Independent theatres and the creation of a fringe atmosphere

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to establish the image and associated impression of atmosphere created by independent theatres at two fringe festivals namely, Edinburgh Fringe Festival and Melbourne Festival Fringe. Design/methodology/approach – The paper contains a content analysis of promotional materials produced by the independent theatres for their involvement in their respective fringe festival. Findings – The atmosphere created is of fringe festivals replete with serious experimental theatrical productions, with independent theatres being the home of alternative ideas and the performers being skilled in the production of the art form. Research limitations/implications – The atmosphere created by the independent theatres is similar to that projected by the fringe festival overall. Practical implications – The paper highlights the importance of the fringe festival organisers establishing a strong working relationship with the managers of independent theatres to ensure the most appropriate promotional material is used to attract the desired target audience to the fringe festival. Originality/value – This paper is of value as most festival‐related literature provides only a passing mention to atmosphere whereas this paper investigates atmosphere in more depth. The paper adds to the limited research on fringe festivals.