Fringe40 - Remembering the Sunshine!

Fringe helper Barry Haynes with Kaleidoscope Choir's Carol Bowns

With Fringe Towers shrouded in cloud and rain it is time to take stock of a (mostly) sunny Fringe and all our happy memories. 

I've just been updating our Community Links page and it has been a great year for reaching out to people. To give you just a flavour: we supported a Rossendale Trust work experience placement which meant that Fringe fan Barry Haynes (pictured) was able to help us in some valuable Fringe work. Meanwhile musician Paul Cromford told us all about his life-changing experiences with Fairfield school children. Residents at Haddon Care Home helped us create a fantastic Fringe40 wall display on London Road and Buxton Art Trail brought some of the trail's artworks into the home for people who otherwise would not have been able to see them. Bringing the Fringe out of the centre of town, the beautifully decorated Working Men's Club really took off as a venue and has been praised in some of our audience feedback.

Over the summer we will be updating the gallery pages on the website so we can relive a fantastic July. We will be gathering all our stats and feedback so if you haven't yet filled in your audience survey form please do so soon before we disable the link.

In his last season as Fringe chair, Keith Savage told us that outside his family the Fringe was the most important thing he had done. We are hugely grateful to him for all his hard work over the last six years.

We are so thankful to everyone who supports the Fringe - committee members, volunteers, Desk staff, venues, tireless reviewers, our sponsor the University of Derby, financial supporters, the Opera House, Buxton International Festival and everyone who gets behind us. But most of all - thank you Fringe performers! Napping under the stars in the name of art, meeting a dinosaur sculpture in a domestic garden, shedding a tear at a teenaged girl's acknowledgement of the specialness of her "crap little family", bopping on the Fringe float, basking in a one-man performance so real that audience members thought there really was a retired policeman on stage, enjoying a singalong among the free flowers and veg at the Serpentine Community Farm... These are just a few of my Fringe40 highlights. 

We will be starting all over again in September and look forward to bringing the arts to even more people in the town and beyond! 


Buxton Fringe

Website: www.buxtonfringe.org.uk
Facebook: buxtonfringe
Twitter: @buxtonfringe

Our Fringe family and other Animals

The fabulous float (credit: Ian J. Parkes)

Thanks to everyone who helped make such a success of our first joint Buxton Festival Fringe and Buxton International Festival carnival float - particularly Lomas Distribution and driver Dominic.

We were delighted to win first prize in our category with our Carnival of the Animals themed float. Workshops carried out by Babbling Vagabonds in schools meant that the spectacular float was adorned with animal puppets and a giant, movable lion's head and huge animal sculptures were paraded in front of the vehicle.

Fringe performers added to the fun as did members of the Fringe and Festival behind-the-scenes crews. Even the sun shone!

In the coming weeks we will be updating our Fringe website gallery pages so look out for some great pics. Thanks to Fringe40 photographer Ian Parkes for helping with this!

Looking forward now to the Award ceremony at The Green Man Gallery this Sunday from 1.30pm. Do join us and raise a glass to Fringe40 and all its performers!

Buxton Fringe

Website: www.buxtonfringe.org.uk
Facebook: buxtonfringe
Twitter: @buxtonfringe

Jordan: powerful and moving play

Sara Gray - as Shirley

High Peak theatre group return to Buxton Fringe with powerful drama

High Peak theatre group, Easy Company, are returning to the Buxton stage this July after a long absence.

Robbie Carnegie and Sara Gray, together with work colleague Sian Dudley, formed Easy Company in 2011. That year, they performed together in a double-bill of plays by Amy Rosenthal: Lifelines (starring Robbie and Sara, and directed by Sian) and Henna Night (starring Sara and Sian, and directed by Robbie).

‘We had a great time doing the double-bill,’ says Robbie, ‘but in its aftermath, life seemed to get in the way, and it’s taken us 8 years to come up with a follow-up!’ Sian left the area for pastures new, but Sara and Robbie continued to work together onstage. ‘Robbie directed me in The Winter’s Tale, and we played opposite each other in Breaking the Code, both for Buxton Drama League,’ Sara adds. ‘The main problem was finding an opportunity to stage a Fringe-type play,’ explains Robbie. ‘For the last 6 years, I’ve been working for Buxton International Festival, so was unable to commit myself to anything else in July.’ ‘But the idea of Easy Company never went away,’ continues Sara, ‘so when Robbie changed jobs early this year, we decided the time was right to revive Easy Company and put on a play at the Buxton Fringe.’

