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What is The Fringe Files?
The Fringe Files is a multi-award-winning touring theatre company based in the West of England that has been collectively producing new plays since 2010. Its website functions as a working archive and blog for that company: recent posts include a beginner's guide to formatting a stage play, a founder's retrospective on the company's first decade, and a rediscovered trailer from 2011.
What you'll find there
- Practical craft posts. The play-formatting guide is the kind of resource a first-time playwright or a self-producing actor can use before submitting a script.
- Company history and reflection. The decade retrospective, attributed to founder Michael Starr, gives context on how the ensemble has developed and how it makes work.
- Production material. Older trailer posts, such as the 2011 clip tied to The Curse of Miss Fortune, document past shows rather than current listings.
Who it suits
The site is most useful to people interested in new writing and small-scale touring theatre: emerging writers looking for formatting and production guidance, programmers or venues researching the company's body of work, and audiences who want to follow a specific West of England ensemble. It is less of a general listings site — the content is organised as a long blog archive, currently running to dozens of pages, so browsing older entries takes some patience.
A practical next step
If you are writing a script, start with the formatting guide and apply its conventions before sending your play anywhere. If you are considering the company for a venue or festival, read the founder's retrospective first, then work backwards through the trailer and production posts to see the range of work. For a broader sense of the UK touring scene, compare notes with organisations such as Theatres Trust or Arts Council England when you need sector-wide context.
How can I book The Fringe Files for a performance at my venue?
The Fringe Files' own site is built around news, production history and practical writing advice rather than a public booking form, so the reliable route is to contact the company directly and start a conversation about dates, venue and budget. As a touring company based in the West of England and producing collectively since 2010, they are set up to travel, which means a venue outside their home region is not automatically a barrier.
What to put in a first enquiry
- Who you are and where the venue is — name, town, capacity and type of space (theatre, studio, village hall, festival site).
- Preferred dates, plus two or three alternatives and how flexible you are.
- Technical picture: stage dimensions, get-in access, lighting and sound provision, dressing-room space.
- Audience plan: how you will market the show, whether you can offer a guaranteed fee or a box-office split.
- Budget range you can work with, and whether you can cover travel and accommodation.
- Any context that helps them say yes: a season theme, a festival, a co-promotion with a local group.
Finding the right contact route
Check the site's contact details and any mailing list, and follow their social accounts for tour announcements, since a company that tours will often confirm future dates publicly before a venue approaches them. If you are programming a season, it also helps to see what they have already made: their blog includes a retrospective by founder Michael Starr on a decade of the company and a rediscovered trailer for an earlier production, which gives you a sense of their back catalogue and tone before you write. For wider context on touring work in England, ArtsIndustry and The Stage carry industry news, while Arts Council England explains the funding landscape that shapes how small touring companies plan their calendars.
Decision criteria before you commit
- Lead time: touring schedules are usually fixed months ahead, so an enquiry for next season is more likely to succeed than one for next month.
- Deal structure: a guaranteed fee shifts risk to you; a split shifts it to the company. Be explicit about which you are proposing.
- Fit: a company that makes new work collectively may suit a studio or festival slot better than a large proscenium stage, so describe your space honestly.
- Local partnerships: pairing the visit with a workshop, talk or community group can strengthen a funding case and give the company more reason to travel.
A useful next step is to draft a one-page proposal with dates, venue details, deal structure and audience plan, then send it through the contact route listed on The Fringe Files and offer to follow up by phone.
What original plays has The Fringe Files produced since 2010?
The Fringe Files' own site does not present a single, consolidated list of every original play it has produced since 2010. Its blog-style homepage shows recent posts rather than a full production archive, with the visible entries covering a play-formatting guide, a founder retrospective, and a rediscovered 2011 trailer tied to The Curse of Miss Fortune.
What the site confirms
- The company describes itself as a multi-award-winning touring theatre company based in the West of England.
- It says it has been producing new plays collectively since 2010.
- The Curse of Miss Fortune is named in a post about a rediscovered DVD trailer from 2011.
- A December 2024 post by founder Michael Starr looks back over a decade of the company.
How to find the full list
The homepage paginates, so older posts sit behind the "Older" link. For a researcher or programmer trying to build a production history, the practical route is to page through that archive and collect any play titles mentioned, then cross-check them against the company's own production pages if they exist. A season-by-season list from the company itself would settle the question; until then, the blog archive is the best available source.
For context on the wider sector, British Theatre Guide and The Stage carry touring and fringe coverage that can help confirm production details.
How do I format a stage play for submission to a theatre company like The Fringe Files?
Format a stage play by treating the script as a working document for actors, directors and readers, not as a manuscript for publication. The Fringe Files' own blog includes a beginner's guide titled "Formatting a Stage Play: How to Beginner's Guide," which signals that the company expects writers to think about practical presentation.
The core formatting conventions
Most UK theatre companies, including touring companies like The Fringe Files, work with a standard stage-play layout:
- Title page: Play title, your name, contact details, and a short synopsis or cast breakdown if requested.
- Cast list and setting: List characters with brief descriptions (age range, role) and note the time and place of each act or scene.
- Act and scene headings: Use clear, consistent labels such as "Act One, Scene Two" or "Scene 1." Avoid mixing numbering styles.
- Stage directions: Indent and italicise them, or set them in a distinct block. Keep them lean; describe what the audience sees and hears, not what characters feel.
- Dialogue: Character name in capitals above the line, dialogue below. Use consistent indentation so the eye can scan quickly.
- Page numbers: Include them, ideally with the play title in a header or footer.
