Latest news with #PatrickKennedy
Time Out
08-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Time Out
JUST IN: Sydney Fringe Festival has dropped its biggest program yet for 2025
Sydney Fringe Festival – the state's largest independent arts festival – is coming back to the Harbour City this September, with an epic program described as the festival's 'most expansive yet.' We've got the lowdown on what to expect at this year's Fringe. First up, a little background. Born in 2010, Sydney Fringe Festival has carved out its place on Sydney's cultural calendar as a champion of the little guys (and gals and theys) – an independent festival dedicated to celebrating and elevating emerging artists, small venues and local communities. With community at its core, Sydney Fringe brings life to the city's beloved local haunts and public spaces for 30 days of creativity and entertainment – and this year's event is set to be the biggest yet. Recently appointed CEO Patrick Kennedy has explained how this year's extended program 'pushes boundaries and spotlights new voices, inviting Sydneysiders to rediscover their city through unforgettable experiences in every corner.' The corners in question are dotted across four city precincts, with 10 key festival hubs: PACT Centre for Emerging Artists (the Yagali First Nations Hub), Bondi Pavilion, Qtopia Sydney (Queer Hub), Marrickville Town Hall (Cabaret Hub), Sydney Dance Company's Neilson Studio (Dance Hub), The Entertainment Quarter, The Old Fitz Theatre, Riverside Theatres, Eternity Playhouse (returning for Sydney Fringe to host the Off Broadway Hub), and a 'touring hub' produced in partnership with Wollongong's Merrigong Theatre Company. Featuring more than 2,900 artists and over 460 events, the program is too extensive to cover in full (thankfully, the website features easy-to-navigate tools to help you find the shows that suit you). Top picks include a huge opening night street party – set to bring free live entertainment to the heritage laneways of The Rocks on Thursday 4 September – When Night Comes by Broad Encounters (an immersive theatre experience inviting small groups into a cocktail-fuelled, surreal underworld), and an epic First Sounds Showcase on Saturday 30 August featuring a stacked line-up of First Nations talent. This year will also see the return of Fringe favourites including SIDESHOW (a series of pop-up experiential shows running Tuesday to Sunday throughout the fest) and Qtopia's sparkly-as-anything Queer Hub. The Fringe will run from September 1 - 30 2025, with some select events popping up in the lead-up to the fest. Tickets for all shows are on sale now. You can learn more and plan your Sydney Fringe experience over here.
Sydney Morning Herald
07-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Sydney Morning Herald
Beloved theatre reopens its doors for Sydney Fringe
Darlinghurst's much-loved Eternity Playhouse is set to spring back to life more than a year after closing its doors. The historic Palmer Street venue will reopen in September as the Off Broadway Hub for this year's Sydney Fringe Festival. The Playhouse stage has been dark since resident company Darlinghurst Theatre went into liquidation in June last year. 'It's just so nice that those doors will be open again,' says Patrick Kennedy, confirmed last night as the festival's new CEO after being appointed on an interim basis about a month ago. 'It was a real loss to the community having those doors shuttered. We're terrifically overwhelmed to be the first people back.' Kennedy, who took on the top job following the resignation of long-time CEO Kerri Glasscock, said the festival had worked tirelessly with the City of Sydney to be able to seal the Playhouse deal, revealing the contract was finally inked last Friday. A City of Sydney spokesperson said the council would operate the theatre for the next three years, the Fringe being the first event to use the venue. Loading 'The City of Sydney will introduce a range of locally produced performing arts in 2026, and we look forward to an exciting year ahead with a full line-up of performances taking over the theatre,' the spokesperson said. 'Long term, we intend to lease the theatre to a resident company or operator to ensure the theatre remains operational.' This year's Fringe festival, which starts on September 1, will feature more than 460 events across 10 festival hubs and four separate precincts – inner west, central, eastern and Greater Sydney.
The Age
07-07-2025
- Entertainment
- The Age
Beloved theatre reopens its doors for Sydney Fringe
Darlinghurst's much-loved Eternity Playhouse is set to spring back to life more than a year after closing its doors. The historic Palmer Street venue will reopen in September as the Off Broadway Hub for this year's Sydney Fringe Festival. The Playhouse stage has been dark since resident company Darlinghurst Theatre went into liquidation in June last year. 'It's just so nice that those doors will be open again,' says Patrick Kennedy, confirmed last night as the festival's new CEO after being appointed on an interim basis about a month ago. 'It was a real loss to the community having those doors shuttered. We're terrifically overwhelmed to be the first people back.' Kennedy, who took on the top job following the resignation of long-time CEO Kerri Glasscock, said the festival had worked tirelessly with the City of Sydney to be able to seal the Playhouse deal, revealing the contract was finally inked last Friday. A City of Sydney spokesperson said the council would operate the theatre for the next three years, the Fringe being the first event to use the venue. Loading 'The City of Sydney will introduce a range of locally produced performing arts in 2026, and we look forward to an exciting year ahead with a full line-up of performances taking over the theatre,' the spokesperson said. 'Long term, we intend to lease the theatre to a resident company or operator to ensure the theatre remains operational.' This year's Fringe festival, which starts on September 1, will feature more than 460 events across 10 festival hubs and four separate precincts – inner west, central, eastern and Greater Sydney.
