Fringe Central, the Fringe Society's hub for supporting participants in the Edinburgh Festival Fringe, will this year reappear in an online form, like many of the productions in this year's Fringe.
The Fringe Central virtual hub will feature more than 30 free online events from Friday 7 to Monday 31 August as well as offering networking opportunities with other industry professionals and the chance to start the day with Daily Dancing hosted by Cultured Mongrel Dance Theatre.
The Fringe Society’s Artist Development Manager Katie Queen and Programme Manager Alan Gordon will launch the hub on 07 August with an introductory session. Events can be found at https://eventmobi.com/fringecentral, with more events due to be added throughout the month.
Events include the Artist of Colour Meet-up, a network for artists of colour participating in the Fringe, and a Disabled Artists networking event hosted by Birds of Paradise. Sick of the Fringe will present "Building a mentally well Fringe", an open forum where artists can share strategies and suggestions they have for better supporting wellbeing and care of artists at the Fringe, supported by clinical psychologists from NHS Lothian and the British Psychological Society.
Other topics that will be covered in the programme include touring, international working, live music, comedy and digital streaming.
Katie Queen, Artist Development Manager, Edinburgh Festival Fringe Society, said, “Fringe Central is such an important part of what we deliver every year, providing a space for performers, producers, company members, arts industry or members of the media to come together and collaborate, while accessing support from Society staff. It was important to us that, in the absence of a physical festival, we still created a platform to serve these needs.
“While the events are the main focus of this platform, we wanted it to also be a space where artists could connect and build networks and communities, which is such an integral part of the Fringe experience. We are very lucky to have strong relationships with regular partners such as Birds of Paradise, COMMON, Parents and Carers in the Performing Arts, Shaina Lynn and The Sick of the Fringe, who have been integral in creating these spaces for groups to come together in timely conversations.”