A new home for Buxton Fringe’s largest venue
The Buxton Fringe’s longest running venue has received a new lease of life, in the form of a new base above The Clubhouse pub in the centre of town.
After 10 years and 1,500 performances hosted under the historic Old Hall Hotel, Underground Venues were forced to move this year to make way for the multi-million pound Crescent Spa redevelopment project. Luckily their prayers, and those of 70 companies from across the globe, have been answered by the offer of a new home just over the road.
Artistic Directors Yaz Al-Shaater and Tom Crawshaw have developed ‘Underground at the Clubhouse’, a 60-seat performance space which will house a community of 60 artists, theatre companies and comedians and an audience of thousands over three weeks in July. Hidden in a back room, the venue will also play host Buxton’s exclusive new Fringe Club, a box office and information desk, and ‘The Buxton Festival Fridge’: a curated performance and exhibition space in a real-life fridge.
Underground will also be returning to the Pavilion Arts Centre for the Fringe, to house a further 43 larger-scale performances.
Co-founder Yaz Al-Shaater said "We’re really pleased to have found a place packed with potential, to continue what we started over a decade ago. We pretty much grew up on the Buxton Fringe so it's an honour to return each year and give something back, by bringing together artists from all over the world and introducing them to the Fringe, and to Buxton.”
Co-founder Tom Crawshaw said “We were sad to see the Pauper’s Pit close, but can’t wait to open our new space at The Clubhouse. We both have many fond memories of performing at The Clubhouse when it was run by Martin Beard as Venue 21, and we are very excited that we are able to put The Clubhouse right back at the centre of the Fringe, where it belongs.”
Underground’s programme this year features performances from every genre, as well as work from across the globe. Highlights include ‘Fringe First’ winning Edinburgh-hit Labels, Funny Women Award winner and rising star Harriet Braine, and Edison – a bold experimental retelling of the life of Nikola Tesla from Philadelphia-based ensemble Static Assembly.
This year’s Buxton Fringe runs 5-23 July, with the Launch Party at Underground’s new space on Tuesday 4 July.