Running in parallel with Brighton Festival, the annual Brighton Fringe is the largest open access arts festival in England. Julian Caddy has been festival director since 2011.

How did you get involved in the Fringe?
I’d been working at Edinburgh Fringe since 1996, so I’d been looking at Brighton and sending down shows for a long time. I was taken on as Brighton director at the end of October 2011 but this is the first Fringe that I’ve been involved with from the very start.

What’s your own arts background?
I’ve been an actor, director, producer. I started life as an account exec in an advertising agency, then at the age of 28 I ran away and became a drama student. So I’ve done lots of National Theatre tours, bit parts on TV and film, lots of adverts, and I teach acting at Conway Hall in London. About three or four months ago I did a pilot for a web series in Brighton, a day shoot, just because it’s quite amusing to do.

How can people get involved in the Fringe?
You just need to decide on the event that you want to put on, where and when you want to do it, and then register through the Fringe website. You can call the office up and we’ll talk you through it. It’s a very simple process, and you pay a fee which covers things including the brochure, the website and the events that we put on throughout the year, just globally lots of support.

What if you’re creative but skint?
We have a lottery of 12 bursaries available each year which go to local residents. The only criteria are that you have a BN postcode and that you’re participating for the first time. I’m very aware that open access is only open access for people who can afford to pay the fee. It would be great if we had a model where we would still be able to provide the same services but the registration was free. We’re looking for as many things as possible to lower the barriers of entry, so answers on a postcard.

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