For this year’s Brighton Fringe, Broadway Baby Editor Beth Troakes has been on the hunt to for the insider information as our performers, venue mangers, programmers, press teams and technicians prepare for the start of what’s looking to be our best ever yet Brighton Fringe.
The Marlborough Theatre’s brochure is a total treat.
We’ve asked a series of quick fire questions to give you a bite sized chunk of just what it means to be a part of this fantastic, fast-paced May Festival.
First up we have our quick fire questions to those working behind the scenes…
Hello! Who are you and what will you be doing this Fringe?
I’m Tarik Elmoutawakil, and I am The Marlborough Theatre’s Fringe Programme Coordinator. I’ll be making sure that all 34 of our fantastic shows go off without a hitch.
How many Brighton Fringe Festivals do you have under your belt?
This will be our current team at the Marlborough’s 8th Brighton Fringe.
Which shows should we be looking out for at your venue?
My personal favourite is Adrienne Truscott’s Asking For It: A One Lady Rape About Comedy, Starring Her Pussy and Little Else. It’s comedy at its finest, making social political commentary, while making you do actual LOLs. Adrienne takes down the patriarchy and "rape culture” in a powerful, smart, incredibly funny way. It’s why comedy is important. We also have a bunch of shows that are presented by Pink Fringe (our in-house presenting/producing company, dedicated to Queer Performance). Break Yourself, The Daily Grind and STUD all feature during our Queer Weekender, each of them funny, poignant and revealing in their own rights.
Do you have any advice for first time Fringe performers?
Get out there and promote your show! In person, online, on the radio, in showcases. On the one hand there’s a large audience out there, on the other hands there’s also a lot of competition.
Do you have any advice for first time Fringe audiences?
There’s so much choice during a fringe festival that it can almost be overwhelming, but don’t be put off, or you’ll miss out! If the gorgeous official Fringe Brochure is too much to take in, keep an eye out for brochures produced by individual venues, as they are likely to be both more digestible and simultaneously give you a good idea about the kind of shows those venues like to present. The Marlborough Theatre’s brochure is a total treat.
What is you most memorable moment from past Fringe Festivals? Good or bad, you decide!
Last year Christeene came to the Marlborough Theatre. She’s a drag character and electro artist who brought the house down with her intense dance show. It was both poetic and filthy and she left her audiences in a state of absolute ecstasy.
If you had to describe Brighton Fringe in one word, what would it be?
Fantasmarific