The play is Jordan, by Anna Reynolds with Moira Buffini, a moving, powerful one-woman drama, based on a true story. Sara plays Shirley, on trial for the murder of her child, looking back on the awful circumstances that drove her to this terrible act, and she is embracing the enormous challenge of this role, ‘There’s a great responsibility in playing a real person and it’s a very hard-hitting play, which certainly puts me as an actress through the wringer! But I know audiences will be moved and sympathetic to Shirley’s plight.’ Robbie, who is directing the play, adds, ‘Luckily the play is not without its humorous moments, and it’s been my task to help Sara bring out the light and shade in the piece.’

Sara sums up the experience, ‘We called ourselves Easy Company, because that’s how we see ourselves – friends who enjoy spending time together and who share a passion for putting on good theatre. We’re looking forward to being back in the Arts Centre Studio, performing to Buxton audiences again.’

Jordan will be performed at Underground at the Arts Centre on Friday 12, Friday 19 and Sunday 21 July at 7.15pm. For tickets go to underthefringe.com or visit the Box Office at the Old Clubhouse.

Buxton Fringe

Website: www.buxtonfringe.org.uk
Facebook: buxtonfringe
Twitter: @buxtonfringe

Once Upon A Time In Trieste

Buxton theatre company to perform for senior Slovenian diplomat during Fringe run 

Diplomat Miha Fatur from the Slovenian Embassy in London will attend a performance of Once Upon A Time In Trieste, a new play presented by Buxton’s Silver Pine Productions. 

The hero of the play, Pinko, an ethnic Slovenian living in the Italian city of Trieste in 1938, is suffering under the Fascist Government’s anti-racial laws. He plans to assassinate Mussolini when the leader makes an official visit to the city. 

Silver Pine writer and producer Anna Girolami, who lives in Harpur Hill, said: “I contacted the Embassy with details of our play hoping that it might be of interest to their network of Slovenian community groups around the country. When the Embassy replied and said that Mr Fatur would be coming in person to attend a performance, I was absolutely delighted. The whole team is terrifically excited about his visit - it’s the icing on the cake for our Fringe run.” 

Mr Fatur is attending one of the team’s Manchester performances at Hope Aria Academy in Ancoats. Buxton audiences can see the piece at The Green Man Gallery on 14th and 15th July. All details are on Silver Pine’s website and social media pages. 

Website: www.silverpineproductions.com


Buxton Fringe

Website: www.buxtonfringe.org.uk
Facebook: buxtonfringe
Twitter: @buxtonfringe

Buxton's Broadwood & Remembering Peterloo

At the end of Buxton Fringe 2017 the Broadwood grand piano from the United Reformed Church went off to Shacklefords in Macclesfield for a total overhaul. It was back in time for 2018's Festival. The piano is now in regular use and is being played at a number of events in Fringe40.

First off is Brian Low - a student from the Royal Northern College of Music. On 4th July Brian plays a programme that includes music by Bach, Takemitsu, Ravel and Liszt.

On Sunday, 7th July Eden Walker returns. Another young pianist, Eden was an award-winner last year and he will be playing Bach, Mozart, Scriabin, Busoni and Čiurlionis. 

The following Sunday (14th) we have the Ryeland Trio. Jonathan Ellis plays piano along with Duncan Reid (violin) and Isabel Williamson (cello) in a programme featuring music by Beethoven and Fauré.

Jill Crossland has played on the URC Broadwood twice and for her third visit (Sunday 21st) she is playing Bach, Debussy and Brahms. Her recordings of Bach have earned critical acclaim and we are lucky to have her back.

Something quite different (we imagine!) is Charles Ormrod's show "4Khz is a Chilli." We do know that Charles is something of a whizz in jazz styles. You have three opportunities to find out what exactly Charles means - he plays on 5th, 12th and 17th July.

On 16 August 1819, in St Peter's Field, Manchester, tens of thousands gathered to protest against the injustice of a parliamentary democracy which saw whole towns unrepresented by an MP. Cavalry were summoned to disperse the crowd. Possibly drunk, certainly ill-disciplined, the cavalry drew swords and cut down unarmed protesters leaving hundreds injured and dead. What became known as the Peterloo Massacre is being remembered across the north-west as the 200th anniversary approaches. Local readers will use Shelley's The Masque of Anarchy - written in the immediate aftermath - as the centrepiece for a commemorative event at The Green Man Gallery on July 20th.

"Rise, like lions after slumber

In unvanquishable number!

Shake your chains to earth like dew

Which in sleep had fallen on you:

Ye are many—they are few!"

