Thursday 10 May 2012

2011 Programme Complete

Chapel-en-le-Frith Morris Men - Coombs, June 2010
The Buxton Fringe 2011 programme is now pretty much complete and the proof-read design is now with the printers. The programme will be ready in about 2 weeks and the formal launch takes place at the Pavilion Arts Centre of Friday June 10th. Tickets are still available for the Fringe First show featuring some recent Fringe favourites. Sam Dunkley comperes and there will be music by Fordante, comedy from Gerry Howell, magic from Piff the Magic Dragon plus proper acting from the Shakespeare Jukebox, Shadow Syndicate and After Dark Entertainment. Tickets are £8/£10. Friends of Buxton Fringe get discounts of £1.50 - so there'e an early reward for all Fringe Friends. To book go to the Opera House Box Office. You should also be able to get tickets for some Fringe shows from the Opera House Box Office now.

Fringe 2011 has over 160 shows and events and more than 550 performances to entice you over a period of just 19 days (6-24 July). Among the smaller categories are Film and Dance - so let's review your options here. There is just one entry in Dance this year - if that is disappointing, the good news that dance will be taking to the streets of Buxton on Saturday July 23rd. Our good friends from Chapel-en-le-Frith Morris Men are organising their annual day of morris and there will be 8 or so sides dancing around the town. Yes, people laugh at morris dancers and the dancers are hard enough to take it. All I can say is if you think it laughable try it out and see what hard work it is. Most Morris sides will rehearse through the autumn and winter and dance out many weekends in the spring and summer - often for local charities.

Much of the film on show has been chosen or presented by Buxton Film. There are half a dozen full length features - all uplifting in their own way. They range from Mike Leigh's most recent (with national treasure Jim Broadbent), a darkish comedy (Skeletons) filmed in the dales around Bonsall (20 miles south east of Buxton) to a high-energy Bollywood comedy Three Idiots. Films entered for this year's Open Shorts competition are to be screened at The Railway on Saturday July 16th. Also being screened are some archive-based documentaries about ice-cream makers in Manchester and a social history of the River Derwent from Hathersage to Derby. This has footage from the 1950s and anyone who has enjoyed times by or in the river will love the film. Go to www.buxtonfilm.org.uk for full programme details and film reviews.

The other film being screened provides an opportunity to see again a play from Finge 2010. The Last Laugh is on at The Railway on July 10 (8-9pm). The play deals with some difficult mental health questions and at the heart of it is a powerful performance by Fiona Paul.

Finally, for now - the Military Tattoo (Saturday, July 9th at the University of Derby's Dome building) is selling fast. In fact the evening performance is sold out and less than 100 tickets remain for the afternoon show. This is phenomenal and makes it the biggest show in Buxton this summer!

by Keith Savage - Published 13/05/2011

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