Hold the Front Page 3 - Powerful theatre at Buxton Fringe

      Credit: Split Infinitive Theatre

Welcome to the third of our blog series featuring revealing extracts from performers' press releases. Theatre is a mainstay of Buxton Fringe, a large category full of interest. Thought-provoking, moving and relatable, here are just two examples of what’s on offer.

For venues, times, ticketing and further information about these and all our Fringe shows, see our What's On listings here. If you are performing at Buxton Fringe and would like us to feature your press release, please get in touch via the marketing officer!

What are we going to do when this is all over? - Split Infinitive Theatre

A play about the memories we hope we never forget and the ones we know we should…

Helen and Alexander have been creating theatre together for a number of years, but as Helen's memory begins to fail and they realise this is something worse than just brain fog, Alexander begins to discover things Helen has been hiding from him for years. Helen's secrets begin to be revealed as the play comes to its dramatic climax. When Alexander realises Helen's desires are darker than he ever imagined, he tries to cover her tracks, putting himself in the firing line. The play's dramatic conclusion may very well be the end of Helen and Alexander forever.

Incorporating Split Infinitive's signature interactive/immersive and autobiographical style of performance, what are we going to do when this is all over? shows a darker side to memory loss, marriage, and how far we will go to protect the ones we love.

what are we going to do when this is all over? is supported by National Lottery Funding through Arts Council England.

Taking place at Underground at Spring Gardens on 10th, 12th and 18th July at 4pm and 17th July at 8.30pm, the play features strong language, adult themes, themes of child abuse and sexual assault.

Split Infinitive is an award winning theatre company dedicated to creating intimate and engaging pieces of original theatre. Our 2023/24 production of A Caravan Named Desire won the John Beecher Award for original, challenging work with high production value at the Buxton Fringe Festival. In 2022/23 our production of I Heart Michael Ball was also nominated for an OFFIE at the 2022 Camden Fringe and a Standing Ovation Award by London Pub Theatres at GrimFest 2023. Helen and Alexander have also received a number of nominations from Broadway World UK including for Best Direction of a New Play, Best Leading Performer in a New  Play and Best New Production of a Play.

Tell Me Where it Hurts - Teepee Productions 

Award-winning theatre company Teepee Productions brings its powerful new

comedy-drama Tell Me Where It Hurts to audiences across the UK this July, September and October. Supported by Arts Council England, The PMDD Project and developed with dramaturgical support from National Theatre's New Writing Studio, the production shines a vital spotlight on Premenstrual Dysphoric Disorder (PMDD) through a deeply human, emotionally honest story that balances humour, heart and hard truths. It will be at Underground at the Working Men’s Club on July 22, 24 and 25 at 5.15pm and July 23 at 8.15pm.

The play follows Chrissy, a dedicated drama teacher struggling to navigate life,

relationships and work while living with PMDD, as she mentors Annie, a talented student preparing for a life-changing audition. Together, the pair confront the frustration of feeling unheard in a world that too often dismisses women’s pain and mental health experiences.

Presented by Teepee and Joe Brown and written by Teepee Productions co-founder, Tayla Kenyon, Tell Me Where It Hurts continues the company’s commitment to creating socially engaged theatre that sparks conversation and champions underrepresented voices. Following acclaimed audience responses during its development phase, the production now embarks on a wider UK tour, inviting audiences to experience a story that is as entertaining as it is urgently

Important.

Previous praise for Teepee Productions play - FLUFF:

“A thoughtful piece of theatre that bounces between past and present seemingly effortlessly, it held my attention from beginning to end” **** LondonTheatre1

“A stirring narrative that’ll keep you hooked” **** Theatre & Tonic

“Tayla Kenyon is compelling” **** The Upcoming

“Not just a fluff piece – this show has grit” ***** Bum On A Seat

Buxton Fringe

Website: www.buxtonfringe.org.uk
Facebook: @buxtonfestivalfringe
Bluesky: @buxtonfringe
Instagram: @buxtonfringe

Hold the Front Page 2 - Game for a laugh at Buxton Fringe!

Angela Bra

Welcome to the second of our blog series featuring enticing extracts from performers' press releases. Comedy is a huge section at this year’s Buxton Fringe but the variety within it is extraordinary. Read on for news of how three Fringe performers look set to have audiences laughing in the aisles.

For venues, times, ticketing and further information about  these and all our Fringe shows, see our What's On listings here. If you are performing at Buxton Fringe and would like us to feature your press release, please get in touch via the marketing officer!

Secret Diary of a Bingo Call Girl 2: The Balls Are Back in Town - Angela Bra

As the founder of her own Absolutely Dabulous Drag Bingo, Angela Bra has seen it all. Hen do high jinx, butlers in the buff, glamorous grandmas and mothers escaping their family for the night. She’s handled more balls than a gynaecologist on a pay-per-view contract and can do it whilst leading the Macarena.

