London Festival Fringe
Encyclopedia
The London Fringe Festival is a fringe festival that promotes art and theatre in London
, England
. In addition to helping artists and performers stage their work, the festival runs a series of awards in Jazz
Music, Theatre
, Comedy and Film.
as a festival to promote the London Bridge
area, in London's East End. Initiated by a group of volunteers and enthusiast, the London Bridge festival was held in July 2009. With support from the Southwark council and local businesses, the festival saw over 30 events in the span of three weeks, including stand up comedy, live music, film and art performances, concentrated mainly along Borough high Street and Tooley Street near London Bridge underground and railway station.
With the success of the event, and an increasing interest in theatre performances, and the lack of suitable theatre venues in the area spurred organizers to expand the scope of the festival to include London's West End, becoming the London Festival Fringe.
Venues and areas spanning the festival, are clustered around London's West End and the London Bridge area, where the festival saw its beginnings. The festival also runs a London Awards for Art and Performance
for Theatre and Playwright
, Jazz
and New Music, New Comedy, Poetry
and Photography. Awards are judged based on a panel of judges selected from established artists and performers on the London circuit.
The first festival was held in 2010 with over 50 shows and events, of which more than half were fringe theatre
productions.
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
, England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
. In addition to helping artists and performers stage their work, the festival runs a series of awards in Jazz
Jazz
Jazz is a musical style that originated at the beginning of the 20th century in African American communities in the Southern United States. It was born out of a mix of African and European music traditions. From its early development until the present, jazz has incorporated music from 19th and 20th...
Music, Theatre
Theatre
Theatre is a collaborative form of fine art that uses live performers to present the experience of a real or imagined event before a live audience in a specific place. The performers may communicate this experience to the audience through combinations of gesture, speech, song, music or dance...
, Comedy and Film.
Origins
The origins of the London Festival Fringe started in the London Borough of SouthwarkSouthwark
Southwark is a district of south London, England, and the administrative headquarters of the London Borough of Southwark. Situated east of Charing Cross, it forms one of the oldest parts of London and fronts the River Thames to the north...
as a festival to promote the London Bridge
London Bridge
London Bridge is a bridge over the River Thames, connecting the City of London and Southwark, in central London. Situated between Cannon Street Railway Bridge and Tower Bridge, it forms the western end of the Pool of London...
area, in London's East End. Initiated by a group of volunteers and enthusiast, the London Bridge festival was held in July 2009. With support from the Southwark council and local businesses, the festival saw over 30 events in the span of three weeks, including stand up comedy, live music, film and art performances, concentrated mainly along Borough high Street and Tooley Street near London Bridge underground and railway station.
With the success of the event, and an increasing interest in theatre performances, and the lack of suitable theatre venues in the area spurred organizers to expand the scope of the festival to include London's West End, becoming the London Festival Fringe.
Organization
The festival is run by London Bridge Festival Limited, a non-profit company, that was established by a group of enthusiasts and residents of the Southwark Borough. The festival committee acts as a facilitator to artists and performers by providing infrastructure and logistics support, and selling tickets, but does not organize showsVenues and areas spanning the festival, are clustered around London's West End and the London Bridge area, where the festival saw its beginnings. The festival also runs a London Awards for Art and Performance
London Awards for Art and Performance
The London Awards for Art and Performance is awarded in 11 different art categories, by the London Festival Fringe.It is awarded each year, at a central London venue, and is presented to artists and performers who have made an outstanding contribution to their art form.-Awards:- External links :* **...
for Theatre and Playwright
Playwright
A playwright, also called a dramatist, is a person who writes plays.The term is not a variant spelling of "playwrite", but something quite distinct: the word wright is an archaic English term for a craftsman or builder...
, Jazz
Jazz
Jazz is a musical style that originated at the beginning of the 20th century in African American communities in the Southern United States. It was born out of a mix of African and European music traditions. From its early development until the present, jazz has incorporated music from 19th and 20th...
and New Music, New Comedy, Poetry
Poetry
Poetry is a form of literary art in which language is used for its aesthetic and evocative qualities in addition to, or in lieu of, its apparent meaning...
and Photography. Awards are judged based on a panel of judges selected from established artists and performers on the London circuit.
The first festival was held in 2010 with over 50 shows and events, of which more than half were fringe theatre
Fringe theatre
Fringe theatre is theatre that is not of the mainstream. The term comes from the Edinburgh Festival Fringe, which name comes from Robert Kemp, who described the unofficial companies performing at the same time as the second Edinburgh International Festival as a ‘fringe’, writing: ‘Round the fringe...
productions.