News

Bath Fringe 2025 starts here – OPEN MEETING

Steve

The time has come round again to launch next year’s festival!
Our first announcement is as always our Open Meeting.
This will be held at 6pm on Monday January 13th
at Burdall’s Yard, 7A Anglo Terrace, Bath BA1 5NH,
or “beginning of the London Road just after the Cleveland Place traffic lights”.

Who is the meeting for?

• Anyone who wants to come and find out about the Fringe
• It would be particularly useful if you haven’t done an event in Bath Fringe [or any Fringe at all] before.
• Or if you are thinking about an event that feels like it needs input or sharing from another group / artist / show.
• Any venue considering joining the Fringe for the first time, or in search of performers.


Who is the meeting not for?
• People who have done it with confidence before – but it would always be nice to see you!
• Visual Artists: although someone from Fringe Arts Bath [FaB] visual arts festival usually comes to the Open Meeting, their application process is different, please see www.fringeartsbath.co.uk.

What if I can’t come?

That’s fine, we can send you all the information you need and answer any questions by EMail.
What if I want to start RIGHT NOW?

Go and look at the stuff there is on this site, start with “Putting a show into Bath Fringe” under ‘Get Involved’ above

We will be reminding you about this again in January, and publishing the key dates: all you need to know right now is that we intend to have the application process running from around the beginning of February, and the main deadline will be in early March. The venues list will be updated for the meeting; the 2024 one can still be downloaded from <About The Fringe / Links and downloads> above.

Red Diesel Unavailable

Steve
Due “to an unavoidable personal situation”, Red Diesel, Fabulous or otherwise, will be unable to do their gig on Saturday 8th. They are in the process of refunding tickets.
May we also remind you that the Black Dog Production of ‘Let’s Unpack That’ on Friday 7th is also cancelled – this was announced some time ago but the event is still obviously in the printed programme.

United Visionaries of Bath – lineup announcement

Steve

We’re very pleased to announce that we’ve probably got the première of new Bath film ‘Bladud’ – well we have as long as they’ve finished the edit. Failing that it will be an exclusive pre-release version! We’re hoping Jamie Hughes or one of his crew will say a few words – and the same for the other directors whose work we are showing tonight. We loved the pre-shooting fundraiser, and we’re excited to see where it’ll end up.
We got the inspiration for a made-in-Bath film night last year when Ric Rawlins showed ‘Rewilding’, and we’re pleased to show our Walcot roots with his short documentary ‘The Yellow Shop’.
Ric introduced us to Cara Bamford and her affecting Bath written & crewed short ‘Talia’, with Kirris Riviere, whom we’ve always known was an actor as well as a blues singer, and here he proves it.
Plus, a late addition: Vicky Vatcher‘s ‘Maybe‘ is a light comedy about a freshers’ week make and break up, filmed at the YMCA and Devonshire tunnel.
And finally, for those who haven’t had enough, we will end the evening with a showing of the legendary Nasher‘s best-known film, ‘Gordon, The Movie’, [55min approx.]
With thanks to FaB and Arran for doing all the complicated stuff.
Full listing here.

Not packed

Steve

Un-positive message from Black Dog Productions:
“Due to unfortunate circumstances beyond our control we are having to postpone ‘Lets Unpack that’” [Rondo, 7th June]
It is expected you’ll be able to see the show rescheduled to 1st November 2024

Note also below the previously announced cancellation of ‘Souvenir’ – and the entirely new arrival of “A Sudden Violent Burst of Rain“

Souvenir not acquired

Steve

PJ Vickers’ ‘Souvenir’ on Tuesday 28 May is CANCELLED
Oh the travails of Fringe Theatre: a crucial acting talent has accepted some paid rather than voluntary work – the obvious choice given the state of grassroots arts – and is not longer available. We wish Peter & company the best for the performing season and hope to see them again another year.

Extra Show!

Steve

Usually the Latest News column just as the print programme comes out is marred by corrections and shows dropping out, but, fingers-crossed, none of either of those yet. What we do have for you is a NEW SHOW and rather a good one too.
A Sudden Violent Burst of Rain by Pakistani writer/journalist Sami Ibrahim, is about Immigration, pulls no punches, and is on at The Royal School’s Sophie Cameron Theatre.

Says Imrahim: “At its heart, it’s about a mum. The fairytale element comes from the main character trying to explain the situation that she’s stuck in to her daughter. That fairytale becomes a means of speaking to her daughter and trying to explain things to her. And the play is about the daughter believing and unravelling that story, and that felt like the way in – the little snapshot to tell a bigger story about citizenship and nation.”

“A Sudden Violent Burst of Rain is a reminder of the lengths some of us must go to just to live a ‘normal life’ – and how the aftershocks of those efforts affect our communities” – The Skinny.

The Royal School doesn’t yet come up on our online venue system, but can be found heading out of the city on Lansdown Road, on the right before Charlcombe Lane, and long before the top of the hill.

Hold the Front Page [and the others too]

Steve

We are proud and just a little excited to say that the 2024 Bath Fringe print programme is hitting the streets – at least the streets of Bath – as you read this. Swathed in Tanya Miles’ explosive artwork, it is accompanied by a 6-page overview of the FaB Fringe Arts Bath visual arts festival. Everything there is here on the website too, of course, but we’re of the old-fashioned opinion that print is easier to browse and flick around in.

All changes & updates that we are informed about will be corrected on the online listings and flagged up here in the Latest News slot; this includes if a show sells out, but you don’t want to miss out, do you? Better get browsing and buying your tickets, then!

2024 event registration process launched

Steve

Our event registration process is now in operation, and it starts by you EMailing Wendy in the Fringe Office, wendy[at]bathfringe.co.uk; do that as soon as you can and we’ll all be on our way to the festival.
If you’re not quite at that point, getting you over that line, turning an idea into actuality, is what we in the office are here for, mail us and we’ll see how we can help.
Registration process starts February 5th and finishes March 4th [corrections deadline March 15th]

Website being updated and will soon feature 2024 artwork.

Open Meeting 2024

Steve

We’ve arranged our annual OPEN MEETING for January, Wednesday the 17th, UPSTAIRS at THE GRAPES, Westgate Street, Bath BA1 1EQ, at 6pm.
The Open Meeting is for talking about the Fringe in general, for advice, to talk to other artists and maybe some venues [representatives from some venues have promised to come]. Many people find this the best format for talking possibilities and finding out information, that’s why we do it, but it’s not essential to come: if you already know what to do, just check details on our website and we’ll get you wired in to the system…
Some venues are already booking up: The Mission Theatre doesn’t have many slots left, so be quick, and Chapel Arts is generally already booked out by now too.
There is more information elsewhere on this website, which is all still being updated, some pages still show the 2023 dates, sorry for any confusion.
Provisional start date for the submission process is February 5th and Deadline March 4th, see this website for definitive details after the Open Meeting.