The queen of ball-based bedlam returns to Buxton at Underground at the Working Men’s Club on July 8th and 12th with a brand new show packed with original songs and stories from the front line of the party bingo circuit, wrapped up in a round of her very own “Great British Bingo” and topical stage games.

A multiple award-winner and nominee for both her festival shows and drag performances, in 2025 Angela Bra won “Best Cabaret” at the Bay Fringe Festival, won “Joke of the Fest” at Lancaster Comedy Festival and was a finalist at Mancheser G-A-Y’s premier annual drag competition, “Purple Reign”. Previously, she has won Best Comedy at the Morecambe Fringe, been award-nominated in comedy twice at Buxton Fringe and has been a

finalist in both Mamma’s Drag Battle (Leeds) and The Crown (Manchester), as well as being a venue finalist for Drag Idol in Manchester, Leeds and Birmingham.

Closure Cabaret - Maria Ansdell 

Distinguished guests–hold on tight as we try to let go…

Welcome to the Closure Cabaret, a vaudevillian variety show hosted by Razmatastique – your hopefully devoted, French-accented emcee who cannot let her exes rest in peace. Instead, she summons them back for one final encore in pursuit of that ever-elusive promise: closure. 

From bad-boy playground pirates to wannabe hip-hop stars and emotionally unavailable illusionists, each former flame returns with a glittering cabaret act–jazz-handed into public inspection. Expect quick changes, original music and riotous audience participation as Razmatastique leads us through an odyssey of romantic misadventure.

Embarking on its first UK tour, including venues in London, Buxton, Chichester and Edinburgh. 

Created and performed by Maria Ansdell, this solo clown and character comedy show exposes romance as performance–and heartbreak as something we compulsively replay. 

Somewhere between a theatrical fever dream and an emotional exorcism, Closure Cabaret prompts the question: out of everyone we’ve ever dated, who really has the ‘Ex Factor’? She will be performing at Underground at the Working Men’s Club on 20th, 21st and 22nd July.

More about Maria…

Maria Ansdell is a London-based writer, performer and clown from Oxford, trained at École Philippe Gaulier. Her debut solo show, Closure Cabaret, was developed between France and Oxford before sold-out previews in London, an acclaimed Edinburgh run with two 4-star reviews, and further sold-out performances at The Bread & Roses and in Brighton Fringe - which also received critical acclaim. Alongside developing Closure Cabaret, Maria is one of six artists on The Pen Theatre’s Pen Six programme, creating new genre-bending performance work.

***** ‘A rare talent and an exceptional crafter of characters’ ReviewsHub

**** ‘Masterful Clowning’ AYoung(ish)Perspective

**** ‘Surreal and Sharply Intelligent’ RialtoArts

199 Jokes Before Lunchtime: Danny Matinee!

Following his sell-out Edinburgh show in 2025, the family-friendly one-liner merchant comes to the Buxton Festival Fringe for the first time with his latest jokes, props, pictures, and tips on crafting your own gags. He will be performing upstairs at The Old Clubhouse on the 18th July.

7 one-liners in The Times/The Telegraph Best Jokes of Edinburgh Fringe 2025!

Danny Matinee says: ‘I’m really looking forward to the Buxton Festival Fringe – my first visit to Buxton since I came with my grandma in about 1983, on a day trip when we also went to Jodrell Bank. ‘Anyway, I’m fresh from success in the Dungarees Wearer of the Year Awards – I was overall winner. I’ve got a new joke about Marmite – it’s the yeast I can do. And I’m also looking forward to seeing Waiting for Godot – it’s top of my Beckett list.’

***** ‘Finely crafted...slick wordplay’ Edinburgh Reporter

***** ‘A brilliant way to set up your day’ UK Theatre Web

Buxton Fringe

Website: www.buxtonfringe.org.uk
Facebook: @buxtonfestivalfringe
Bluesky: @buxtonfringe
Instagram: @buxtonfringe

Hold the Front Page - Thinking big at Buxton Fringe!

Scarlett Whispers © Stephen Sheridan.

Welcome to the first of our blog series featuring illuminating extracts from performers' press releases.

This year’s Buxton Fringe performers have really pushed the boat out seeking to wow audiences with ambitious and thought-provoking entertainment! Read on for a flavour of what they have in store for us...

For venues, times, ticketing and further information about these and all our Fringe shows, see our What's On listings here. If you are performing at Buxton Fringe and would like us to feature your press release, please get in touch via the marketing officer!

Pump Room Cabaret - Drunk ‘n’ Whispers

One of the most notorious and long-running cabaret shows at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival is making its debut at the Buxton Festival Fringe this July with a special spin off: Drunk 'n’ Whispers’ Pump Room Cabaret. A series of shows will run at the Pump Room, Buxton Visitor Centre & The Buxton Crescent Experience on the festival's opening night, 8th July, followed by two shows on 16th and 17th July.

