Bumper Fringe Confirms Buxton's Place On UK Fringe trail

Press Release 24 April 2012

Buxton Festival Fringe has cemented its position as one of the UK's leading fringe festivals as entries closed for the 2012 festival at the end of April. With a massive 170 confirmed events, the Fringe is once again bigger than ever and an essential part of the Fringe trail as it wends its way north from Brighton and Oxford, with Buxton as the final stop before Edinburgh.

As the Fringe's profile grows, new acts come from far and wide to participate, and this year entrants span the globe; in Dance, Key Physical Theatre from Taiwan are 'Rambling in an Empty Room', in Spoken Word, John Rainer brings us Prufrock's World fresh from a hit run in New York and in Music, Llangollen International Eisteddfod competitors, the Guelph Chamber Choir from Canada, perform in Tideswell.

Across the board there is a mix of established favourites returning and exciting newcomers to the Fringe. This years Fringe sees a big increase in Comedy entrants, many of them bound for Edinburgh; Max and Ivan follow up last year's big success as Holmes and Watson, this time as 'Con Artists', fresh from Penn and Teller: Fool Us on TV, Piff the Magic Dragon returns, and new to the Fringe, one of the writers of The Sarah Millican TV programme, Ciamh McDonnell, brings the Art of Conversation.

As ever, Theatre and Music form the backbone of the programme. Previous award winners Freerange Theatre present Einstein's Daughter by Rob Johnston, which won the prestigious King's Cross Award for New Writing. Almost Famous have a cabaret take on Grimm Tales by Poet Laureate, Carol Ann Duffy, and two Beatles obsessed girls are the subject of Planet Rabbit's I Want To Hold Your Hand. In an exceptionally large Music category, Sarah-Ann Cromwell shakes up the classical soprano recital with A Week in the Life of a Diva, the Family MacCool take us to the Celtic heartlands, and if you need cheering up Lili La Scala promises Songs To Make You Smile - 'Ravishing vintage glamour' according to the Telegraph!

Of course, there are plenty of local favourites to catch up with as well; Buxton Buzz compere Bill Woolland tries to act his age, Word Wizards' bring their Poetry Slam and there is an exciting collaboration between the Young REC Theatre company and award-winning local playwright Tom Crawshaw. In Music, Club Acoustic joins the Fringe and there are performances from the popular Tideswell Male Voice Choir and High Peak Orchestra amongst many others.

In Visual Arts, Buxton Art Trail are back, displaying art the length and breadth of the town, Earthworks are displaying a broad range of ceramic techniques, The Great Dome Art Fair takes place in the home of Fringe sponsor, The University of Derby Buxton, and Ivan Boden exhibits photographs from across the continent of Asia.

And if that isn't enough, Three's Company are recording a podcast, High Peak Magicians host an evening of close-up magic and tickets are already selling well for the Buxton Military Tattoo.

"Something for everyone? Absolutely!" said Fringe Chair, Stephanie Billen. "It's wonderful to see Buxton Festival Fringe firmly established on the national scene. We have more entrants than ever, and the quality of events on offer throughout Buxton in July is fantastic. You will be able to see a taster of what's on offer at Fringe Sunday in the Pavilion Gardens on the afternoon of July 8."

The printed programme will distributed from the beginning of June and officially launched at Club Acoustic, Old Clubhouse on Wednesday June 13, but until then the 2012 line-up is on the website at http://www.buxtonfringe.org.uk/descriptions2012.html. The Fringe can also be found on Facebook, Twitter (@BuxtonFringe) and at the Buxton Advertiser's blog, accessible from the Fringe website.

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