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Edinburgh
Festival Fringe 6th - 28th August
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Fringe Venues With 600 companies performing 1,400 shows during the month of August there's going to be plenty of variety where performance spaces are concerned. The Fringe brochure lists a total of 198 venues Fringe venues, from a private basement flat in the West End (29b Walker Street Live!, Venue 179) to an old abattoir (the Corn Exchange, venue 77). Here's our starting ten based on the venue and the acts that will be appearing at the venue: Assembly Rooms (venue 3), George Street The flagship venue of the Fringe. Shows are more expensive than elsewhere on the Fringe, but the quality of the shows are generally high and you can usually be assured of the kind of luxuries that you would expect of a normal theatre-going experience like good seating, a view of the stage, good bar. Photo>> Bongo Club - out of the blue (venue 143) 14 New Street Great little live music venue/artspace/nightclub at the back of Waverley Station that has a passionate local following (it runs all the year round). Its emphasis on World music (Latin, African, etc), wholesome food and the importance of chilling out may mean that this year it fills the void left by Cafe Grafitti's demise. C Venues (venue 34), Chamber Street The big C has moved from its old location on Princes Street. A comprehensive programme of children's shows, dance, comedy, musicals and theatre should make it one to watch for. The Corn Exchange (venue 77), Newmarket Road, Slateford This spacious live music venue - new to the Fringe this year - and home to T on the Fringe has lots of potential. Although relatively far-flung with the likes of Travis and Blur lined up punters are likely to want to make the trip. Dynamic Earth (venue 18), Holyrood Road Scotland's "millennium dome" has been drafted in for a programme of childrens' shows, Scottish and international theatre. A new venue which promises much. Only danger is that it is too big and impersonal. The venue was used to great effect at Hogmanay. (Non-festive Dynamic Earth site) Photo>> Gilded Balloon (venue 38), Cowgate Situated down in the Cowgate, the underbelly of the city, this is particularly popular with Fringe nocturnes. Comedy is the watchword, comedy of the riotous, lager-fuelled kind. The gladiatorial spirit - even the most hardened stand-ups have trembled at the prospect of doing its late night stints - gives it a real edge. There's also a good mix of alternative, live bands. Great for partying into the wee, wee hours. Photo>> Hill Street Theatre (venue 41), Hill Street This really is a great example of a small Fringe venue that does well. Situated in the West End, in one of the back streets, its small and intimate theatre spaces are well suited to the small Fringe theatre. The venue is run very professionally, not surprising when you consider that this is its 25th year on the Fringe. Pleasance (venue 33), The Pleasance One of the "Big Three" venues (Gilded Balloon and Assembly Rooms being the other two) set up in the Edinburgh university student union. high comedy, cabaret and revue content is intermingled with more serious theatrical fare. Like the other two biggies comprises of multiple performances spaces, most of a high standard and efficiently run. When the weather is good, it has the best beer garden in town in its cobbled courtyard. Photo>> Rocket @ Theatre Arts Centre (venue 16) and Rocket @ South Bridge Resource Centre, (venue123), Have put together a huge programme which, I am sure, will contain more than a few Gems. Traverse Theatre (venue 15), Cambridge Street Almost Scotland's National Theatre, housed in an impressive purpose-built theatre in the West End. Its drama programme is second only to the Edinburgh International Festival. In fact, this year, as in the past, several International Festival productions, are being produced at The Traverse. Its busy bar is the obvious place to mingle with the thespian crowd. Fringe misses This year the Fringe has lost three major venues. Café Graffiti, which, for many years, was a major venue for World Music acts in particular, has gone. The Palladium is now an auction house, and within the last two months the Spiegeltent on Princes Street, which has been a popular, annual venue, is taking a sabbatical with fifty per cent of the acts having been re-located to other venues. There are many other theatres which specialise, such as The Church Hill Theatre which will home the American High School Theatre Festival. Central Hall, which is the base of The Fringe for Youth Orchestras. St Andrew's and St. Georges Church (venue111), on George Street which have one of the eagerly, anticipated music programmes on the Fringe. |
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