The Scarborough Fair, an exciting new year-round programme of creative events, is taking shape on the Yorkshire Coast. One of the highlights of this imaginative celebration of creativity on the coast is The Scarborough Fringe.
Running from June 21st to 30th it features theatre, music, comedy, spoken word and children’s shows. Organisers believe it the first fringe festival to take place in the town.
One show premiering at the Scarborough Fringe is ‘The Dinosaur Beach’ and this piece is offering something different for families. The show is the premiere of an interactive and relaxed dinosaur storytime, all set on the Yorkshire Coast landscape.
Created for dino-mad preschoolers (so, for children up to four-years-old) and their grown-ups. The Dinosaur Beach is about growing up in Scarborough, the environment and the lasting power of real friendship. The piece features themes around caring for nature, leaving no trace and celebrates working together to create change.
The storytime is a two-hander and performed with local creative Shannon Barker. It is taking place at Tiddlers, a beautiful play cafe in Falsgrave, Scarborough. The Dinosaur Beach is happening on June 20th and June 21st - the doors opening at 9.30am and the show starting at 10am. Tickets are limited and bookable HERE.
The Dinosaur Beach is written and produced by Scarborough Dad Paul Drury-Bradey. He told Mag North: “This show is kind of an extension of dinosaur-based storytimes I enjoyed doing with my two sons here on the Yorkshire Coast during those crazy days in lockdown. I’ve developed some of those themes & brachiosaurus ideas into a 30 minute show, it’s more of an interactive storytime with a really relaxed feel than a theatre piece though. Hopefully it’ll help get new audiences into storytelling, the theatre and the magic of Fringe.
“The Dinosaur Beach feels distinctively Scarborough, I’ve included a few jokes for the grown-ups to enjoy too. But most importantly, I think the show covers some important themes around the environment and friendships. Who knows where this might lead? I’m so happy to be doing it at Tiddlers, the venue is an awesome place for parents & carers to take their little ones - it’s bright, creative, relaxed and with gorgeous food & drink. It's a real hidden gem for the Yorkshire Coast - it’s such a great asset for the town.”
Paul added: “I’ve worked at the Edinburgh Fringe a few times in the past, and it’s just brilliant to see the town really getting behind this new festival for Scarborough. It looks like about fifty different venues are hosting shows - so it’s a great achievement for the first year. It’s a uniquely creative place to live & work here, I’m really looking forward to being part of it all.”
Some Scarborough Fringe events are free, and others will be ticketed and pop-up in places such as pubs, hotels, the indoor market and churches, as well as more traditional locations.
There are international award-winning pieces with Esther’s Revenge, an immersive and participatory play from Nigeria, and WATCHING, Ceci n’est pas de Deux, a dance and puppetry performance from the Netherlands.
Around the Scarborough Fringe, organisers are promising a diverse range of performances, exhibitions, and events. It promises to be a vibrant and dynamic celebration of the arts that will leave audiences inspired, entertained, and uplifted.
Scarborough has a remarkable Jurassic history. The town was once covered by tropical seas and river deltas around 170 million years ago. These environments were home to a variety of dinosaurs, including plant-eating sauropods and carnivorous theropods, who left footprints in the sand, silt, and mud. Dinosaur footprints can be found on shore rocks at Burniston and Scalby, towards the north of Scarborough.
More information on The Scarborough Fringe is HERE
