Scarborough Fringe Festival Kicks Off, Promising Diverse Arts Celebration

The Scarborough Fringe festival commences today, Friday 13 June, set to transform Scarborough into a vibrant hub of arts and culture for the next 10 days.

The festival is designed to offer "something for everyone," from local residents and families to students and tourists, with a diverse programme including theatre, music, comedy, spoken word, children’s shows, and various other events and performances.

The ten day event will see a range of performances taking place around the town including music, theatre and children's shows.

Festival director, Julian Caddy, says that interest in the event is growing year on year.

"I've been looking at the box office ticket sales so far and it's still tracking at about three or four times what it was last year. So that's really positive.

There's been particularly positive reception to much a do about nothing 1917, which is nearly sold out in the Italian Gardens, which is brilliant.

That's Scarborough Theatre Company doing a completely new adaptation of, much do about nothing. It's a completely different script. So it'll be easy to understand for even the people who are who are not used to that sort of thing."

Julian says the festival aims to provide a "unified platform" for the creative community,  he told us what he's looking forward to seeing.

"The fierce independence of the of the creative community and all of the independent artists and schools and community groups involved, just giving them that unified platform. It feels like they've been screaming out for it for years. And and it's such a, it's such a privilege actually it genuinely gets me out of bed every day.

I might be absolutely shattered, but it really is. Is hugely rewarding to see how grateful, how happy people are to be able to make a noise about the work that they're doing.

And every time you buy a ticket for a show at the Scarborough Fringe, you are helping the community."

The comprehensive programme spans a wide range of artistic disciplines:

• Cabaret & Circus performances such as Switching the Spotlight: A Gender Swapped Cabaret and Under The Leaves.
• Children & Young People events including A Puppet Zoo Adventure!, Benny Shakes: Slugageddon!, and Jeddy Bear & Gary Save The World.
• Comedy acts like Absolutely Reliable! Solo Mask Show, Big Quiffy Bingo, and the Scarborough Fringe Comedy Gala.
• Dance presentations such as Dance Together and Twisted & Illegally Blind Double Bill.
• Events like Putin’s Folly: The War in Ukraine Three Years On.
• Literature & Spoken Word featuring Balcony Performances, Barnacled Anchor Tales, and Poetry Live at the SJT!.
• Music offerings from Live at The Crescent Lounge to Opera for the People, and Scarborough Jazz.
• Theatre productions including Battleground, Esther’s Revenge, and The Impossible Guy.
• Talks & Workshops cover topics like Acting and Creating a Character, Aztec Mask Making Workshops, and TikTok Poetry Workshop.
• Visual Arts exhibitions such as 60s Fashion Show and Mobile Pawtraits.

The Stephen Joseph Theatre (SJT) in Scarborough is a key venue for the festival, hosting a variety of performances.

Highlights at the SJT include Sam Jewison in Concert on 14 June, featuring classic songs from the Great American Songbook.

On 16 June, the SJT Young Company will perform a special staged reading of Jumpers for Goalposts, described as a "heartfelt and hilarious comedy about football, friendship, and finding your place in the world". Switching the Spotlight:

A Gender-Swapped Cabaret on 17 June is a special one-off event raising money to support Scarborough Pride.

Other events at the SJT include a Writing a play with Kat-Rose Martin workshop and Creative Catch Up for local artists on 17 and 18 June respectively. Battleground on 18 June, a recorded performance followed by a discussion, explores the struggle to become the person one wants to be. This story continues with Feral on 19 June, described as a "love letter - to a community, growing up, forging connections, and building a future". Poetry Live at the SJT! on 20 June offers a chance to see four exciting Yorkshire performance poets and an open mic section. Local dance talent will be showcased in Dance Together on 21 June, and The Isolation Creations Haus of Games: Totally 1980s Summer Prom promises an afternoon of comedy and games on 22 June.

The Scarborough Fringe festival is part of The Scarborough Fair, a year-round initiative featuring distinctive arts, heritage, and sporting events across the town. 

There are more details at https://scarboroughfair.uk/events/