7 Reasons to try New Writing at Buxton Fringe

Buxton Fringe has always been proud of its reputation for encouraging artists to take risks and this year’s bumper Theatre section is particularly rich in new writing. Here are 7 reasons why you should make sure you try something new at this year's Fringe:

1.      You are a thrill-seeker: Safe Mode from Theatre by Numbers offers an edge-of-your-seat sci-fi ‘fairytale’ in which refugee Mia runs to a deserted city after watching her home burn down. A chance encounter in the park changes her life forever in this multi-media play. Orange and Pip’s Ugly by Lilly Posnett, twice nominated for a Fringe New Writing award, also offers a fairytale with a twist as we hear the Ugly Sisters’ side of the story in a thought-provoking piece of physical theatre taking off where Cinderella left off.

2.      You like your stories told in new ways: Lightspeed from Organised Chaos Productions actually unfolds backwards as it depicts a fateful romance between Charlie and the game-playing Emma. Last year’s theatre production Fringe Award winner, Arletty Theatre, is back with an all-singing, all dancing musical, The Unfurling of Indigo Higgins focusing on a demanding fashionista. Live music and life-sized puppetry help Sparkle and Dark convey bewitching comic book fantasies in I am Beast and live music of a different kind is integral to Re-Sound’s After Party, recreating one amazing evening in 1820 when Franz Schubert and his friends gathered in a Viennese pub under the noses of the secret police.

3.      You like to think big: No subject is too big for intrepid Fringe writers so in Tattyband’s G&D, the earth is bleeding into the sea, Satan is looking for trouble and God Himself is about to get a wake-up call. Religion and faith are discussed in Two Yolks Theatre’s The Small Things in which two brothers who die together have contrasting experiences at the Pearly Gates. Sheepish Productions offers a black comedy with faith at its core: The Life and Crimes of Reverend Raccoon, profiling a US Army reservist, preacher and healer.

4.      You like intrigue: The secrets and lies of mere mortals are the focus of several new plays. Award-winning young theatre company Shadow Syndicate presents Redaction, a drama conceived in the wake of Wikileaks about the pervasive culture of deception. A husband and wife battle over the authorship of a controversial book that may or may not be about their marriage in Write Yourself Free: Female Facts or Male Fiction? This new work from Dolls House is produced in parallel with a published book of the same title. Popular Fringe regular Chris Neville-Smith meanwhile presents Alan Godfrey’s A Nasty Little Play, a dark comedy set in the back room of a seedy Soho ‘book’ shop in the 1950s as a police raid takes place next door.

5.      You want a taste of fame: Secrets can be especially explosive for the famous. In From the Mill’s Life’s Witness, a famous author finds himself on live television battling with memories that refuse to stay private, while Follow/UnFollow from ShinyNewTheatre/LanternTheatre takes us into the world of the good-looking but vapid male video blogger questioning whether social media is ready for a different kind of v-logger who may actually have something to say.

6.      You’re a history fan: Aulos Productions takes us back to Ancient Rome to consider the Women of the Mourning Fields – Agrippina, Octavia and Poppaea, slandered in their time and subsequently forgotten. Dreamshed Theatre is working hard to make sure we do not forget the legacy of the pre-First World War Dymock Poets in Voices from the Forest. The Second World War provides a poisonous backdrop for the brave characters on the Home Front depicted in Ashrow Theatre’s Troublesome People. Sometimes what we think we know from the past turns out not to be the case. Lucky Dog theatre Productions goes beyond fiction to deliver the truth about Mr Merrick, The Elephant Man.

7.      You like a laugh: Make a date with Lucky Dog Theatre Productions and their show Hats Off to Laurel and Hardy, or check out an excruciating meeting between Sir Clive Sinclair and Sir Alan Sugar recreated in Scytheplays Ltd’s Together in Electric Dreams.

There is always something new in the Fringe and we never forget the contribution of the writers behind our fantastic shows. Look out for the words "New Writing" at the bottom of listings in all categories of our programme and if you see something brilliant be sure to leave a comment about the writing at our Fringe Information Desk or on our website's Enhanced Diary pages. Happy Fringeing!

Buxton Fringe

Website: www.buxtonfringe.org.uk
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