The Stage

International flavour for Brighton Fringe

Published Wednesday 22 February 2012 at 16:59 by Alistair Smith

This year’s Brighton Fringe will feature more than 675 events at nearly 200 venues, with an increased international element.

The festival, which is the first under Brighton Fringe’s new director Julian Caddy, will host more than 30 companies from outside the UK and will see the launch of several new venues across Brighton, including the Warren, which will offer free events, and the Brighton Fringe’s first ever dedicated family venue - the Hurly Burly.

Highlights of the programme include a site-specific production of Noel Coward’s Private Lives staged at the Grand Hotel, as well as Dip Your Toe, the Brighton Fringe’s response to the Cultural Olympiad’s Boat Project.

This will see six custom-built Victorian bathing machines erected around Brighton, hosting puppet shows, camera-obscura and live performances.

Comedy acts visiting the festival include Mark Steel, Jimeoin and Late Night Gimp Fight, while cabaret performers include Bourgeois and Maurice, Lynn Ruth Miller and Barb Jungr.

The festival will also feature a series of professional workshops organised by The Stage Events and Equity, among others. Brighton Fringe, which will be sponsored by Citroen for the second year, will run from May 5 to 27.