Newcastle Fringe Festival - vital for emerging talent
And a source of midsummer fun
There was a time when summer talk of ‘the Fringe’ invariably meant Edinburgh. But there’s no monopoly on the name and Newcastle Fringe is back this month, the biggest since it began in 2017.
The line-up boasts familiar names and a host of up-and-comers tipped for great things, and there are to be 110 performances across an unprecedented eight city venues.
“I’m excited,” confesses director Ali Pritchard who, since he handed over the reins of Newcastle’s Alphabetti Theatre to go freelance, has been able to focus his formidable energy on this.
“This is definitely the biggest beast,” he says of this year’s festival. “We’ve got more on in a few days than some venues manage in an entire year’s programme.”
New this time are the Newcastle Fringe Festival Awards, to be presented at what promises to be a lively ceremony and ‘wrap’ party, bringing the metaphorical curtain down at The Old Coal Yard.
“Move over Oscars, see ya Grammys, this year's Fringe acts have their eyes on the real prize: the NFF25 Awards!”
That’s the website spiel. No harm in aiming high, and while a snappier name might possibly be found, Ali reckons the awards will be coveted and useful to the winners.
It is one of the measures he has introduced in a bid to raise the festival’s profile and appeal, along with an ambitious pledge to ensure most events get reviewed.
Newcastle Fringe Festival runs from July 22 until August 2, and during that time we’ll see comedy, music, theatre, cabaret, drag and much more represented at those venues.
And let’s not forget poetry. Former Poet Laureate Carol Ann Duffy is on the bill at The Old Coal Yard, the venue on Elizabeth Street, near the Ouseburn, which many will recall as the home of the Northern Alchemy brewery (sadly, no longer trading).
Along with musician John Sampson, she will perform Earth Prayers, featuring nature poems from across the ages.
Ali recalls: “I saw she was going to Edinburgh so got in touch and went, ‘Why don’t you come to Newcastle as well?’
“They’ve agreed to come on the same deal as the up-and-coming acts from Hartlepool and she and John have been so supportive. I’m hoping it’ll sell out.”
Those performers from Hartlepool are the livewire graduates of the Northern School of Art where Ali has good contacts and has run a workshop on how to put on (and sell) a show.
“I think we’ve got 10 shows from the Northern School of Art which is excellent,” he says.
“They include performances by Arun Graves-Kochhar who won the ARC Award.”
That’s given annually by ARC, the Stockton arts centre, and it guarantees professional support for the winning student in developing their work.
Arun and fellow (highly commended) student Isabelle Sander will give two festival performances at Alphabetti of Foot in the Door, a trio of short theatre pieces.
Ali is zealous in his mission to make Newcastle Fringe Festival a supportive testing ground for up-and-coming talent, especially if it’s from the region.
Edinburgh, he says, has become so important to any entertainer wanting to make a name for themselves. It attracts all the industry movers and shakers, but it is a bit of a bun fight.
“It has become a rich person’s game,” Ali claims.
“You go up there to lose money and if you’re making a theatre show, that could be as much as 40 or 50 grand. Who has that money to throw away?
“So the idea behind Newcastle Fringe was about making something sustainable for both artists and audiences.
“Young performers leave university already loaded with debt. Heading straight to Edinburgh with little experience will most likely add to that.
“Hopefully we can stop them making expensive mistakes and support them as they grow and transition, hopefully to ever larger venues.”
The big venues on Tyneside, he adds, have been “fantastically supportive” of the festival, which has no direct Arts Council or municipal funding.
To audience members, he says: “As with all fringe festivals, I’m sure there will be misses as well as hits. But I’m equally certain the hits will outnumber the misses.”
As well as newcomers seeking attention, fringe festivals are opportunities for established acts to try new material. Negotiating a busy festival schedule can be a bit of an excursion into the unknown. Call it an adventure.
As you might expect, a large cohort of comedians is on the bill, including Ola Labib, Dane Baptiste, Susie McCabe, Lauren Pattison and Matt Reed.
Ali’s particularly looking forward to Ola Labib’s show, Dispersible, at Dance City. “She’s already a telly name but is going to be huge, I would say, in the next few years.”
Proving that comedy’s a broad church, Luke Connell, performing at Newgate Social, divides his time between (or maybe combines) stand-up and his daytime work as professor of medieval French literature at Durham University.
Also at Dance City you can witness You Can Take Me Home Toni, an autobiographical performance by Lorraine Smith with fantastic costumes by award-winning Dutch designer Daphne Karstens.
“Emotive, comedic, at times shocking and confronting, but joyfully celebratory and uplifting,” wrote one critic, covering all the bases.
Ali also recommends the contribution of Inua Ellams, playwright, performer and wordsmith, at The Old Coal Yard.
“His is a largely improvised show (it’s called Search Party). He’ll ask someone in the audience to pick a word – carrot, for instance – and then find references to it in stuff he’s written.
“It’s a different show every time and always very special.”
Of course, there will be loads of music. Katie Doherty & The Navigators will perform at Alphabetti, you can catch Howay The Lasses! at the Cumberland Arms and North Tyneside singer-songwriter Kirsty Hall and ZipWire Angels will entertain at The Lubber Fiend.
Soprano Isabel Abbott offers An afternoon of Opera at The Old Coal Yard where the 18-strong Bold Big Band will also be making some noise.
It’s here, too, that you can catch Ben Dover: The Bard of Beer, a show developed by Ali himself with Rebecca Glendinning-Laycock.
“Because being me I can’t just run a festival,” chortles Ali, turbo-charged as ever.
“It’s a work in progress and it’s part beer tasting, part drag show and part odd poetry that I’m writing as well. We’ve secured sponsorship from two breweries and it should be a lot of fun.”
Now if that isn’t a show encapsulating the true Fringe spirit, I don’t know what is.
To explore what’s on offer at Newcastle Fringe Festival 2025 – and the programmes at Alphabetti, Dance City, Newgate Social, The Old Coal Yard, The Lubber Fiend, The Cumberland Arms, Prohibition and The Biscuit Factory – go to the festival website.