The Irish Sun
22-05-2025
- Health
- The Irish Sun
Warning as popular stag do hotspot hit by potentially fatal ‘yellowing disease' that's ‘spreading fast' infecting 450
BRITS jetting off to a popular stag and hen hotspot have been urged to get jabbed amid a fast-spreading outbreak of 'dirty hands disease'. Hundreds have fallen ill as 2 Prague has seen a surge in hep A cases Credit: Getty 2 The disease can leave your skin and the whites of your eyes yellow Credit: Getty The potentially deadly virus is spread via the poo of infected people, which is why Czech health chiefs have nicknamed it 'dirty hands disease'. The virus inflames the liver, stopping it from working properly. This means it can't clear a substance called bilirubin from the body. When bilirubin builds up, it causes It can also lead to dark urine and cause itchy skin. Read more on hep a But in some cases, people show no symptoms at all - making it even easier for the virus to spread unnoticed among crowds. As of May 5, the Czech Republic has recorded 450 confirmed cases of hepatitis A (Hep A), with six deaths reported. That's a sharp rise compared to all of 2024, which saw 636 cases and two fatalities. The hardest-hit areas so far are Central Bohemia (87 cases), Moravia-Silesia (83), and Prague (73). Most read in Health The disease is mostly spreading among young adults and the homeless who have not been vaccinated. "They are therefore more likely to become infected when in contact with an infected person or objects," Dr Barbora Macková, chief hygienist and director of the SZÚ said in a statement. Leading consultant hepatologist, Dr Patrick Kennedy explains the different types, and the complications of hepatitis "Increasing non-compliance with prescribed anti-epidemic measures and basic hygiene habits, the infection has very good conditions for "spreading", she added in the release shared on the UK's Travel Health Pros website. Brits — and anyone planning to visit the Czech Republic — are being urged to check their vaccine records and get jabbed before travelling. "In the current epidemiological situation, we recommend getting vaccinated before the start of holidays and vacations, "Dr Barbora added. Hep A vaccines are not routinely given out in the UK due to the low risk of getting the infection. But the NHS does advise the jab for travellers heading to places where the virus is more common. These include parts of Africa, Asia, the Middle East, and Central and South America. What are the symptoms of Hepatitis A? Symptoms can include: feeling tired and generally unwell joint and muscle pain a high temperature (fever) loss of appetite feeling or being sick pain in the upper-right part of your tummy yellowing of the skin and eyes (jaundice) dark urine and pale stools itchy skin Source: You should also get vaccinated if you've recently been close to someone with hepatitis A. If you have long-term liver disease or a blood clotting disorder like Men who have sex with men and people with jobs that expose them to the virus - like healthcare or sewage workers - should also be vaccinated. Speak to your GP if you think you need a hepatitis A vaccine.
Scottish Sun
22-05-2025
- Health
- Scottish Sun
Warning as popular stag do hotspot hit by potentially fatal ‘yellowing disease' that's ‘spreading fast' infecting 450
Those planning to visit the Czech Republic are being urged to check their vaccine records and get jabbed before travelling STAG FLU Warning as popular stag do hotspot hit by potentially fatal 'yellowing disease' that's 'spreading fast' infecting 450 BRITS jetting off to a popular stag and hen hotspot have been urged to get jabbed amid a fast-spreading outbreak of 'dirty hands disease'. Hundreds have fallen ill as hepatitis A sweeps through parts of the Czech Republic — including Prague, a favourite with British partygoers. Advertisement 2 Prague has seen a surge in hep A cases Credit: Getty 2 The disease can leave your skin and the whites of your eyes yellow Credit: Getty The potentially deadly virus is spread via the poo of infected people, which is why Czech health chiefs have nicknamed it 'dirty hands disease'. The virus inflames the liver, stopping it from working properly. This means it can't clear a substance called bilirubin from the body. When bilirubin builds up, it causes jaundice — making your skin and the whites of your eyes turn yellow. It can also lead to dark urine and cause itchy skin. Advertisement But in some cases, people show no symptoms at all - making it even easier for the virus to spread unnoticed among crowds. As of May 5, the Czech Republic has recorded 450 confirmed cases of hepatitis A, with six deaths reported. That's a sharp rise compared to all of 2024, which saw 636 cases and two fatalities. The hardest-hit areas so far are Central Bohemia (87 cases), Moravia-Silesia (83), and Prague (73). Advertisement The disease is mostly spreading among young adults and the homeless who have not been vaccinated. "They are therefore more likely to become infected when in contact with an infected person or objects," Dr Barbora Macková, chief hygienist and director of the SZÚ said in a statement. Leading consultant hepatologist, Dr Patrick Kennedy explains the different types, and the complications of hepatitis "Increasing non-compliance with prescribed anti-epidemic measures and basic hygiene habits, the infection has very good conditions for "spreading", she added in the release shared on the UK's Travel Health Pros webiste. Brits — and anyone planning to visit the Czech Republic — are being urged to check their vaccine records and get jabbed before travelling. Advertisement "In the current epidemiological situation, we recommend getting vaccinated before the start of holidays and vacations, "Dr Barbora added. Hep A vaccines are not routinely given out in the UK due to the low risk of getting the infection. But the NHS does advise the jab for travellers heading to places where the virus is more common. These include parts of Africa, Asia, the Middle East, and Central and South America. Advertisement What are the symptoms of Hepatitis A? Symptoms can include: feeling tired and generally unwell joint and muscle pain a high temperature (fever) loss of appetite feeling or being sick pain in the upper-right part of your tummy yellowing of the skin and eyes (jaundice) dark urine and pale stools itchy skin Source: The NHS You should also get vaccinated if you've recently been close to someone with hepatitis A. If you have long-term liver disease or a blood clotting disorder like haemophilia, you should get the jab. Men who have sex with men and people with jobs that expose them to the virus - like healthcare or sewage workers - should also be vaccinated. Speak to your GP if you think you need a hepatitis A vaccine. Advertisement
