Since 2021, Brighton Fringe artists and venue representatives have sat on the Board of Trustees as an observer; giving feedback from those involved in the festival directly to the Board. This voluntary and unpaid role was created with the aim of improving transparency and ensure artist's voices are heard.
The current term will run from December 2024 until December 2025 where observers will then be up for re-election. Each observer can be re-elected and serve up to two consecutive terms, but cannot be re-elected for a third consecutive term.
James Horscroft is a writer, actor and entrepreneur from Brighton, who runs theatre company Biscuit Barrel Comedy. With Biscuit Barrel, James has now both produced and performed in four Brighton Fringe shows since 2019. He has also completed four twenty-six date runs of Edinburgh Fringe, with 1,700 tickets sold for their 2023 production.
The group has also brought productions to Guildford Fringe, Winchester Comedy Festival, Durham Fringe, and Greater Manchester Fringe. James has received recognition for his work, being nominated for The David Nobbs Memorial Trust Comedy-Writing Award in 2021.
Contact: [email protected]
I am a Brighton-based comedy burlesque performer. My artistic journey began over ten years ago, starting with humble 5-minute 'open spots' in sticky rooms above pubs, fuelled by a passion for live performance and creative expression. The road from those early days to where I am today has been a journey of growth, learning, and determination, and Brighton is the place where my artistic path truly began. The Brighton Fringe, with its diverse array of venues, provided me with a platform to hone my solo show from an intimate ‘work in progress’, to a full-length production.
What sets Brighton Fringe apart, in my view, is its inclusive and welcoming nature. It's a place where artists at all stages of their careers, doing a wide range of performance styles, are embraced and celebrated. Just as the Brighton Fringe has nurtured and supported me, I now hope to do the same for others. My goal is to foster an inclusive and supportive environment within the Brighton Fringe community, just as it did for me.
Contact: https://linktr.ee/FannyDent
I have worked in Event and Venue Management for many years, starting in the West End as one of the Event Managers at The Dominion Theatre – Managing end-end large scale events from conferences for 2000 delegates, Press Nights and charity galas. At South East Dance, I am responsible for hiring the spaces and maximising income. Within my role I also work alongside the Programming team supporting the curation of our yearly programme of events. I also curate the year-round classes timetable, ensuring the classes are diverse and open to a range of abilities, from professional classes to classes for absolute beginners. I also write quarterly Board reports, updating the Board on the progress of the department, challenges and reporting on income generated. When I worked at the Dominion I curated a project called Wellbeing for the Arts where we offered a fortnightly free wellbeing hour open to anyone who worked within the arts industry. I would lead wellness practices like chair yoga, breathwork, mindfulness exercises etc. Through this I was invited to a talk at the House of Commons and the Royal Albert Hall where they discussed Mental Health challenges within the Arts Sectors. I ran this project for 6 months at the Dominion Theatre before I moved back to Sussex and successfully grew a community of people who regularly came to the sessions. I am also a yoga and mindfulness teachers, so I also have a wealth of knowledge around running events and hiring venues for this.
Contact: [email protected]
Artists put themselves forward as a candidate via a Google form including a short profile and motivations for joining as an observer to the board.
Self-nominations will re-open in Autumn 2025.
The list of candidates will be advertised in e-newsletters and through social media including Brighton Fringe Participant Networking Group. Voting on candidates is via a Google form and is open to all participants. Voting is anonymous, although Brighton Fringe will be able to see the votes to remove any duplicates.
The vote will be ratified by the Board and announced in time for the December Board meeting; the three artists in receipt of the most votes will (assuming ratification) be invited as an observer on the board of Brighton Fringe for this meeting.
One vote per artist, an artist may vote for themselves. Artists from the current or previous editions of Brighton Fringe are eligible to vote. The decision of the Brighton Fringe Board is final and if the Board does not ratify the vote, the vote will be run again.
Talking to the Box Office...