Buxton Fringe

Website: www.buxtonfringe.org.uk
Facebook: buxtonfringe
Twitter: @buxtonfringe

TangleTree - more than just a play

(The following was sent to Buxton Fringe by the production companies behind 'TangleTree'. We are happy to share this. If you have news or stories about your Fringe40 show send  them to: entries@buxtonfringe.org.uk and we'll post them here).

'TangleTree': A Tale of Triumph, Despair, Hope and Love
('TangleTree' opens at the Green Man Gallery on 4th July - open link to see trailer)

'Am I dead?' Hazel asks, as her mother Ivy contemplates the past and an unknown future

A catastrophic event forces the two women to face reality. But what is familiar – where is the thread? Is it in the wool, the yarn? Can it be found in a Pas de Chat? Or does it lie with sleeping dogs?

'TangleTree' will resonate with anyone who has loved and triumphed, raged or even despaired at life's challenges.

This play is inspired by real life experiences , people who have told us their stories.

To them we offer our grateful thanks...

'The acting is brilliant...nuanced interactions evoke a sense of real life unreliability and idiosyncrasy.' (6th Stroud Theatre Festival reviews)

'That is my story.' (Audience member)

'A hard hitting piece of important theatre.' (Audience member)

JDJB and TLBB Productions' play 'TangleTree' is a fictionalised story based on research.

Many people came forward with their stories of survival through brain injury. Stories of despair, hope, bravery and love.

More recently after seeing an item on the BBC about Steve Richards and his mum Ali, we felt we wanted to help raise awareness of Steve, his need for funding  and his continuing journey.

Their story touched our hearts.

Ali says:-

“Nothing can prepare you for a phone call like the one I received on 23rd December 2014.It was to say my son Steve had been found unconscious at 2am on a roadside in Thailand with severe brain injuries…. Over four years later, and battling the odds, we need to raise a total of £5,000 to cover urgently needed specialist physio and hydrotherapy to help Steve to walk again.”

He has fought hard, and can now smile, but Ali his mother waits for the day when she hears her son say “Hello Mum”.

Steve and Ali desperately need your help. They are about halfway to the target of £5,000. If you want to give the link is here:

www.justgiving.com/crowdfunding/steve2walkagain

Buxton Fringe

Website: www.buxtonfringe.org.uk
Facebook: buxtonfringe
Twitter: @buxtonfringe

This Space Could Be Yours!

We are more than happy to use this space to share information about any of the 219 events that make up Buxton Fringe40. Send us your news, pictures or video clips and we’ll do our best to share them. Meanwhile, here’s a bit of detail about some events that might creep under the radar.

The Buxton Museum & Art Gallery has had a major overhaul over the past year or so and now looks more splendid than ever. It is free to go in so there is no reason not to. The Museum is putting on a series of lunchtime talks over the course of the Fringe. Under the heading ‘Meet the Experts’ and starting at 1pm you can hear from:
9 July- Hannah Wallace; Duchess Georgiana’s Servants
10 July - Neil Bettridge; Discovering Franklin: The story of the tragic Victorian explorer
11 July- Lauren Butler; The Housekeepers of Hardwick Hall, 1800-1950
12 July- Adam Bench; Restoring the Octagon at Buxton Pavilion Gardens
16 July- Fiona Clapperton; The Country House At War: Chatsworth 1908-1945
17 July- Richard Tuffrey; Saving Buxton’s Crescent
18 July- Gareth Williams; The Great Tutbury Hoard of 1831
19 July- Joe Perry; The Staffordshire Hoard: Ten Years On.
There must be something there that tickles your fancy.

Our very good friends at Buxton Film have been screening some of the best films from all around the world for the past 10 years or so. With the help and support of Buxton Cinema and the Opera House screenings take place most Mondays at the Arts Centre. During the Festival period that venue has other uses but during the Fringe Buxton Film has decided to screen at The Rotunda Theatre. Inspired by Mark Kermode's Secrets of Cinema series, four genre-defining titles are on offer. 

Starting at 10pm each night you can choose to see: 
6th July - The Philadelphia Story - timeless rom-com: 
10th July - That Sinking Feeling - a micro-budget heist movie; 
13th July - 2001: A Space Odyssey - epic sci-fi; 
17th July - The Orphanage, gripping Spanish horror. 
Get your tickets for Rotunda shows before 24 June to take advantage of an 'early bird' offer.

If you want your stories to appear here write to: entries@buxtonfringe.org.uk

Buxton Fringe

Website: www.buxtonfringe.org.uk
Facebook: buxtonfringe
Twitter: @buxtonfringe