Alright folks, gather ’round! Let me tell you about my deep dive into the world of theater festivals. It was a wild ride, lemme tell ya.
It all started with me just being plain ol’ curious. I always loved going to shows, plays, performances – the whole shebang. Then I thought, “Hey, wouldn’t it be awesome to see what’s happening on a GLOBAL scale?” So, I started hunting around online. Googling, binging articles, lurking on forums… you know, the usual internet rabbit hole stuff.
First thing I did was try to make a list. Sounds easy, right? Wrong! There are TONS of these festivals. I mean, every country, every city seems to have at least one. So, I started narrowing it down. I looked for the ones that kept popping up – the ones that seemed to have a solid reputation and a good buzz. Think Edinburgh Fringe, Avignon Festival, stuff like that.
Then came the REALLY hard part: figuring out what these festivals were actually ABOUT. Some were super niche – like, puppet theater only. Others were massive, sprawling events with everything from Shakespeare to experimental dance. I had to dig through websites, read reviews, and even watch some grainy YouTube videos of past performances to get a real feel for each one.
I started making a spreadsheet (yes, I’m that kinda nerd). I listed the festival name, location, dates, a brief description, and links to their website. Then, I added columns for things like “focus” (e.g., contemporary, classical, musical theater), “vibe” (e.g., avant-garde, family-friendly, political), and “estimated cost” (flights, accommodation, tickets… ouch!).
After that, I decided to try and categorise them a bit to make it easier to sort through. I mean, if you love improv then you probably want to go to a different one than if you love period dramas. I tried my best but it was hard because some festivals are real blends.
Finally, after days of research (and probably way too much coffee), I had a pretty solid guide. It’s not perfect, and it’s definitely subjective (based on my own tastes and interests), but it’s a good starting point. I’m hoping it will inspire some other folks to check out theatre, maybe find a new place to visit.
Of course, this thing is going to need constant updating. Dates change, festivals evolve, new ones pop up all the time. But hey, that’s part of the fun, right? It will keep me learning and hunting and maybe, just maybe, I will get to visit some of these. Fingers crossed!
