Fringe Information
Fringe Seasons
Buxton Opera House Fringe Seasons are a varied and vital mixture of drama, film and comedy on a smaller scale. Running alongside the main house programme in the more intimate setting of the Paupers Pit Theatre and Upstairs at The Old Clubhouse, the Fringe Seasons offer an opportunity to experience imaginative and unusual performances, classic plays performed in an alternative setting, new works by emerging writers, critically-acclaimed and cutting edge cinema as well as the best in emerging stand-up comedy talent.
Highlights from previous Fringe Seasons have included Café Society’s MEN Drama Award nominated Café Sinatra, In Yer Space’s Hannah and Hanna (Winner of the Buxton Festival Fringe Best Young Actors Award), University of Derby Theatre Arts presentation of Fringe Box Office hit Bess of Hardwick and George Telfer’s critically acclaimed one-man show Gielgud – A Knight in the Theatre. A 2004 Buxton Buzz comedy night also saw an appearance from Alan Carr, now a regular on Channel 4 and soon to appear in his own stand-up show on the Opera House main stage.
Tickets for all Fringe Season performances can be booked in advance from the Opera House Box Office on 0845 127 2190 or on the door.
The Venues
The Paupers Pit Theatre
This 40-seat theatre, downstairs at The Old Hall Hotel, is the main home of our Fringe Seasons: an intimate, black-box space, in the basement of one of Buxton’s most historic buildings.
The theatre derives its name from its proximity to the former Pauper’s Well, a space reserved for the use of poor people wishing to bathe in Buxton’s health giving waters. It offers a varied programme of drama, music and comedy all performed to a high professional standard in an intimate setting. Access to the theatre is via the hotel’s main entrance. Paupers Pit Theatre audiences can enjoy meals, pre, interval and post-show bar drinks in the comfortable surroundings of The Old Hall Hotel, phone 01298 22841 or visit www.oldhallhotelbuxton.co.uk.
The Old Clubhouse
The upstairs room of The Old Clubhouse is home to our monthly Buxton Buzz comedy nights. With its own bar, and non-smoking in the auditorium itself, it is a friendly, cabaret-style venue, situated immediately across the road (Water Street) from the Opera House, with access via the main entrance. Meals, snacks and bar all available, phone 01298 70117.