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Memory of a free festival
Edinburgh Free Fringe 2006? Standup Gill Smith was there in 2005. And she can remember it.
by Gill Smith
Every August Londoners flock to Edinburgh. It is the Mecca of comedy over the summer. They come to see what's new, what's funny, what's Perrier - or now Eddy - nominated. Of course there are also shows that leave you so desperate for the end that you might start considering methods of self-harm.
However, while the Fringe completely takes over the centre of Auld Reekie, it rarely seems to attract the locals. Why would a Scotsman spend a tenner for an hour of one person? In a month or two he will probably perform at The Stand, or Jongleurs, joined by many other great acts? Why pay for someone not good enough for those?
But, even loaded Londoners and parentally-supported Home Counties actors, are noticing that if they go to other gigs, they feel the impact of ticket prices on their pockets. So, the Free Fringe finds an audience. But what's in it for the performers? That depends. For, say, Jimmy Carr, there wouldn't be a lot. For anyone who already sells out their entire run with extortionate ticket prices, it wouldn’t increase their beer budget. And, for any act prepared to live on fresh air while they watch their overdraft increase, to be at the Pleasance or Gilded Balloon is not the Fringe you're looking for.
But if your bank manager stopped you from dreaming of C Venues, your parents don't have shares in Avalon, and that minted great aunt simply won't die - or you simply get joy from having an audience who is delighted to be at a gig that costs less than their trip to Edinburgh, and whose heckles make Rab C Nesbitt sound Southern - give the Free Fringe a moment's thought.
As an act, you get a free venue. You are included on the communal photocopied posters. You even get a time-share on a bucket. A what? Something to pass around and take up a collection, maybe a hat. It’s not London prices, but beer does still cost, and the collection goes straight to the performers.
What's in it for the venues? These pubs and clubs get more people than normal, drinking more than usual, at times when they couldn't normally expect to make much. This all helps keep their Kiwi bar staff employed.
Punters know they're onto a winner. They get a free show and for that nothing-at-all, they can sit in a venue, enjoy a beer, and wait for the next show. They know there'll be more comedy, and they
won’t have to queue at a box office.
2005's risk seems to have paid off for the organizers and performers. No one got rich on the Free Fringe, but audiences did dip their hands into pockets less tight than their Scottish reputation would imply. One act said he even covered his costs. Not every act at the Smirnoff Underbelly can say that.
He, like every other new, aspiring act, was able to be in Edinburgh, get far more daily stage time and experience than even comedy-packed London can offer. This was partially because he took part in his own gig, and in every other that was available. His name became known, and of course he was able to enjoy Edinburgh's other delights, such as getting drunk with acts further up in the comedy hierarchy.
Some of the established acts were Free Fringe participants too. Marc Blake used to have a solo fringe show. But this year he brought up a new show to the Canon's Gait.
Cardiff's Yellow Kangaroo brought a show up to Lindsay's. Though it had a shift of local regional assembly to complain about, it didn't change how responsive the crowds were. Various London regulars got together in groups, such as the Big Hair Show.
Lindsay's is a small Fringe venue. It is off the beaten track, but not a lot further from the Pleasance Courtyard than the Assembly Rooms. Canon's Gait is on the Royal Mile.
So how did all this happen? Committed Fringe fan Peter Buckley Hill and his traditional free shows - usually one solo effort and another with opportunities for newcomers - met with the Laughing Horse Comedy chain's organization, experience, backing, and regular MCs. This gave audiences a taste of both old and new. It also introduced acts both experienced and fresh, to give the comedy scene a genuine alternative in 2005.
Even brand-new-acts had a chance to take the stage, if they enrolled in the stand up comedy courses run by Marc Blake. These newcomers were promised two open spots, allowing Edinburgh to take comedians through every possible stage of their careers.
But was it any good? I didn't get to all the shows, but there's a saying in comedy - you're only as good as your last audience. Perhaps mine should have been the packed Laughing Horse audience at Lindsay's. Some of them had already seen me do 20 minutes for the Yellow Kangaroo gig, yet they were kind enough to laugh at each and every punch-line I'd hoped they would – and also some random-tangent-wandering, I wasn't sure would turn out funny. And, when other acts made me giggle so hard I almost spat out my Irn-Bru, I wasn't wasting my favourite tipple just to be kind.
I laughed, audiences laughed, and comics improved. No one starved, and I’m sure a few pub manager re-ordered stock faster than usual.
Roll on 2006... I'll see you at Lindsay's, at the Canon's Gait, or at one of the new set of venues lined up. If we don’t meet there, I'll try to find time and get to the rest of the fringe. Shall we have a beer? I guess that's on me. You can't afford it.
END
(c) Gill Smith 7 July 2006
The Free Fringe website is http://www.laughinghorse.co.uk/edinburgh.htm
article subeditor Sarah Shavel 7 July 06
Fringe Report (c) Fringe Report 2002-2009
