Melbourne Fringe is calling for potential sperm donors to sign up to participate in a unique performance at this year’s Festival in First Trimester by UK-based performer and Netflix creator Krishna Istha.
Having searched London, Dublin, Copenhagen and Auckland as part of a world-wide quest for the ‘perfect’ sperm donor for Krishna and their partner Logan (neither of whom produce sperm), First Trimester tours to Melbourne this October, with the call now open for potential sperm donors to sign-up to participate in the event.
During the performance, participants join a public conversation with Istha as they answer questions that range from funny to serious – from matter of fact to philosophical – to discover the qualities that make them a perfect match. Interviews last ten-minutes live on stage, and the aim is to conduct as many interviews as possible, to learn more about the kind of person that has the potential to be a sperm donor, and to continue Istha’s search to make the ultimate connection.
First Trimester is literally a search to find a sperm donor, but it is also an artistic and social experiment. Through the project, Istha, who is trans, aims to create a dialogue around trans reproductive healthcare in a creative way. First Trimester ultimately explores human connection, and the challenges of fertility and parenthood.
Krishna Istha is a London-based performance artist, screenwriter, comedian and theatre maker. They create socially conscious form-pushing works about taboo or underrepresented experiences of gender, race and sexual politics. Most recently, they wrote on Netflix’s Sex Education (Season 4, Episode 3) and was one of the comedians featured on the Netflix Special Hannah Gadsby’s Gender Agenda. In 2023, Krishna and Logan were recipients of the Netflix Documentary Talent Fund and made the short film SPERM DONORS WANTED! about their journey together as a trans couple trying to start a family.
Applications to sign-up to be interviewed as a potential sperm donor for First Trimester are now open, and the Festival wants to hear from the LGBTQIA+ communities and their allies, people who have donated sperm previously, and anyone curious to consider the process. Participants should sign up now at Krishna Istha – First Trimester | Melbourne Fringe.
First Trimester will take place at Arts House, North Melbourne from 16 to 18 October, including an eight-hour durational performance on 18 October. Audience members can come and go at any time.
Melbourne Fringe Festival returns in from 30 September–19 October 2025 with an enormous program of exciting, boundary-pushing art. The full program is announced on 22 August.
Melbourne Fringe Festival 2025
30 September – 19 October
melbournefringe.com.au
