Venue: Georgie’s Bar (Woodville Town Hall)
Review by Rich Michael for Adelaide Pubs & Events | 4 March 2026

Some Fringe shows fit neatly into a category. Secret Time Travel Meeting, hosted by comedian and futurist Shawn Wickens, offers something a little different.

Part stand-up comedy, part interactive discussion and part philosophical thought experiment, the show invites the audience into what Wickens describes as a “secret meeting” about time travel. Over the course of the 60-minute performance, the audience explores ideas about the past, the present and the future — often in ways that are humorous, unusual and occasionally mind-bending.

The crowd on the night was solid and clearly engaged. There was a sense of curiosity in the room, with the audience eager to see where the conversation and ideas about time travel might lead. The venue also worked well for the theme of a secret gathering. As the meeting began, the audience actually kicked things off themselves with applause, helping break the ice and set a relaxed tone in the room. A few people even leaned into the concept by arriving in costume or playful disguises as alternate versions of themselves from another timeline, which added to the atmosphere.

Wickens opened the show with a humorous story about how he and his wife ended up getting their dog from Texas / Mexico border — apparently not entirely through official channels. The story drew early laughs and helped warm the room before the show moved into its more unusual territory.

Throughout the performance Wickens blends humour with what he calls “mind-blowing exercises,” encouraging the audience to challenge their own thinking about what might be possible. These moments feel less like scientific explanations and more like imaginative thought experiments designed to stretch the mind.

One of the more memorable stories involved how his project Time Machine Blueprints began. Wickens explained that a few years ago he woke up after a night of being rather stoned to find an email from GoDaddy confirming he had purchased the domain name Time Machine Blueprint. Leaning into the absurdity of the idea, he later published a book with the same title on Amazon — though the book itself contains blank pages.

The blank book could be seen as a metaphor — the story hasn’t been written yet. The future is still unfolding, and in many ways we are all collectively writing it.

That idea connects with a simple theme Wickens returns to during the show — past, present and future.

Throughout the meeting Wickens also raises an interesting question for the audience to consider: if time travel were possible, what would we actually do with it? Would we revisit moments from the past, or jump forward to see what the future might hold?

Secret Time Travel Meeting works particularly well for audiences who enjoy science-fiction ideas, improvisation, curious thinking and comedy that explores bigger concepts. It’s less about rapid-fire punchlines and more about imagination, conversation and playful exploration of ideas.

And like any good time-travel story, you may leave the room wondering — if time travel really were possible, where would you go?

My final thought leaving the meeting:
Is time travel possible?
After an hour of stretching the mind and exploring the idea… I might just say yes.

Guest of Adelaide Fringe.