Okay, that's enough procrastination. It's time to start thinking about next year's fringe season, and the big one will be plans for Durham Free Fringe 2026. When we wrapped up this year we'd pretty much decided we were going to do this, but decided very little else about how this would work. Well, we've finally got our heads together to start making plans. And the first decision we have to make is who's going to be operating this.

As I've mentioned several times before, 2025 was always intended to be a small and manageable season, so it was two of us (Aadil Kurji and myself) doing all the things between us, from top-level decision making to petty admin. Does this make sense for future years? To be honest, we don't know. The size of Durham Free Fringe is heavily dependent on demand, and whilst we have some influence with how heavily we publicise our call for participants, we have no idea how much demand is out there. It could remain as a small niche operation, or it grow to a big network of venues like the Free Fringe organisations in Edinburgh do. Only one thing is for certain: even with the low-budget low-resource model we use, there's only a finite number of acts two people can oversee.

So we've had a discussion and we're ready to share our first decisions for our plans next year.

Our first decision is that, for next year, governance remains unchanged. Aadil and myself will continue to make decisions between us. Of course, we are always listening for how you think this should be run, and if you have any views on how you'd like this to work, please reach out to us. After Durham Free Fringe 2026, we will review this arrangement again.

Our second decision, however, is something new. Our decision in principle is that we want Durham Free Fringe to be run by artists. There are many different ways fringe venues work, all of which are valid, but the advantage of venues run by artists for artists is that the people doing the work have hands-on experience of understanding the aspiration and struggles of the people taking part.

As such, from next year, if you want to perform with us, you will also be welcome and encouraged to help out with the wider event. Exactly how this works depends on what people think they have to offer. Maybe you can operate sound cues on another show, maybe you can help us with publicity, or maybe you just have a bunch of friends you can bring along to support some acts - whatever you think you can do, we're interested. To be clear, however, this is entirely optional. If you just want to do your own show, that's also fine, and this won't count against you we're doing programming. If you performed with us this year - you're welcome to get involved whether or not you're planning a follow-up next year.

For prospective volunteers who are not performers: for the time being, we are still encouraging you to volunteers for Durham Fringe instead of us. This isn't because we don't want you, but because we want to avoid a team getting too large and unwieldy until we have a better idea of how this works for us. But, again, if, whatever reason, you specifically want to work with us, let us know and we'll see what we can do.

If you're waiting for news on how to apply, be patient. We won't be starting programming until the New Year. But in the meantime, if you want to contact us for whatever reason - be it feedback, interest in performing, or offers to help you - contact us at hello@durhamfreefringe.org.uk and we'll get back to you.

Postscript: Finally: yes, know. I am continuing to use my website for Durham Free Fringe updates when we have a proper free fringe website now. Please bear with us - properly configuring that site beyond a one-page job is on our list of things to do, but we're both currently ridiculously busy in our day jobs. We hope to soon have all the key information over there.

I aim to do updates at least monthly, but this is going to be a quick update because there is no news. After five fringes in four months, I've been comatose. Of course, it didn't help that I've been on holiday for nine days - as people who know me can attest, my holidays are even more exhausting than my fringe activities.

Things aren't quite still. We've had a first discussion on Durham Free Fringe plans for next year. Nowhere near any formal plans yet, but I hope to make some proper moves next month. We might actually have something to announce sooner than you think, but I'll have to get back to you on that.

And that's your update. Back to hibernation for me.

And that's really it for this year. Not said much about my final month because that was reviewing at Edinburgh Fringe, which you can read all about on my other website. I won't tell a lie, without the chance of a break after Durham Free Fringe, I was approaching breaking point at one time during my visit. But I've made it through to the end, lost count of the number of reviews I got out, and I finally I can have a rest. Well, not a complete rest, I have a few loose ends to tie up. And then I have a holiday to go on, and anybody who knows me knows my holidays are way more tiring than a normal day working. But after that, I'm pretty much clear until fringe season start ramping up in spring next year.

However, my fringe season has ended on a sour note. Two Edinburgh Fringe venues have gone full racist on us and kicked out Jewish performers for being Jewish. (They made claims as to why it wasn't about that, but their excuses are just shit - and, as I made the case on my theatre blog - not excuses accepted by the Equality Act for direct discrimination.) Most gutting: one of them in Banshee Labyrinth, where I have fond memories of doing Edinburgh Horror Festival. I must stress at this point that the racist act has been committed by the host venue, and - as far as I can tell - Edinburgh Horror Festival is an innocent party in this. But it's still enough to make me want to have nothing to do with a business that behaved as such a despicable manner. Had I been doing Edinburgh Horror Festival this year, I would have withdrawn in protest.

Anyway, Edinburgh Horror Festival was fun, but a novelty I can do without. I badly need a rest, so no decisions on anything for at least a month. And if you need to sleep for a month too, go ahead. You've earned it.

