Organisers of the Bath Fringe festival have announced their success in securing over £42,000 in project funding from the Arts Council for this year’s event.
This year’s festival will be supported to the tune of £42,020, for activities including:
- A celebration of the series of ‘alternative’ arts & technology festivals which began with the Comtek festival in Bath 50 years ago in 1969, and led to organisations like The Natural Theatre and the current Fringe – the programme will include artists and film from the early years. There will be a book and an exhibition in the Museum of Bath at Work.
- The New Work Works programme supporting emerging artists in Outdoor Arts, building towards free outdoor performances in the city centre at bedlam fair, a free outdoor performance weekend on 1st and 2nd June.
- A participatory immersive outdoor theatre project working with an artist from the early festivals and the current generation of the Natural Theatre.
- A selection of artforms and technologies that the early festivals were fond of and are still popular: think dirty fingered proper printing, domes, lightshows, ‘live art’.
- Extra support for artists in indoor theatre from the South West.
Phil Hindson, Senior Relationship Manager, Arts Council England, said: “We’re really pleased to be able to support Bath Fringe through our Arts Council National Lottery Project Grants programme.
“This investment will support the development of local artists and help to provide free outdoor events, which helps achieve our mission to make arts and culture more accessible to more people.
“We look forward to seeing the rich offer of artforms at the Fringe, from arts and technology to performance art.”