Brighton Festival Fringe
Encyclopedia
Arts festival
An arts festival is a festival that focuses on the visual arts in all its forms, but which may also focus on or include other arts.Arts festivals in the visual arts are exhibitions and are not to be confused with the commercial art fair. Artists participate in the most important of such festival...
held annually in Brighton
Brighton
Brighton is the major part of the city of Brighton and Hove in East Sussex, England on the south coast of Great Britain...
, England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
. It is the largest annual arts festival in England.
Introduction
The Brighton Festival Fringe runs alongside the main Brighton FestivalBrighton Festival
The Brighton Festival is an annual arts festival which takes place in the city of Brighton and Hove in England each May. It was founded in 1966, and is the largest multi-art form festival in England...
, and takes place for three weeks during May each year. In 2008, the Fringe had over 600 events taking place in over 230 locations across the city. It sold over £500,000 worth of tickets before the festival even begun in 2008 - more than its total ticket sales in 2007.
History
Fringe activity has run alongside the main Brighton Festival since its creation in 1967. The creation of an independent organisation to promote and encourage the fringe in Brighton was first mooted by Samantha Hutton Bell in 1993 and thanks to her tireless efforts and the work of Katherine Perry and Jeff Hemmings the "Brighton Fringe Festival" produced a brochure and acted as a mini production resource throughout the 90's, working without funding or subsidy.In 2003 Chris Baron, then artistic director of the Brighton Festival announced plans to create a separate "fringe" program for the "Umbrella" section of the Festival. Negotiations between the Fringe Festival and The Festival eventually led to the creation of the new "Festival Fringe".
The Fringe established itself as a limited company and registered charity in October 2006, with its own board of directors and complete financial independence from the Festival.
Open access
The Brighton Festival Fringe is an open-access mixed arts event, which means it does not book performers, but is approached by people wishing to put events on and be part of the Fringe. Participants can vary from the complete beginner to the hardened professional show, and everything in between. Anyone can put an event on as part of the Brighton Festival Fringe.Venues
Brighton Festival
The Brighton Festival is an annual arts festival which takes place in the city of Brighton and Hove in England each May. It was founded in 1966, and is the largest multi-art form festival in England...
is the concept of the Artists Open House
Artists Open House
An Artists Open House is a special example of an Open Studio whereby the studio is a residential venue, usually a house or a garden. The format of an Open House is very similar to an Open Studio, but the significantly lower cost of exhibiting in a residential venue than a studio or gallery provides...
, an opportunity for artists to turn their residential homes into exhibition space.
In recent years, Brighton has found that with the increasing success of the Fringe, it has attracted some of the large outdoor venues down from the Edinburgh Fringe
Edinburgh Fringe
The Edinburgh Festival Fringe is the world’s largest arts festival. Established in 1947 as an alternative to the Edinburgh International Festival, it takes place annually in Scotland's capital, in the month of August...
. The Spiegeltent first came to Brighton in 2004, and set up on the Old Steine as a venue for large events, including the cabaret La Clique and the Latest Festival Awards. In 2007, the Fringe featured The udderBELLY
UdderBELLY
The udderBELLY is an upside-down giant purple cow tent owned by the event venue and management company Underbelly, and sponsored by E4.The udderBELLY can be used for a variety of different purposes as it can be adapted to contain a stage and all-seater 322 seat venue, or alternatively can be...
, a 400 capacity tent in the shape of an overturned purple cow, with shows such as The Caesar Twins. Other regular large outdoor structures include The Ladyboys of Bangkok in the Thai Pavilion, and the arrival of Cirque Surreal
Cirque Surreal
Phillip and Carol Gandey occupy a unique position in a world where innovation has no boundaries; where the impossible becomes achievable; where dreams are turned to reality; where creativity is driven by unmatched experience and skill fired by enthusiasm....
in 2007, replacing the Chinese State Circus
Chinese State Circus
To say the Chinese State Circus is merely a show is grossly to underestimate it; it is the embodiment of a traditional art form which can trace its history back over 2000 years. The presentation lives and breathes with the enthusiasm of its acrobatic artistes whose whole lives centre in the...
