THE organisation in charge of running the Edinburgh Fringe has come under fire for plans to build a new "community hub" with UK Government funding.
Entertainers have blasted plans for the building, which some have called "unnecessary" - but the Fringe Society said the type of funding given meant it could only be spent on a physical project.
The proposed building is intended to provide "support" for performers, the Fringe Society said.
But the report was met with significant backlash with one comedian branding them “monstrous”.
If they do this, that is monstrous. The Fringe is almost impossible for performers to afford now and therefore, will stop existing without them. And you’re spending your gifted millions on a new office? Totally unnecessary, mad, infuriating. https://t.co/1p0jNoZnlz
— Rachel Parris (@rachelparris) March 16, 2023
Fringe performers have long complained of the costs involved in taking part with comedians and theatre makers sometimes racking up debts for the exposure it can provide.
In August last year, eight of the arts festival’s biggest producing venues said its future was in “very real danger” due to the soaring costs of accommodation.
Glasgow comic Janey Godley said: “Great, just what the Edinburgh Fringe needs - new offices.
“As a regular Fringe performer, I can count on one hand the times I used the Fringe office – we have to pay £300 odd to get listed in a brochure and social media has even made that obsolete – what a carry-on.”
Late Night Mash host Rachel Parris said: “If they do this, that is monstrous. The Fringe is almost impossible for performers to afford now and therefore, will stop existing without them.
“And you’re spending your gifted millions on a new office? Totally unnecessary, mad, infuriating.”
Jemima Levick, the artistic director of Oran Mor’s A Play, A Pie and A Pint, tweeted: “Don’t worry everyone! There’ll be zero culture in the whole of Scotland! But the Fringe Society have new offices to look forward to and some pennies spare to throw for the paupers!”
A spokesperson for the Fringe Society said: "The funding announced this week is from the UK Government's capital investment fund, it is not revenue funding, therefore it is ringfenced to be used against capital spending only.
"This is not about a new HQ for the Fringe Society; it is about the creation of a Fringe community hub in Edinburgh, and at its heart was to be a partnership with other community and creative partners in the city.
"It is a project that will be shaped in the coming years with city partners and Fringe participants, on how the space can best support them at festival-time, and throughout the year.
"We are acutely aware of the enormous challenges facing the whole Fringe community and indeed the wider arts sector and will not stop in our advocacy for more resource and support across all the vital areas of need.
"We have had nothing in writing from the UK Government at this point, and need to understand fully what the capital funding offer is. We will then provide a fuller update."
The spokesperson added the Fringe Society had lobbied "relentlessly" for extra help for performers, including "every possible route to sourcing more affordable and available accommodation, an extension of theatre tax relief for temporary Fringe venues, further funds for the recently announced Keep it Finge artists' fund, and additional support channels for all participants in the Fringe".
A spokesperson for Creative Scotland said: “We welcome the Chancellor’s announcement of up to £8.6m in support of Scotland’s festival economy.
“This continues to be a challenging time for cultural organisations, and all support for culture in Scotland is a good thing. We look forward to hearing more details, including how this funding is to be allocated.”
