This episode of Arts Garden dives head-first into Adelaide Fringe season, with conversations spanning grief, circus, comedy, and the realities of making creative work sustainable.

We’re joined first by Melissa and Connor from CRAM Collective, who introduce their new Fringe work Meteors. Developed through a residency at The Mill, the show explores how young people experience grief; the silences around it, the awkward kindness of casseroles and lasagnes, and the long journey that begins after the funeral. Drawing on lived experience, Meteors makes space for grief that is tender, funny, unresolved, and deeply human. The conversation touches on ritual, memory, care, and why grief doesn’t disappear; it changes shape.

We also hear from Eva Seymour, Melbourne actor and writer, bringing her acclaimed solo show The Understudy to Adelaide Fringe. Eva reflects on the strange psychological territory of being perpetually “almost on stage”: the tension between gratitude and frustration, waiting and ambition, and what happens when an artist puts their life on hold for something outside their control. The discussion moves through acting, writing, theatre versus screen, and the freedom (and terror) of making solo work.

Later in the episode, we speak with the full lineup behind The Diversity Quota, a sharp, self-aware stand-up showcase interrogating representation, identity, and workplace culture. The comedians discuss how the show came together, why comedy is uniquely suited to tackling taboo topics, and how leaning into awkwardness can create something generous rather than tokenistic.

Finally, the episode features a conversation with Lachlan Binns from Gravity & Other Myths, reflecting on growing up in circus, touring internationally, and presenting two Fringe shows this year: The Mirror and Ten Thousand Hours. Lachlan talks about mastery, repetition, technology, play, and why the process behind a spectacular moment can be more interesting than the moment itself.

Across the episode, Arts Garden explores:

• how artists sit with grief and uncertainty
• why Fringe matters for new and risky work
• the labour behind creative excellence
• and what it means to keep choosing art in difficult conditions

Guests:
CRAM Collective (Melissa & Connor) · Eva Seymour · The Diversity Quota · Lachlan Binns (Gravity & Other Myths)

Recorded on: Arts Garden, 3D Radio 93.7FM