Locals Asked To ‘Phone A Friend’!
Do you have a friend or relative who can sing, perform stand-up or poetry? Performers’ Online Registration opened on 1st December for Shaftesbury Fringe 2018, which is being held from 29 June – Sunday 1 July.
“We want to put on the biggest range of acts in Shaftesbury Fringe’s three-year history,” said Co-Chairman Sue Allatt. “And we are particularly keen to encourage local performers as well as those from other parts of the UK. So everyone in North Dorset can play their part by ‘phoning a friend’ and encouraging them to register.
With no minimum or maximum age limit, any form of performance is welcome at Fringe – from dance to opera, magic to drama and singer-songwriters to impressionists. The committee is hoping that locals who are inviting friends to the Fringe will also help by offering them a bed during the festival. “We know that accommodation will be booking up rapidly in the New Year. We want to save as many hotel and guesthouse rooms for the Fringe visitors or artists who don’t have local connections,” says Sue.
The Fringe organisers have made the process even more straightforward for 2018. Performers and artists can pay the small registration fee and secure their place on the Fringe programme in one easy transaction. “The website is linked up to PayPal and that allows online booking for anyone with a bank or credit card. You don’t have to be a PayPal account holder,” said Co-Chair Natalie Evans.
The Shaftesbury Fringe website lists all the venues taking part in the 2018 event, so performers can find a space that will work best for their type of show. Venues range from intimate rooms, like estate agent Gilyard Scarth’s High Street offices, to larger performance spaces such as the Shaston Club. There’s a step-by-step guide to the process on http://shaftesburyfringe.co.uk/ (click on Performers’ Info).
