Brave Island provided a group of young people the opportunity to join the Fringe Review Team at this year’s Ventnor Fringe, the Island’s largest arts festival. Over the course of the 10-day festival, they saw lots of shows, wrote reviews, took photos, and interviewed artists. Check out a selection of their work below!

All Photos by Scott Martin when he and Kai from the Brave Island team went to see a number of shows over the first weekend.

“The Ventnor Fringe is one of the UK’s best hidden artistic secrets and the diversity of acts and shows continues to grow. From comedy to circus acts to hypnosis, the Ventnor Fringe goes on captivating audiences and drawing in ever larger numbers. And, as usual, music was an underpinning theme this year – bringing everyone together. Community is what the Ventnor Fringe is all about, exemplified by the free daily events at Ventnor Park.  

A brief story…one day, we were on our way to Steephill Cove walking through Flowers Brook and got into conversation with someone who, it turned out, was putting on a jazz show later that afternoon. This chance encounter led to us experiencing one of our most enjoyable performances of the week. The group did not have a name, simply a collection of gifted musicians who love to play together. The sky was blue, the sea glinting in the sun and the jazz was magnificent. What more could you want? 

This story encapsulates so clearly the essence of the Fringe – fresh, up and coming talent alongside more established performers.  

Can’t wait for Ventnor Fringe 2026!”

Interviews and article by Phoebe Rudd. Kindred Found and Cat Skellington are two of the bands that played as part of the Fringe Club series at Rotunda, one of the new venues this year.

All photos by Photography True Moments, who took part in the Fringe Review Team across the whole festival.

Review of Careless Talk:

Now, I may not be the target audience of this tale of treason, espionage, and the WW2 island, but I did find it captivating and funny in some moments (though darkly at that) and an interesting look into the past (though some references may have fallen past me), the set of characters is interesting and they’re portrayed rather well in what is overall a well acted and well portrayed one-woman show. 8.5/10

Review of Thor Stenhaug (Work in Progress):

Whilst the show was a work in progress, it was still considerably funny – Thor Stenhaug, a Norwegian migrant to the UK touched on all parts of UK life to the anxieties of TV licence evasion (when you could be deported) to the stereotypes of language, and clever audience participation added to the hilarity in what was at the end of the day, an incredibly funny (at least to me) show. 9/10. 

Review of Arcade:

Arcade, an experience I knew little about before I went into it, so imagine my surprise when the lights went black and I was fully deprived of my vision, the noise-blocking headphones on my head telling me: I am Milk. The story was nuanced, and I rate the use of immersive effects such as wind and water (imagine my surprise when I get sprayed with water out of nowhere). An interesting exploration of life and the dangers of possession. The story was amazing and immersive. 10/10 experience and I would recommend it. 

Rhyme and Reason:

Whilst I was a little late to this show, I certainly did not miss out on the tongue-in-cheek comedy on topics from dogs to power (and a food review delivered in singsong). Certainly an interesting experience that I would recommend if you’re from the island or want a look into the island’s culture, or are just looking for a laugh and a surprisingly interesting series of facts about barnacles. 8/10. 

All above reviews written by Abigail Wenham.