Red Bennies

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Red Bennies was an Australian performing arts and live music neo-cabaret cocktail bar, situated on Melbourne's south side entertainment strip of Chapel St, South Yarra. It was founded by hospitality entrepreneur Garrath Holt, promoter [1] and film maker Christopher H.F. Mitchell. [2] [3] [4] [5] [6] [7] and Artistic Director and Arts Marketer, Alexander Schoeffel joining shortly after.

The venue opened January 2010, [8] playing host to over a thousand shows and winning numerous arts awards during [9] its 4 years [10] of operation prior to its closure in 2014.

The deco inspired late night cocktail bar, dinner venue and nightclub played host to a wide variety of stage shows, from aerial circus performances, burlesque, cabaret, [11] theatre and comedy [12] [13] [14] to international bands, [15] [16] djs, jazz, [17] [18] [19] [20] film festivals [21] [22] [23] [24] [25] and BDSM.

Red Bennies has been credited to giving rise to the new wave of burlesque culture which permeated throughout Melbourne and Australia at the end of the 2000s. The only large scale venue producing stage shows 5 days a week, [26] RB's fostered a home and employment for many of Australia's biggest names in burlesque [7] which sparked the introduction of the Miss Burlesque Australia competition alongside burlesque schools hosted at the venue but its various creative partnerships.

Likewise RB's had a close working relationship with NICA (National Institute of Circus Arts) the premier circus training school in the Southern Hemisphere. The venue acted as a hub for student showcases [27] and provided a large amount of employment for the national circus community. The venue also often featured guest performers from touring companies in town including Cirque De Soleil.

The venue was subject to media controversy on a number of occasions for its willingness to push the boundaries of entertainment and controversial performance commentary, [28] [29] [30] including its critically celebrated season of NUDE. [31] [32]

Initially a hub for Melbourne's fringe artists, [33] performers, musicians and carnies, [34] Red Bennies quickly rose in popularity attracting a more mainstream crowd [35] which while galvanising commercial success for the venue, the new found mass market appeal effected Red Bennies image as Melbourne's home for underground performing arts, detracting some of its earlier established more esoteric audience.

In late 2013 Holt and Mitchell sold the venue to a major Melbourne hospitality group to focus on producing large boutique underground events, their first venture a punk rock vampire strip club called "Titty Twister" [36] [37] [38] named after and inspired by the bar from Robert Rodriguez and Quentin Tarantino's 1996 cult film From Dusk till Dawn .

With Holt, Mitchell or Schoeffel no longer at the helm, the new proprietors found difficulties in programming and marketing the venue to the standard established by the previous owners and closed Red Bennies early 2014 to replace the venue with a DJ focused Nightclub which maintained some elements of Red Bennies original shows. [39]

