a perspective that is relevant and turning it into something meaningful and thought provoking. Bittner must be commended for this production as a WHOLE… of which she is the sole creative, performer, and producer. This show is beautiful in what it represents, and how it looks. My only concern is that it loses something when watched through a screen. While interesting to watch, I can only imagine what this performance would be like sitting in the front row and feeling the fascinating sound design around me, and the lights absorbing me. While it is exciting to see digital media at the Dunedin Fringe Festival, it’s worth remembering the boundary between what needs to be seen live, and what can be seen on screens – while this production was still amazing, and intriguing to watch… it lost some spark as it made its way over here. The final title card reads ‘FIN’ indicating the show is now over, however we’re left in a state of wanting a bit more: where do we go from here? The ending felt a little abrupt perhaps, however necessary it was to the story’s progression. Overall, an impressive production that offers an experimental approach to a relevant message, done effectively and with ease. It is interesting to watch, and evokes needed thought about the world, and myself. Copyright © in the review belongs to the reviewer