A RAMSHILL school will take centre stage tonight (Thursday, August 31) when the curtain rises on the first Petersfield Fringe Festival.
Robert Ingram wants to bring a little bit of Edinburgh to East Hampshire with six plays in three days at Churcher’s College.
There’s a world première on the programme along with a range of genres and a wonderful mix of performers.
Half Moon landlord Robert and his business partner, Chris Pellett, are big fans of the Edinburgh Fringe and wanted to bring that ‘edginess’ to Petersfield.
They’re no strangers to organising shows as their annual summer music festival at the London Road pub has raised thousands for HomeStart Butser over the years.
The pair hope the Petersfield Fringe Festival will become a permanent fixture on the town’s theatrical calendar and that more venues could become involved.
Ticket-holders will get to see two plays in one night for just £10 with the Winton Players being the inaugural performers.
They will present the 30-minute Agatha Christie drama Personal Call in a 1950s ham radio-styl before Tony Johnson takes to the stage for the second act.
His Anorak of Fire: The Life and Times of Gus Gascoigne one-man show is a sentimental, humorous and bittersweet tale about the life and eccentricities of a trainspotter.
The two Alans will be the focus on Friday with CCADS presenting Drinking Companion from Ayckbourn’s 1974 play Confusions before Charlotte Thomas unveils her take on Bennett’s one-woman play, Her Big Chance.
The Winton Players will return to the 1950s radio studio on Saturday to perform another Christie play, Butter in a Lordly Dish, before the curtain falls with a world première.
The festival’s final act will see Alicia Novak perform her self-penned play, The Movie Star, The Mother and The Mystic ahead of its tour and 2024 Edinburgh Fringe première.
Shows will begin at 7.30pm with tickets from www.entertainment-events.co.uk/fringe-festival