It's Monday 28th July. It's one day after Durham Free Fringe finished. And it's actually worked. We put on show. And we got an audience. And a respectable audience size.

Honestly, you have no idea how much of a relief it is to have pulled this off. I have been stressing over this for pretty much the last eight months. The difference between this and my Durham Fringe work is that, this time round, the buck really did stop with me. There really was nobody to come to my rescue. It really was a case of guesswork over which of our plans were going to work - and I won't tell a lie, there were a lot of things that didn't work the way we wanted. There were long period of time in the run-up when I was convinced this was going to be a damp squib. We did manage to get venues on board and put together a programme and get publicity out, but with all events being free and unticketed, we had no idea what audiences we would get. It really was a case of turn up and hope other people do.

But, my God, it worked. Varied from show to show, but for the 7.30 comedy shows some turnouts beyond my wildest dreams. So thank you so much to everybody who made this work. Thanks to Adil my co-organiser, our visiting artists Kathrine, Caitriona, Ben, Dan, Raymond and Jennifer, and everybody in the audience who gave our crazy gamble a chance.

The cat's already out of the bag: we intend to do this again next year. We do have lessons to learn from this one, and any feedback you have will be welcome, be it what we could do better or what direction you want us to go in. But right now, I need to sleep for a month.

We now have an actual website, so you can follow that for updates instead of reading call-outs on this is. In the meantime, here's a picture of the first It's Not Cluedo to take place in Durham.

Excuse the lack of updates, but with Buxton Fringe performances and Durham Free Fringe preparations going on, I haven't had much time for updates. If you've been following Instagram or Bluesky you should have a better idea of what's going on.

But we're actually doing it. It starts tomorrow, with ten performances of six acts over five days in two venues. Gotta rush, so here's a reprint of the press release.

Would love to see you this week. And we now have an actual website.

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Durham Free Fringe brings a stage for everyone

A new festival comes to Durham this July to build on the success of Durham Fringe. Modelled on Edinburgh Free Fringe, an intiative that made performing at Edinburgh more accessible to artists, Durham Free Fringe will run alongside Durham Fringe on the 23^rd - 27^th July.

There are no fees to take part, and all performances are free to watch, with audiences invited to make donations to the performers after each show. The reason this is possible is that the Free Fringe recognises that many acts do not need pop-up theatre spaces with full sound and lighting equipment; for performances such as stand-up comedy, stoytelling and poetry, only a room in a pub is needed. Without such labour-intensive overheads, it is possible to open up performance opportunities to many more acts.

In its first year, Durham Free Fringe will be kept small and manageable. Run by Aadil Kurji leading on comedy and Chris Neville-Smith leading on theatre, Durham Free Fringe will by primarily based at The Holy GrAle, with The Station House running as a secondary venue on Saturday 26^th. The programme for the first year includes:

• Philosophy Storytime: Erotic Tales of and for Lovers of Wisdom. Previously debuted at Dundee Fringe, a one-person performance from Kathrine Cuccuru that combines storytelling and philosophical discussion. Showing on Wednesday 23^rd and Thursday 24^th July at the Holy GrAle at 6.00 p.m.
• It’s Not Cluedo! Chris Neville-Smith’s comedy game show developed with the Rotunda at Brighton Fringe finally comes home to Durham. Choose your own setting, you own murder victim, and your own list of six suspects, six weapons and nine locations. Showing on Wednesday 23^rd at the Holy GrAle at 7.30 p.m.
• (Just off the) Bailey Banter: Aadil Kurji’s mixed bill stand-up comedy sets. All welcome, from new comedians trying out new sets to established comedians with samples from larger shows. Showing on Thursday 24^th July and Friday 25^th July at the Holy GrAle at 7.30 p.m.
• The Durham Improv Jam: Your chance to come and play some improv games, or watch other performers take to the stage, in a relaxed and unscripted interactive show. Join us for an hour jam-packed full of laughs! Friday 25^th July at 4.30 p.m.
• Caitriona Dowden: Dance Like Everyone's Dancing: Following her double award-nominated debut, she returns with a feel-good show about apocalyptic dread (and the 1518 dancing plague). Showing on Friday 25^th July at the Holy GrAle at 6.00 p.m, then Saturday 26^th at the Station House at 2.00 p.m.
• Doctor Coppelius: Chris Neville-Smith’s storytelling play about the tragic villain from the ballet Coppelia. We see Doctor Coppelius’s journey from an idyllic youthful love story to the sinister puppet-master he became. Showing on Saturday 26^th at the Station House at 3.00 p.m, then Sunday 27^th May at 4.00 p.m. at the Holy Grale.

Entry to all shows are free and unticketed.

