Who we are
Underground Venues was founded in 2005 by the Buxton-based theatre company Three's Company, based on experiences of Fringe festivals and venues across the UK. We are now made up of the large number of students and professionals from Buxton, London, Oxford and further afield.
We aim to bring together as many disparate acts and artistic styles as possible into one carefully planned programme that meets the desires and pushes the experiences of all our audiences. New student groups perform alongside established touring professionals and local groups mingle with companies from around the globe. Our mission as a venue is to widen the appeal of the arts in Buxton and the north west – encouraging groups and styles that are currently underrepresented.
Underground runs two performance spaces, a Fringe Club and full-time Box Office and Information Desk. All of these are housed underneath the historic Old Hall Hotel in central Buxton – a stone's throw from the Fringe Office and Opera House (home of the Festival). The Pauper's Pit is an intimate theatre space, perfect for compelling drama, children's shows, dance or any other form of performance; the Barrel Room is used primarily as a music and stand-up comedy venue but can also house small-scale comedy acts and more experimental theatre. A dedicated webiste and full-time staff hold all these spaces together and help both audiences and performers get the most out of the Fringe period.
Underground maintains an exciting Fringe atmosphere outside of performances and the Information Desk and Fringe Club – serving food and drink – are open midday to midnight and constantly full of locals and visitors relaxing from the Fringe action or looking for the next show to see. With a box-office standing by ready to sell tickets for any show any day, companies at Underground enjoy a much higher audience rate than the general Fringe average.
"It's a mark of the success of Underground Venues that it's become a place to simply hang out during the Fringe, day or night."
Robbie Carnegie, Buxton Fringe Review
Meet the team...
Yaz Al-Shaater Co-Founder & Managing Director
Yaz is currently completing his theatre training at Central School of Speech & Drama (London) and
is widely involved in performing, directing, producing and designing for
theatre. He also likes to dabble in film, playing the guitar and graphic /
web-design (as you do). With several years of venue management experience,
Yaz established Underground Venues with Tom in 2005.
Tom Crawshaw Co-Founder & General Manager
Tom is a writer and theatre producer who (for reasons he is still trying
to fathom) is currently studying Philosophy and Theology at Oxford
University. He also enjoys caving, unicycling and playing the ukalele
(though not at the same time). With Yaz he also runs Three's Company - the third member being Michael Grady-Hall,
currently completing training at RADA.
James "Percy" Percival Asst. Technical Manager
James is in his first year reading Music at Somerville College, Oxford. His musical interests vary from J.S. Bach to Jethro Tull - with large gaps in between. When not engaged in singing obscure choral music, he spends his spare time honing an impression of a Parisian busker by playing various squeezebox instruments.
Jari Fowkes Front of House Manager
Jari is (amongst many other things) trying to do a PhD in Numerical Analysis at Oxford. He's been heavily involved with Bath University Student Theatre over the last four years (both from the acting and organising side) having been treasurer for the past two. When he finds the time, he plays the piano and occasionally messes about with computers.
