Festivals Are For Poshos, Part 2.0

I’ve just returned from the Edinburgh Festival, and it was the usual melee of lunacy, irritation and genuine beauty. On an average year, I’d cover thirty shows, but given my recent surgery, I managed a paltry five.

The problem is this: despite the Free Fringe, there’s not any way for newcomers to get a chance of breaking even, unless they’re bankrolled by rich parents or friends, or sponsored by someone big. It’s that, or cause a scandal on social media (not difficult these days, generally it’s have An Opinion About Something) and generate divisive #content.

I said it before and it bears repeating, whether you want to attend or perform, you need money. It’s become extortionate to stay there, ticket prices have skyrocketed and if you have access needs, you’ll struggle. How did I manage? I get press tickets as a critic and get the train off peak. I subsist on coffee and ice cream. Forget restaurants, they’re ridiculous.

The Fringe website states that “anyone can take part”. Uh hmm. Really? Apparently, an average show costs £5-7,000 to stage. Let’s not even go there with budget hotels: another £290 per night, I’ve been told.

The whole ecosystem of festival culture is crumbling. Even Dance Base, an independent venue which I respect very much, joined forces with Assembly in order to continue in their tradition of supporting inclusive, global artists. They’re a welcoming, forward-thinking group of people but the fact that one of “The Big 4” companies associated with the Fringe has been brought in speaks to a wider problem about infrastructure in the UK performance sector.

What’s the answer? I dunno, perhaps a government who realises, as with Europe,that art MATTERS. Maybe some INVESTMENT in art programmes for budding artists from working class communities? I know several actors, dancers and writers who started off through youth arts schemes, or took a chance through their own initiative – just ordinary kids now making beautiful work. Don’t have the festival circuit be a red roped-off area for the unprivileged. Art is for everyone. It’s civilising. It saved my life, and I’ll shout it from the Grassmarket rooftops. But only between shows, shhh.