Been a slow news month for theatre projects but still plenty to keep me busy, most notably Brighton Fringe, which has gone really well. I've had some great showings of It's Not Cluedo, thanks in a large part to some incredible guests I had of these shows. I also saw some great photos taken from the audience, which I can't post here because I didn't hear back about permission, but you can enjoy it in this on instagram with this photo and this video.* This is the first time that ticket revenue has gone into four figures - and, okay, comedy is easy to sell than theatre, but it makes a refreshing change from fringe theatre performances where I've fretted over getting any kind of audience at all.

*: Insta links aren't being reliable. It's the sixth and ninth item in the set of pictures if it doesn't take you to the correct pic.

Huge thanks to all my guests - honestly, the show is only what it is because of you. Special thanks in particular to the random audience member who joined us in the last game when we were short of guests. You were fab. But I've already forgotten your name. Please identify yourself and I will make sure you are credited.

I'm not quite done with It's Not Cluedo. Currently got confirmed dates at Scarborough and Buxton Fringe here. Just a heads-up: I have already sold 15% of tickets for Scarborough It's Not Cluedo. I am considering my options for what to do if it sells out, but Scarborians: if you want to be certain, early booking advised. Also got my Doctor Coppelius run, details here. Hope to add some more dates soon - check those two links to stay up to date.

Other than that, it might look calm, but think of it as a duck: all calm and peaceful up top, but under the water where you can't see it's all very busy. Should have some news for you soon. Until then, that's all folks.

Durham Free Fringe is excited to announce that programming has begun for our first year. And we want to hear from you. Here's how it's going to work:

What the Free Fringe is

The "Free Fringe" concept originated in Edinburgh. Most venues at the Edinburgh Fringe were pop-up theatre spaces, fully equipped with stages, sound and lighting, and whilst great things could be achieved on these small stages, demand was at a premium, and many artists struggled to find a venue, or afford a venue, or both. Then companies like PBH and Laughing Horse recognised that, for many performers, these bells and whistles weren't actually required, just as long as you had a room and an audience. With far lower budget overheads, the events could be both free to take part in and free to watch, with audience invited to donate to the performer after the act if they enjoyed it.

The Free Fringe was originally aimed at aspiring stand-up comedians, but the scope has since grown wider. Some comedians who rose through the free fringe have stayed with the free fringe venues. There have been some excellent theatre productions in free fringe spaces that use the setup to their advantage. And the Free Fringe has also been popular with established acts trying out new material as work in progress. This what we want to bring to Durham.

What we can offer

We are running on the 23rd - 27th July parallel to Durham Fringe, and we are hosting events in three spaces over two venues. At The Holy Grale in Crossgate, we can run events in the main bar upstairs, or a smaller cellar downstairs. At The Station House underneath the viaduct, we can run events in the upstairs bar area. However, in our first year we expect to only be running one venue at a time. As a result, capacity will be limited. So the more flexible you are with dates, we more likely it is we can programme you.

As we have technical backgrounds, we may be able to go over and above what a free fringe can normally offer. For stand-up comedy, we hope to provide a microphone and a stage. For theatre, we should be in a position be able to help with sound operation and possibly sound design. However, all of this is provisional, and you are strongly advised to have a plan in place should no tech support be available.

There is no charge for taking part in Durham Free Fringe, and, for the time being, no deposit required for a slot. Unlike most Edinburgh Free Fringe venues, we currently don't ask performers to man the doors of other acts - we will be taking care of that, you just need to turn up for your own event. However, you are encouraged to turn up and support other acts, and we will encourage other acts to come to yours.

You keep all of the donations - we can do this by keeping operating costs to a minimum. However, like Durham Fringe, and every other Fringe and Free Fringe, we cannot guarantee you an audience. We will be doing some collective publicity of the whole event, and will publicise individual acts on our social media channels as and when we can, but it's your choice if you want to publicise your act further. We are happy to advise you if you want to do your own posters or flyering.

What we are looking for

In short: anything! As long as you can make it work within the spaces we have available, we want to hear from you. But if you want something more specific:

Theatre: The free fringe works under "shared light" conditions, meaning there is little separation between performers and audience. As a result, the theatre best suited to free fringe conditions is theatre that is heavily interactive with the audience. Solo plays and storytelling are particularly suited, but larger cast plays are fine as long as you're aware of the limited space you have for a stage. Plays that can make the surrounding space and furniture part of the performance work particularly well - plays that consider this an obstacle, less so.

Comedy: We have secured some lighting for the comedy slots at the venues, but it will be shy of a professional spot. The venues will be arranged so that the seating will be in traditional rows providing separation between acts and audience. 

Everything else: We'll play it by ear. Let us know what you have in mind and we'll get back to you.

