Joining the regular run of summer fringe festivals this year is The Hope Theatre’s new initiative, North-Sapph Fest.
It is a month-long theatre festival, dedicated to uplifting queer women and non-binary voices.
The inaugural festival runs from 3 to 28 Aug 2026, featuring two performances every evening, spanning new writing, comedies, and genre-defying performances.
Co-artistic director at The Hope Theatre, Laurel Marks tells us more about why this festival is taking place, and what to expect.
The Hope Theatre are running their own festival this summer, North-Sapph Fest, rather than hosting Camden Fringe shows. Why now, and what’s different about this fringe festival?
North Sapph-Fest has been something we’ve been talking about creating for a while. The Hope has always been passionate about supporting new writing and emerging artists, and we wanted to create a festival with a really clear purpose; to celebrate voices and create a welcoming space for both artists and audiences.
There are several queer fringes in London including those based at The Divine, The Queer Comedy Club, and the 96 Festival at the Omnibus. How does North Sapph-Fest fit in?
We’re really lucky to have such a vibrant queer theatre scene in London, and those festivals all play an important role!
North Sapph-Fest isn’t trying to compete with them—it hopes to add another space with a specific focus on queer women and non-binary artists.
Every festival has its own identity. Ours is rooted in the theatre’s values of championing new writing and supporting emerging artists. We believe the more platforms there are for queer artists to share their work, the healthier the theatre landscape becomes!
Do you feel there is a lack of opportunity for queer women and non-binary writers and performers at the moment – how does your festival recognise and redress any imbalance?
There’s been real progress, but we still think there’s room for more opportunities that focus specifically on championing queer women and non-binary artists. It’s about giving those voices another dedicated platform.
For us, it’s about creating space. By programming an entire festival around these artists, we’re helping audiences discover new work, encouraging connections between creatives, and making it easier for exciting new voices to find an audience.
What can we expect from this first season?
As someone that loves new writing, that is always going to be what I’m drawn to but we have a really exciting mix of work with stories that are moving, funny and provocative.
What ties the programme together is the quality of the artists. I’m incredibly proud of the line-up, and I think there’s genuinely something for everyone—whether you’re part of the LGBTQ+ community or simply looking to discover brilliant new theatre.
What is your hope for North Sapph-Fest in the future?
We’d love to see North Sapph-Fest become a regular festival. Our hope is that it continues to grow each year, giving more artists a platform to share their work, build audiences and meet new creatives!