Underground Venues was founded in 2005 by the Buxton-based theatre company Three's Company. It's run by Tom Crawshaw & Yaz Al-Shaater, who both grew up on the Buxton Fringe. We set out to offer all types of performers a friendly and accommodating venue which, more than just providing a performance space, offers advice and help at every stage of the game.

We run four performance spaces (the Paupers Pit, the Barrel Room and the Arts Centre Studio & Auditorium), the Fringe Club (for Fringe mingling midday to 1am), and an all-day Box Office and Information Desk. We also produce a number of shows and events which performers can get involved in - including the Launch Party of the Fringe itself.

Now in its eighth year, Underground Venues has firmly established itself as the home of quality and variety, in the heart of the Buxton Festival atmosphere. We strive to create a carefully balanced, varied and exciting programme that both 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. One of our aims is to open up the Buxton Fringe scene to new groups and styles, encouraging companies new to Buxton and widening the experiences available to audiences in the North West. Our programme attracts thousands of audience members every year, numerous sell-out shows, glowing reviews from a variety of sources and most of the major awards at the Buxton Fringe Awards.