We are provisionally scheduling the free fringe on the assumption of 60 minute time slots, but depending on the submissions this can be extended to 75min+ overall per slot. This can include 'tight 5s' or 10s, up to a run-through of a full show, though we would like to showcase more acts so there will be a limit of full hour submissions accepted. Please feel free to submit parts of your show that you would like to perform here in Durham with the Free Fringe. We currently don't have plans for multimedia this year, to keep costs as low as possible, so any projection/slides or other A/V would have to be accommodated and setup by the performers.

In all cases, we need to be satisfied what you want to do is practical. Bringing in large complex sets is definitely out, as is anything that would entail complex health and safety risk assessment. There is nowhere to store set and nowhere to change, so you are probably need to turn up in costume carrying everything you need. Owing to the limited capacity of our schedule, we will probably be programming no more than 1-2 performances of a show. The more flexible you can be on where and when you perform, the more likely we'll be able to help you.

How to apply

If you have already got in touch since our launch (either by email or in person), thank you. We'll get back to you shortly and see if you're still interested. Everyone else: drop us a line at hello@durhamfreefringe.org.uk, and tell us who you are, and what you want to perform. We will get back to you too. We don't want to vet or censor by any particular artistic strand, and any questions we have are likely to be around practicalities and availability.

We are not operating to a fixed deadline, nor are we operating on a strict "first come first served" basis, but the sooner you reach out, the more likely we'll be able to help you.

That's it. Look forward to hearing from you.

What the Free Fringe is not

Finally, a few words to manage expectations. Durham Free Fringe does not want to be a competitor to Durham Fringe, nor is it really an alternative. Our observation is that the most successful free fringe acts are the ones who planned to work in the free fringe from the outset. If you apply to a free fringe looking forward to making the most of just you, a room, and an audience, you have a good chance of making a success out of it. If you see the free fringe as a second-rate substitute for a "proper" fringe stage, you will probably be disappointed.

In short: if you wanted a fully-equipped fringe stage - but see the free fringe as the best you can get - Durham Free Fringe is not the right festival for you. A lot can be achieved on a free fringe stage with a tiny budget, but it's not the same as a conventional stage. Whether you can achieve what you want is really your call. Just be aware that the free fringe is not better or worse that the standard fringe - only different.

Questions and answers:

I have an act which is neither theatre nor comedy - can I apply? Yes! The only reason we're focusing on theatre and comedy is because this is where our backgrounds are. But anything that works in a free fringe space is welcome. Poetry, music, talks, anything else you think of, if you have an idea for the spaces we have, we want to hear it.

Can I take a work in progress to Durham Free Fringe? Yes! This is one of the things Free Fringe does best. Some of the most successful Fringe shows out there developed on the Free Fringe. Let us know if your show is work in progress - if you're still at the stage of performing script in hand, it's only fair to publicise it as work in progress. But most fringe shows are work in progress to some extent, and the low overheads of a Free Fringe make this an ideal place to try out new things.

I applied to Durham Fringe but didn't get a place - can I apply to you instead? Yes, you are welcome to, but as we said, the Free Fringe is different. Think carefully about whether the thing you wanted at Durham Fringe would work in a free fringe setup, with less tech support and a less distant audience. But if you know what you're doing, we'll gladly have you.

We are aware that it can sometimes take a long time to know whether or not you've got a place at Durham Fringe. If you are unsure, let us know your situation, and we'll work out a way forwards.

I have a show at Durham Fringe - can I bring something different to the Free Fringe? Maybe, but our priority is to give as many people as possible a chance to perform in Durham. We're more likely to offer a slot to someone who otherwise would not be able to perform at all. But ask us anyway - there's a chance you'll have something we're looking for.

Can we bring our own tech to a Free Fringe venue? We have no objection ourselves to bringing along your own equipment provided you can set it up and strike it in time. However, we would also need permission of the relevant venue, which we can't guarantee. Best strategy is to tell us what you want to do, try to keep it as simple as possible, and have a tech-free backup plan if we have to say no.

I don't have a show but I'd still like to get involved. Can I volunteer? At the moment, we are encouraging people who want to volunteer for something to apply for Durham Fringe rather than us. Durham Fringe is a big operation that relies on a big pool of volunteers, but at the moment we'd rather not manage a big team ourselves.

However, if you are performing and want to help out with running the festival, we will gladly take up any offers. (No pressure here - if you just want to turn up and do your thing, that's also fine.) And if, for any reason, you specifically want to volunteer for us, let us know, and we'll take it from there.

I have a different question! Please ask. We're not giving a running commentary of every discussion we've had and every decision we've made, but we're quite open about what we're doing and we're quite happy to answer any questions of what we're doing and why.

And that's it. Look forward to hearing from you.

Postscript: Apologies that Durham Free Fringe information is currently being posted on my personal web page. We do actually have a web domain set up for this, but we haven't got round to setting up a website yet. But I promise we will - Chris