Sydney-made festival favourite casts another net
Award-winning play, Plenty of Fish in the Sea, by Clockfire Theatre Company, created by Emily Ayoub and Madeline Baghurst, and produced by Kate Gaul, was a hit at Sydney, Adelaide and Edinburgh Fringe Festivals and continues to hook audiences.
Plenty of Fish in the Sea, presented by Clockfire Theatre Co Image Geoff Magee
Plenty of Fish in the Sea tells the story of a rescued traveller, pulled from the surging sea. Conversation is sparse and his temporary lodgings in an ancient fishing monastery brings him face to face with an unsettling kind of hook-up culture. Inspired by its creator's lived experience grappling with dating apps, best described as a fantastical story with an absurdist edge, Plenty of Fish in the Sea is a darkly humorous and physically adventurous contemporary fable about finding the perfect catch.
The acclaimed show was supported by Create NSW through Sydney Fringe Festival’s Made in Sydney 2023 program, which supported new local productions to reach wider audiences. Its Sydney Fringe Festival 2023 season was a stand-out success, with the show being named Best in Theatre, Best in Circus and Physical Theatre and Festival Director Award.
This success, led creators and producers from Clockfire Theatre Co, a Wollondilly-based company to be invited to present the work at Adelaide Fringe 2024. In Adelaide, it played to enthusiastic audiences and won an Adelaide Fringe Weekly Award for Physical Theatre and a House of Oz Purse Prize - the latter enabled the company to present the work internationally at Edinburgh Fringe in 2024, where it received further critical acclaim. More awards followed when, returning to Sydney Fringe Festival in 2024, it picked up a Best in Physical Theatre Award.
In 2025, the show continues its successful run with a return season at the Adelaide Fringe Festival, after which it swims home to Western Sydney, playing at the new Wollondilly Performing Arts Centre.
Plenty of Fish in the Sea performed by Madeline Baghurst. Image Geoff Magee, courtesy Sydney Fringe Festival
The creative team credits its success to the support of the 2023 Sydney Fringe Festival's Made in Sydney program, supported by Create NSW, which enabled the company to head to the rehearsal studio for a vital two weeks of further development before opening. Plenty of Fish in the Sea also received professional development support from Create NSW to attend the 2024 Honey Pot – Adelaide Fringe’s International Arts Marketplace that takes place over four weeks during the festival. Attending these industry networking events with presenters, producers and artists, helped its creators develop future local and international touring opportunities.
2025 performances of Plenty of Fish in the Sea include Adelaide Fringe Festival, from 4-9 March 2025 and Wollondilly Performing Arts Centre, 4 & 5 April 2025.
Created & directed by Emily Ayoub and Madeline Baghurst
Performed by Emily Ayoub, Madeline Baghurst, Christopher Carroll
Artistic Producer Kate Gaul
Production Designer Tobhiyah Stone Feller
Composer Daniel Herten
Lighting Designer Victor Kalka
Production Photography Geoff Magee
Plenty of Fish in the Seawas first produced by Clockfire Theatre Company and opened in Sydney on 17 February 2023 at The Flying Nun.