Cabaret producer, host, Hollywood Hellraiser (and quite the character) Sir Dickie Benson has been producing Sir Dickie Benson’s Midnight Mania at the Edinburgh Fringe for over a decade. Given its popularity, the number of shows will double this year by running alongside a brand new daytime edition, Sir Dickie Benson’s Midday Mania. The new series at the Buxton Fringe sees the next step in the show's evolution: developing as a touring model and adapting for new audiences.

As the show expands, Dickie has teamed up with international award-winning burlesque dancer and producer Scarlett Whispers. Between them, Scarlett and Dickie have over a decade of experience producing and performing on the international cabaret circuit and at clubs and festivals across the country; together they have curated an evening with some of the most charming, talented and incredible acts they’ve met along the way.

In the manner of a true variety show, the cabaret rounds up a range of some of the most crowd-pleasing acts from across the UK’s cabaret circuit. A riotous mix of burlesque, live music, comedy, magic and all manner of variety acts run back-to-back as a fast-paced and intoxicating show. Artists are selected for the high-quality of their performances and as representations of genuine cabaret.

Scarlett Whispers comments:

"I'll tell you a secret... Under the glitter and rhinestones, we are both history nerds! Buxton feels like a treasure chest to us, full of heritage, culture and a rich connection to the arts. And the community spirit in Buxton is electric! As freelance performers, there's something magical about being immersed in that festival frenzy, where the audience becomes part of the performance and the whole town is illuminated by this creative energy. With all the parades, the floats and those fabulous parties, it’s the kind of atmosphere that makes you feel alive. Buxton is passionate, creative and the perfect place to develop our show!”

Dickie and Scarlett have a taste for glitz, glamour and the finer things in life, especially antiquities (much like Dickie) and as such only a venue as delightfully elegant (much like Scarlett) will suffice. The Grade II-listed Pump Room at Buxton Crescent, aptly a historic place for drinking and social gatherings, will host the Pump Room Cabaret, blending history, elegance and entertainment.

When asked for a quote, Dickie said: “What the [EXPLETIVE DELETED] are you doing in my [EXPLETIVE DELETED] parlour? Did that Kenneth [EXPLETIVES DELETED] Branagh send you?!”

You Oughta Be in Pictures - Polis Loizou

Author, performer, storyteller and award-winning* fringe theatre-maker Polis Loizou is returning to Buxton Fringe with You Oughta Be in Pictures – an unsettling one-man show about the seedy side of Old Hollywood, and what filmmaking can teach us about engaging critically with the media we consume.

The hour-long piece sees Loizou reenacting old found footage of a casting session from the 1940s, involving a notorious film director and the young hopeful he’s auditioning to replace the suspiciously-murdered lead in a horror B-movie. Except neither this footage, nor the director in it, actually existed.

“I grew up in the ‘90s,” says Loizou. “I was on the Internet in the days of the Blair Witch hype, reading claims that this footage was shot by people who’d actually vanished. Of course, it was all fake. The filmmakers simply used the early Internet as an innovative, free marketing tool for a micro-budget movie. And it worked!”

Of course, all cinema is fabricated. Images are edited together with sound recordings, usually created separately with totally unrelated objects, all with the goal of implying actions and consequences to tell a story.

Loizou was a film graduate when he became involved in theatre. His love of cinema goes back to his childhood in Cyprus, when he would ask his mum endless questions about how these moving pictures on the TV were made. “I was in love with the artifice as much as the craft,” he says. “I find something hypnotic about the levels of deception in film. And as a longtime cynic, the glossing over Hollywood’s dark side always intrigued me.”

All storytelling requires a suspension of disbelief – and human brains seem only too willing to swallow total fantasies. But that’s where the danger lies: when fabrications are more appealing than fact. With the prevalence of AI in an increasingly unstable and polarised world, it seems more important than ever to encourage people to engage critically with the media they consume.

“I’m haunted by a phrase my film tutor used in the Documentary module at uni: ‘Reality is up for grabs.’ She was right, and I see that more with each passing year. I wanted to make a show about the making of art, and the need to be vigilant about being tricked by it. When we hand over our minds to manipulators, we have so much to lose.”

You Oughta Be in Pictures will be at Underground Spring Gardens on 9, 13 & 20 July.

*Mr Fox (Best New Writing at Buxton Fringe 2021), Back Door (John Beecher Memorial Award at Buxton Fringe and Best Comedy Show at Greater Manchester Fringe 2014)

Art For Health and Wellbeing - Clare Parker Artist and Art Psychotherapist 

Discover how art transforms lives. Local artist and art psychotherapist Claire Parker reveals powerful research, moving stories, and real case studies showing how creativity and engagement in art boosts health and wellbeing. 

Be inspired, gain practical tools for change, and witness the impact of art on individuals, families, and communities. This talk at Buxton’s Pump Room on 21 July is suitable for anyone interested in how we connect with what we see and how engaging with our senses through the arts brings about new possibilities, learning and connections.

Buxton Fringe

Website: www.buxtonfringe.org.uk
Facebook: @buxtonfestivalfringe
Bluesky: @buxtonfringe
Instagram: @buxtonfringe