Reviewers, how did the Fringe Society do in 2022?

Firstly, it seems like a bit of a miracle that the Fringe happened on the scale and with the level of normality that it did.

By most measures it was a good Fringe, and in terms of character and feel was a joyous return.

Ticket sales and footfall seem to be down, but that could be driven by post-pandemic fears and the general financial climate, with rising costs and inflation. Accommodation costs have been cited as a major issue, but that is somewhat outwith their control.  Edinburgh is an expensive city in  terms of housing in general.

The Fringe Society deserves credit in overseeing the event as it presumably would not happen without their overall stewardship. But their involvement seems to have lessened.  There is both fragmentation and standardisation as the big venues work together, the Fringe no longer appears as central.

There are fewer, if any, meet the media and workshop sessions which were valued, particularly by the first-timers.  The larger venues (but including Greenside) now do their own press launches.  These are useful, but it isn't easy to do them all.  Some mainstream outlets (Herald, Guardian) have cut their coverage and there is a lengthy article by Lynn Gardner (Stage) on the difficulty companies see in getting any reviews.  The return to a fairly high volume of shows has stretched audience, in terms of ticket sales, and reviewers.

Some of the venues run good press offices - Space particularly and some agencies (CNC) are helpful, but many are not.

The Media@Fringe Society is pretty invisible these days and don't seem to even have published the reviews that they have been given.

With social media venues and companies do their own thing - again this pulling apart is perhaps something that everyone needs to adjust to.

In terms of ticketing it's a bit messy for the media, with venues doing their own and the Fringe portal being of limited value. A one stop shop would make life easier.

However it seems that sales to the public are still driven through the Fringe website.  An example would be a show at Space where 40 of the 50 capacity had been sold via Edfringe.  The public then probably see it as more of an entity, with the box offices much less used, particularly now the e-ticketing.

This year could have been make or break, but it looks like the Fringe Society has come through the other side but they will need to listen to their customers and in particular the participants.

The 75th anniversary of the Edinburgh Festival season has been simply fantastic – a cultural feast across all the Festivals – not just the Fringe which gets so much attention. 

I personally have had a magical time, racing around all my favourite Fringe venues. I selected many world premieres of new drama ranging from student productions (a slick musical, Leaves on the Line, 5*) to revamped modern versions of classic plays, (Hedda, Ghislane/Gabler, Glass Imaginary) and exciting new work (Ruckus, In her Defence, The Olive Tree).  I take a personal interest in meeting actors, writers, directors afterwards (often over a drink!), to find out more about the show and company.  

So comments and feedback on the experience: 

Delighted that the Fringe brochure is back again – impossible to browse 3K + shows on line, although a late publication on 7th July. 

Press tickets: this is time consuming - Ed Fringe portal for certain venues but several shows were not listed, (eg. theSpace). Contacting main venues individually (Traverse, Pleasance, Underbelly, Assembly etc.), many press offices took days/ weeks to send E tickets.   

PR companies:  often helpful with advance promotion, press releases, cast lists and offer to book tickets. CNC, Michelle Mangan but others unreliable. 

Fringe Media contact list: useful to email companies in advance for press releases and images, but a few contact names were incorrect. 

The relocation of Fringe Central from George Square to the basement floor of St. James Quarter is bizarre  - not central or near any Fringe venue. This Fringe hub for performers, producers, writers and media presents talks and workshops but it would be quite a trek to get here from southside, especially with North Bridge partially closed.  

E tickets: do not save paper as it’s easier to print them out instead of trying to find the appropriate ticket/bar code on phone.  The media office in fact sent out a warning message to say that it is best to print out as you might not get wifi in a venue, and to be prepared for queues while staff scan every E ticket.  A Fringe company at Space said there were numerous problems with scanners.

Media showcases: as always Greenside staged its annual one hour Showcase of short extracts by about 20 acts, + drinks reception, an ideal early date of 2nd August to meet and chat with companies.  Difficult to fit in time to attend other events at Assembly, Underbelly, Pleasance et al.    theSpace event on Friday 5th clashed with seeing a show, but they have a weekly Meet the Media on Sunday nights for the new companies starting on 15th and 22nd.  Well organised and extremely useful to pick up more shows to review in the last week.

theSpace, which runs an excellent press office, staged 439 shows across seven venues and only down 3% compared to 2019.

Fringe reviews on EdFringe site: EG reviews sent promptly to media office but it takes at last 24 hours for these to be added and a few were listed under the wrong show. (Tiger Lillies review on Out to Lunch page).  It would be easier if accredited reviewers could simply add reviews themselves. 

Awards presentations:  It was difficult to find out about a few of the Award presentations such as the Scotsman Fringe firsts – the Fringe media office said to contact Pleasance press but they did not offer to arrange tickets even though it was a free event.  The BBC Writers Popcorn award was a lively event and a great opportunity to meet actors and companies of shows we had reviewed.  Dave’s Comedy awards –  inspiring as always.

As this is the first proper Festival season since 2019, the statistics are excellent, considering on going travel problems. Some negative media reports that ticket sales are down, however, there were fewer Fringe shows this year.

Residents accounted for 39% of all tickets issued (up 4% on 2019), and their support and commitment to the festival is evident. Overseas audience attendances also increased, accounting for 10% of all tickets issued (up 2% on 2019). An estimated 2,201,175 tickets issued across 3,334 shows which were performed by artists from 63 countries.

Fringe companies have travelled from the USA, Canada, Taiwan and Australia to take part in the largest arts event on the planet!  Chatting to many actors, it was certainly worth the trip and the expense to stage their show to receive public and critical reviews, networking with literary agents, directors and producers as well as receiving valuable awards. Overall, an inspiring and productive experience in order to plan further performances and pursue their theatrical careers. 

EIF:  the high standard of drama and dance was exemplary, hence 5 * reviews for Medea, Scottish Ballet and Samsara.  Classical music programme also received high ratings on EG. 

A timely comment in Barnaby’s 5 star review of the closing concert: ‘Since the Edinburgh International Festival of 2015 the man in over-all charge has been Fergus Linehan. Before the lights dimmed for the start of the music, he came on stage to say farewell and hand future Festivals over to Nicola Benedetti’.

It will be most interesting to find out what’s in store for the EIF programme under the new Director.  

Roll on the Edinburgh Festivals 2023.!