Shaolin Punk » Ben McKenzie

Come With Us If You Want To Live Forever

Benjamin — Fri, 16 Dec 2011 06:01:14 +0000

What do you get if you take the greatest story ever told – and add the nativity? Well, you get The Terminator + the nativity = The Terminativity, the twisted brainchild of Nick Caddaye and Casey Bennetto, and featuring not only Richard McKenzie as The Terminator and Ben McKenzie in three roles (count ‘em!), but many of your favourite Dungeon Crawl guests as well, including Adam McKenzie, Andrew McClelland, Scott Edgar, Steven Gates and Lawrence Leung as well! Stars Mike McLeish and Aurora Kurth will take you on the most Christmassy journey of all!

If you want to come, better book now – even with an extra fourth show, it’s looking to sell out!

All Hallow’s Evil

Benjamin — Mon, 31 Oct 2011 01:11:01 +0000

It’s close to midnight…and something evil’s lurking in the dark! Well, that’s often the case at Dungeon Crawl, but this week is Halloween – All Hallow’s Eve – and so this Wednesday the creepy, spooky, even the kooky are coming out to play. (Yes yes, I know it’s a modern commercial bastardisation of Samhain, and that in the southern hemisphere it should be happening at the start of May, but let’s not bring Pagan politics into it.)

Four brave adventurers – Toby Halligan, Amanda Buckley, Nick Caddaye and Geraldine Quinn – will strap on the armour and pick up the sword, wand, bow or magical thingamebob in order to ward off the forces of darkness that emerge at this time of year. Like, um…sunshine? Redbacks? Yes! But more evil. Like…giant redbacks!

Whatever those horrors may be, you can be sure your Dungeon Master Ben McKenzie won’t make it easy for your heroes. Certainly, he has plans to be as horrible as his usual minion Richard McKenzie, who can’t be with us this month as he will be suffering unspeakable torment in the ninth circle of Carceri! Or on holiday on a tropical island, it’s hard to say. But in any case, standing in will be the redoubtable yet surprisingly evil Sean Fabri.

As usual, it all kicks off at 8:30 PM at the Bella Union. Doors open from 8, tickets $15 on the door or $14 in advance from bellaunion.com.au. This is our second last one for the year, and we’re taking a break in January, so let’s make it a big one!

Free for Fringe!

Benjamin — Tue, 04 Oct 2011 05:50:14 +0000

Dungeon Crawl is, as you know, a monthly show. We intend to take Januarys off – even we want some time off after Christmas and New Year – but otherwise, you’ll see us eleven times a year. And October is no different, even though it falls during the Melbourne Fringe Festival!

This year, we’re doing a later show (so as not to clash too badly with the Fringe programme), and to sweeten the deal further, we’re making the Fringe edition free! We’ll produce a great line-up of comedians, improvisers and Fringe Festival performers, including at this stage returning favourites Jimmy James Eaton and Louise Joy McCrae; all you need to bring is a sense of humour and a few helpful suggestions.

Our Free Fringe edition is on Wednesday, October 5 at 9:30 PM. Note a few sources list other times for this month’s show, but 9:30 is definitely the correct one!

See you there.

Remember, remember, the 5th of September…

Benjamin — Fri, 12 Aug 2011 01:58:01 +0000

Thanks to all the Dungeon Crawlers who turned up to our August shows in Melbourne and Sydney! A splendid time was had by all, and while we don’t have photos from these shows, we will be posting recaps over the next week or so.

In September, Dungeon Crawl returns – but our fearless Dungeon Master Ben McKenzie will be far across the seas, in the Lands of Scot, Eng and Ire! (So, er…the United Kingdom.) In his stead, Dungeon Minion Richard McKenzie steps up to the DM screen – and surely has a surprise or two up his sleeves… That’s the next monthly Dungeon Crawl on September 7, 8:30 PM at the Bella Union bar in Melbourne. Tickets $14 at bellaunion.com.au or $15 at the door. Line-ups to be announced in the next week or so!

When Ben returns, it’ll be Melbourne Fringe Festival time – and we’ll be doing a late night free edition of Dungeon Crawl on October 5! That’s 10PM at the Bella Union bar.

A Tale of Two Cities

Benjamin — Tue, 26 Jul 2011 06:34:40 +0000

Thanks to the crowd who came along to Dungeon Mook: Crawl to Mount Geek! Our fundraiser show for Vignette Press was a great success; keep an eye out for a recap in the near future! Our regular photo-chronicler, Rob Young, couldn’t be there, but the fine folk from the fanzine Dark Matter captured the event in great detail; you can find their photos on their Facebook page.

But in the month of August, trouble is brewing. There will be more Dungeon Crawl than can possibly be contained by one city. Our regular monthly show looms on Wednesday, August 3, with guests including comedian Jack Druce (Too Short to be a Stormtrooper) and actor Toby Truslove (ABC1′s Laid)! After visiting Hogwarts and the lands of literary fantasy, including Westeros, Whoville and Fantasia, it will almost come as a relief to return to the all-things-to-all-games magical medieval setting of Dungeons & Dragons.

But a call is being heard from distant lands. That brave citadel, the Bondi Pavilion, must be defended against the forces of Winter; the flames must be fanned; the beacon must not go out. Yes, Dungeon Crawl must summon its allies and head North to defend it: the Keep on the Bondilands! For one night only, as part of the Bondi Rock Surfers’ Hot Damn Festival, Ben and Richard present a Dungeon Crawl by the beach, with an amazing line-up of local guests including Dave Harmon, Carlo Richie, Susie Youssef, Dave Bloustien (Wit Large, Good News Week), Stephanie “Hex” Bendixsen (ABC1′s Good Game) and maybe even more!

And as if that’s not enough, this special Dungeon Crawl is part of a double-bill with those lovely folk from Wit Large. They’ve invented a whole new kind of comedy debating – one that doesn’t involve teams! – and called it Word Fight. The topic for the first outing is the ever so Dungeon Crawl compatible “The Geek Shall Inherit the Earth”, and your word fighters will include Dan Ilic (Hungry Beast, Can of Worms), Doug Bayne (ABC’s Double the Fist), Jen Wong (Comedy Zone), Shaolin Punk’s own Ben McKenzie and the members of Puppy Fight Social Club!

You can get a ticket to each for $18 – or go the full nerd and see both for only $30! You know you want to.

Dungeon Crawl in Melbourne returns on Wednesday, August 3rd at 8:30 at the Bella Union, Melbourne Trades Hall, corner of Lygon and Victoria Streets. Tickets $14 from bellaunion.com.au or $15 at the door.

Word Fight: The Geek Shall Inherit and Dungeon Crawl: Keep on the Bondilands are at 7:30 PM and 9 PM on Thursday, August 4th at the Bondi Pavilion theatre, Queen Elizabeth Drive, Bondi Beach. Tickets $18 for one show, $30 for both; book online here or buy tickets at the door.