Practical decisions that matter more than font choice
A touring company reading submissions is often short on time. Two things help more than perfect margins:
- Readable page density. A page of solid dialogue with no white space is harder to assess than one with clear breaks. Aim for roughly one minute of stage time per page.
- Production reality. If your play needs a large cast, complex set or rapid technical changes, say so early. A touring company may weigh those demands heavily.
A comparison of common submission formats
| Element | Standard stage play | Screenplay style |
|---|---|---|
| Character names | Capitals, centred or left | Capitals, indented |
| Stage directions | Italicised, indented | Action lines, present tense |
| Scene headings | "Act One, Scene One" | "INT. ROOM – DAY" |
| Page count | 60–120 pages typical | 90–120 pages typical |
Use stage-play format for theatre submissions. Screenplay format is for film and television; mixing them can make a script look unfamiliar to literary managers.
What to check before sending
Read the company's submission guidelines first. Some theatres want a full script, others a synopsis and sample scenes. If The Fringe Files' blog covers formatting, start there for their specific expectations, then compare your draft against a published play you admire.
A useful next step: format your first ten pages, print them, and read them aloud. If you stumble over who is speaking or where a scene takes place, a reader will too.
What is the history and mission of The Fringe Files as a touring theatre company?
The Fringe Files is a collectively run touring theatre company based in the West of England that has been producing new plays since 2010. Its stated mission, as described on its own site, is to make new theatre and take it on the road rather than keep it in one venue.
What the company says about itself
- Collective creation: New plays are produced collectively, meaning the company frames itself as a group of makers rather than a single writer handing scripts to a separate production team.
- Touring focus: Work is built to travel, so the company's identity is tied to performing in multiple places rather than holding a permanent home stage.
- New writing: The emphasis is on new plays, not revivals or established repertoire.
- Track record: The company describes itself as multi-award winning and has been active since 2010, which puts it past the decade mark.
How that history shows up on the site
The blog archive gives a sense of how the company documents its own story. Recent posts include a beginner's guide to formatting a stage play, a founder's retrospective on a decade of The Fringe Files, and a rediscovered 2011 DVD trailer. The mix is telling: practical craft advice, institutional memory, and archival material from early productions.
That combination suits a company that has lasted long enough to look back. The retrospective format — a founder reflecting on ten years — is a common way small touring companies mark a milestone, since they rarely have a permanent building or a large institutional archive to draw on.
What this means for different readers
| If you are… | The useful angle |
|---|---|
| A programmer or venue | A company with over a decade of new-work touring and an awards record to check against |
| A theatre student or early-career maker | The play-formatting guide and the retrospective offer practical and historical context |
| A local audience member | Look for touring dates rather than a fixed venue, since the company has no stated home stage |
| A researcher or journalist | The blog archive, going back through 41 pages, is the main public record of its activity |
A practical next step
If you want to understand the company's actual body of work rather than its self-description, start with the retrospective post from December 2024 and then work backwards through the archive to the 2011 trailer. That sequence shows the arc from early productions to the present. For a fuller picture of the wider touring theatre landscape in the UK, the official sites of organisations such as Theatres Trust and Arts Council England are useful reference points for how small touring companies are supported and programmed.
How can I get involved with The Fringe Files as an actor, writer, or volunteer?
The Fringe Files is a touring theatre company based in the West of England that has been producing new plays collectively since 2010, so "getting involved" usually means joining a collaborative, project-by-project way of making theatre rather than applying to a fixed repertory company. The site itself is primarily a blog and archive of past work, so treat it as a way to understand the company's style and history before you approach them.
What each role realistically looks like
- Actor: Expect new writing rather than established scripts, small casts, touring to different venues, and shared responsibility for getting a show up. Read the archive of past productions to see the kind of material they stage, then send a short introduction with a headshot, a link to footage or a showreel, your base location, and your availability.
- Writer: Since the company devises and produces new plays collectively, they are likely to be interested in scripts that suit a small touring cast and simple technical demands. Send a logline, a short synopsis, a character breakdown, and the first ten pages rather than a full script.
- Volunteer: For a touring company, the practical needs are usually front of house, get-in and get-out, driving and transport, props and costume, marketing and social media, and documentation (photos, video, archive). Say plainly which of these you can do and how far you can travel.
How to make an approach that gets a reply
- Watch or read about a specific past production first, so your message shows you know their work.
- State your role, your location, your availability window, and what you are offering — in the first few lines.
- Keep it short and attach only what is asked for.
- Follow up once after two to three weeks, then leave it.
The blog is the best starting point for context: posts such as "Formatting a Stage Play: How to Beginner's Guide," the founder's decade retrospective, and a rediscovered 2011 trailer show the mix of practical advice, history, and archive material the company shares. That retrospective, by founder Michael Starr, is his own account of the company's development — useful for understanding how they work and who has stayed involved over time.
A concrete scenario
If you are an actor in Bristol or Bath with daytime availability and your own transport, you are well placed for a touring production, because the constraints are usually travel and get-outs rather than audition pedigree. Write a three-paragraph email: who you are, the specific production or post that prompted you, and exactly what you can commit to between certain dates.
Where to look next
- Follow the company's own site for open calls and news: The Fringe Files.
- For general casting and crew calls across the UK, browse Spotlight and Mandy.
- For amateur and community theatre opportunities near you, try UK Theatre and your regional arts council listings.
As a decision criterion: if you want a defined role with a fixed contract, a small touring collective may frustrate you; if you want to help shape new work and are happy to muck in with get-outs, it is a good fit.
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