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References

  1. ↑ "Ballina Beats keeps the promoters on their toes". Northern Star. 29 December 2006. Retrieved 18 July 2016.
  2. ↑ "Red Bennies | Beat Magazine". Beat.com.au. Retrieved 18 July 2016.
  3. ↑ "Interview w Chris Mitchell re: Red Bennies". Alice Body. 12 September 2011. Retrieved 18 July 2016.
  4. ↑ "Nightlife | Parties, Clubs & Lounges in Melbourne | Time Out Melbourne". Au.timeout.com. 1 July 2016. Retrieved 18 July 2016.
  5. ↑ "Chris Mitchell and Yoav Lester take on hipsters and filmmaking orthodoxy with MUFF opener Start Options Exit". Smh.com.au. 11 September 2014. Retrieved 18 July 2016.
  6. ↑ "Red Bennies Fringe Program | Beat Magazine". Beat.com.au. Retrieved 18 July 2016.
  7. 1 2 "Beat's Fringe Festival Guide 2011 by Furst Media". Issuu.com. Retrieved 18 July 2016.
  8. ↑ "Welcome to Red Bennies | ArtsHub Australia". Performing.artshub.com.au. 18 January 2010. Retrieved 18 July 2016.
  9. ↑ "Program | Past Award Winners | Melbourne Fringe". www.melbournefringe.com.au. Archived from the original on 27 March 2015. Retrieved 17 January 2022.
  10. ↑ "Red Bennies Announce Third Birthday Party | Beat Magazine". Beat.com.au. Retrieved 18 July 2016.
  11. ↑ "The Brass Bear Cabaret Return | Beat Magazine". Beat.com.au. Retrieved 18 July 2016.
  12. ↑ "Des Bishop Visits Red Bennies | Beat Magazine". Beat.com.au. Retrieved 18 July 2016.
  13. ↑ "The New Oyster Club At Red Bennies | Beat Magazine". Beat.com.au. Archived from the original on 17 August 2016. Retrieved 18 July 2016.
  14. ↑ "Live Review: Melbourne International Comedy Festival - Tim Lee: Scientist Turned Comedian, Red Bennies Bar (18.04.12)". the AU review. 25 April 2012. Retrieved 18 July 2016.
  15. ↑ "Fitz & The Tantrums, Lanie Lane @ Red Bennies, Melbourne (29/07/2011)". Fasterlouder.com.au. 1 August 2011. Retrieved 18 July 2016.
  16. ↑ "RED BENNIES LIVE | the Ripe". www.theripe.tv. Archived from the original on 29 November 2014. Retrieved 17 January 2022.
  17. ↑ "Harry James Angus Band | Beat Magazine". Beat.com.au. Retrieved 18 July 2016.
  18. ↑ "Stonnington Jazz Announce 2013 Program | Beat Magazine". Beat.com.au. Retrieved 18 July 2016.
  19. ↑ "Photo Gallery: Stonnington Jazz Festival feat. James Morrison + Shirazz - Red Bennies, Prahran (24.05.12)". the AU review. 31 May 2012. Retrieved 18 July 2016.
  20. ↑ "Q&A: Shirazz | Beat Magazine". Beat.com.au. Retrieved 18 July 2016.
  21. ↑ "Mystery Muff | Beat Magazine". Beat.com.au. Retrieved 18 July 2016.
  22. ↑ "African Film Festival | Beat Magazine". Beat.com.au. Retrieved 18 July 2016.
  23. ↑ "Sidney Lumet Tribute - Red Bennies - Film - Time Out Melbourne". www.au.timeout.com. Archived from the original on 19 April 2011. Retrieved 17 January 2022.
  24. ↑ "TV Dinner with former MIFF & AFI Director James Hewison". Australianstage.com.au. Retrieved 18 July 2016.
  25. ↑ "Out of Africa". World Movies. Retrieved 18 July 2016.
  26. ↑ "Time Travelling At Red Bennies | Beat Magazine". Beat.com.au. Retrieved 18 July 2016.
  27. ↑ "Red Bennies presents: Exposé | ArtsHub Australia". Performing.artshub.com.au. 30 September 2011. Retrieved 18 July 2016.
  28. ↑ "Bent Burlesque". Theage.com.au. 18 January 2013. Retrieved 18 July 2016.
  29. ↑ "Sex Pest". Theage.com.au. 4 April 2012. Retrieved 18 July 2016.
  30. ↑ "Q&A Lillian Starr - Gay News Network". gaynewsnetwork.com.au. Archived from the original on 29 November 2014. Retrieved 17 January 2022.
  31. ↑ "Nude | Beat Magazine". Beat.com.au. Retrieved 18 July 2016.
  32. ↑ "Circus review: Nude, Red Bennies". Heraldsun.com.au. Retrieved 18 July 2016.
  33. ↑ "Gorelesque at Red Bennies | Beat Magazine". Beat.com.au. Retrieved 18 July 2016.
  34. ↑ "An Awful Lot of Vaudeville At Red Bennies | Beat Magazine". Beat.com.au. Retrieved 18 July 2016.
  35. ↑ "Red Bennies Dionysia New Year's Eve | Beat Magazine". Beat.com.au. 31 December 2010. Retrieved 18 July 2016.
  36. ↑ "Titty Twister | Beat Magazine". Beat.com.au. Retrieved 18 July 2016.
  37. ↑ "Titty Twister | Beat Magazine". Beat.com.au. Retrieved 18 July 2016.
  38. ↑ "Why stripping becoming 'hip' isn't cool". Smh.com.au. 23 October 2013. Retrieved 18 July 2016.
  39. ↑ "LUX Nightclub - Melbourne". Weekendnotes.com. 12 June 2014. Retrieved 18 July 2016.

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