. The popular Fringe petting zoo for children will be expanded in 2008 with the addition of a tame owl and a mated pair of Malayan tapir
Tapir
A Tapir is a large browsing mammal, similar in shape to a pig, with a short, prehensile snout. Tapirs inhabit jungle and forest regions of South America, Central America, and Southeast Asia. There are four species of Tapirs: the Brazilian Tapir, the Malayan Tapir, Baird's Tapir and the Mountain...
s. As always, performers are encouraged to incorporate the animals into their shows. The 2008 Fringe featured four outdoor venues; the udderBELLY
UdderBELLY
The udderBELLY is an upside-down giant purple cow tent owned by the event venue and management company Underbelly, and sponsored by E4.The udderBELLY can be used for a variety of different purposes as it can be adapted to contain a stage and all-seater 322 seat venue, or alternatively can be...
, the Parlure Spiegeltent
Spiegeltent
A Spiegeltent is a large travelling tent, constructed in wood and canvas and decorated with mirrors and stained glass, intended as an entertainment venue...
, the Lady Boys of Bangkok and the Chinese State Circus.
There were over 230 venues in the 2008 Fringe. Other notable venues of the Fringe are Upstairs at Three and Ten, a theatre run by the team from the award-winning Marlborough Theatre, The Nightingale Theatre, The New Venture Theatre and Komedia, which won Best Venue in 2007.
With the increase of large high-profile venues in the 2008 Fringe, some commentators have suggested that the Brighton Fringe may be reaching a similar profile as the Edinburgh Fringe
Edinburgh Fringe
The Edinburgh Festival Fringe is the world’s largest arts festival. Established in 1947 as an alternative to the Edinburgh International Festival, it takes place annually in Scotland's capital, in the month of August...
.
Fringe City
In a similar vein to the use of the Royal MileRoyal Mile
The Royal Mile is a succession of streets which form the main thoroughfare of the Old Town of the city of Edinburgh in Scotland.As the name suggests, the Royal Mile is approximately one Scots mile long, and runs between two foci of history in Scotland, from Edinburgh Castle at the top of the Castle...
at the Edinburgh Festival
Edinburgh Festival
The Edinburgh Festival is a collective term for many arts and cultural festivals that take place in Edinburgh, Scotland each summer, mostly in August...
, "Fringe City", a free event taking place in the New Road and Jubilee Street area of Brighton, was first introduced in 2007. By 2008, it was taking place every Saturday of May, and provides a showcase for any of the performers from the Fringe. It culminates in Fringe Street, or the Brighton International Buskers Festival, which takes place on the final weekend of May. This event brings street performers from around the world to Brighton. It was supported by the Roddick Foundation in 2008.
External links
- Brighton Festival Fringe – fringe festival official website.
- Brighton Festival – main festival official website.
- Artists Open Houses – website for separate element of the Brighton FestivalBrighton FestivalThe Brighton Festival is an annual arts festival which takes place in the city of Brighton and Hove in England each May. It was founded in 1966, and is the largest multi-art form festival in England...
. - Brighton Festival Chorus – website for separate element of the Brighton Festival.
- Same Sky – arts organization, forms part of the Brighton Festival.
- Brighton Festival feature on Brighton information website View Brighton.
- Three Weeks – website Three Weeks, featuring complete guides to both the Brighton Festival and Edinburgh FestivalEdinburgh FestivalThe Edinburgh Festival is a collective term for many arts and cultural festivals that take place in Edinburgh, Scotland each summer, mostly in August...
. - Brighton Fringe reviews from Brighton and Hove local newspaper The ArgusThe Argus (Brighton)The Argus is a local newspaper based in Brighton and Hove in East Sussex, with editions serving the city of Brighton and Hove and the other parts of both East and West Sussex.-History:...
.