Buxton Fringe’s oldest venue returns triumphant
Buxton’s largest and longest-running Fringe venue – Underground – returns with a full programme of events for the first time since 2019. The venue-group will be back in full strength at the Old Clubhouse and Arts Centre Studio in the centre of Buxton from 6-24 July as part the Buxton Festival Fringe.
Underground has been running venues at the UK’s 3rd largest Fringe festival since 2006, each year hosting 50-80 different productions including stand-up, theatre, music and everything in between. This year’s programme sees artists return in huge numbers following two years of Covid restrictions, with 135 performances, across two spaces and three weeks, from 1pm-11pm every day.
“The arts has been through such a difficult two years – the Fringe was online-only in 2020 then returned in 2021, but so many acts and audiences couldn’t attend with restrictions and safety fears. It’s going to be fantastic to see everyone back and enjoying the arts as we used to and make up for those lost years!” said Underground Artistic Director Tom Crawshaw.
The line-up includes work created during lockdown, as well as work created before lockdown and only just now getting a chance to appear before the public. The work is all handpicked by Underground, including some of the UK’s finest comedy, theatre and music practitioners.
Highlights for 2022 include:
- Sarah Mills (The Last Leg, Stand Up To Cancer, writer for Have I Got News For You) presents a hilarious but heartfelt show about her cancer diagnosis – Badass: A Love Note To The NHS.
- The debut comedy hour from comic and junior doctor Michael Akadiri (ITV2’s Stand Up Sketch Show, BBC New Comedy Award London Finalist) prior to a run at top Edinburgh Fringe venue the Pleasance.
- Three’s Company’s 20th anniversary production: The award-winning Buxton-born trio stage a spectacular new stage adaptation of The Little Prince by Antoine de Saint-Exupery, their 20th new show at the Buxton Fringe since Platformation in 2003.
- All new stand-up from TV and internet star, Alasdair Beckett-King (Mock The Week, Leicester Mercury Comedian Of The Year).
- Multi-talented Fringe regular Ruth E Cockburn brings two exciting new shows about life in the North West, fusing music, comedy and storytelling. Miss Nobodies follows 100 years of history of a single Lancashire shop; Support Your Local Library is a gothic pub rock opera about a radical librarian disturbing the peace of the nouveau riche.
- Rob Rouse (Upstart Crow, BBC and West End) presents a new stand-up hour and brings his riotously funny Dirty Scrabble show back following it’s hugely successful debut at Buxton Fringe last year.
- Fanboy: A thrilling exploration of nostalgia and nerd-culture from Scotsman ‘Fringe First’ winner Joe Sellman-Leava, directed by Buxton-born Yaz Al-Shaater.
- Double Buxton Fringe Best Comedy Award-winner Kate Butch returns triumphant to her home town, following UK-wide success, with two dangerously fun new shows – Kate Butch: Wuthering Shites and Drag Queens Vs Zombies.
- Sweet Productions, the multi-award-winning artistic and venue company from Brighton, Edinburgh and Dundee Fringe, present three fantastic shows, following their Buxton premiere in 2021. Jekyll & Hyde: A One Woman Show, Aidan Goatley: Tenacious, and Imaginary Porno Charades.
- An epic new comedy adaptation of The War Of The Worlds (via the book, film, musical and Orson Welles’ radio version) from multi-award-winning comic Edy Hurst (MTV UK, Radio 4, BBC New Comedy Award nominee).
- Long-time Buxton Fringe musical star Darren Poyzer brings his weekly lockdown hit Sunday Service to the stage for the first time, for two Sunday afternoons in July.
Tickets for all shows are available from underthefringe.com or in-person from the Box Office from 6 July.