Organisers of the Edinburgh Fringe Festival have come under fire from hundreds of comedians and producers over allegations of mismanagement.
More than 1,600 comedians, agents and producers have signed an open letter outlining a list of grievances of the Fringe Society’s preparations for this year’s festival and the poor communication with the stakeholders. Their criticisms include the absence of the Fringe app, the increased travel and accommodation costs for attendees, and a lack of transparency over how the lockdown grant was spent.
The letter details highlighted growing concerns about the lack of progress since the pandemic, particularly with regards to “inclusivity, accessibility, and diversity” at the Fringe:
“After two years of lockdown, we feel little has been done to actively improve the Fringe experience for participants and now it’s becoming increasingly difficult to justify the expense of taking part.”
As the letter was published officially on 5 July, it largely overshadowed the subsequent launch of this year’s programme for the festival the following day.
The Live Comedy Association (LCA) composed the letter on behalf of the comedians. Pax Lowey, chair of the board, claimed that the association was arranging a conference call with Shona McCarthy, chief executive of the Fringe Society, to resolve the issues.
In response to these complaints, her deputy, Lyndsey Jackson, remained optimistic, stating the best solution to the crisis was to produce a successful festival: “I think some of this is just exposed because we’ve had two years of no fringe. I’m quite hopeful that the fringe will be quite cathartic and healing, that we sort of need.”
Words by Katie Heyes
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Image: © Edinburgh Festival Fringe Society / David Montieth-Hodge