Free Edinburgh Fringe Festival
Encyclopedia
The Free Festival is an organisation that promotes free shows of all genres at the annual Edinburgh Festival Fringe in Scotland
. Free Festival venues are commonly independently run bars and nightclubs which create performance spaces in their premises for the duration of the Fringe Festival. Performers are allocated timeslots for free on the condition that they do not charge audiences an entry fee to watch the show. Although audience members are asked to make voluntary contributions at the end of the shows to help pay the performers expenses.
Generally, Edinburgh Fringe shows are self financing and the average run at the fringe can cost a performer £5000 in venue hire fees, publicity and accommodation. The aim of The Free Festival is to provide performers and festival goers with a cheaper alternative.
Predominantly the shows are stand up comedy and sketch comedy
but in recent years there has been an increase in theatre
, cabaret
, music
, storytelling
and children’s shows.
In 2010 the Fringe office created controversy after being accused of inflating its box office figures by including an arbitrary number for audiences attending free shows and had to defend its position.
, Lewis Schaffer
, Nick Wilty, Sol Bernstein, Steve Day
, Bob Slayer, Nik Coppin and Ivor Dembina have appeared in previous years, plus guest appearances in compilation shows from well known performers such as Alan Carr
, Scott Capurro
, Richard Herring
, Brendan Burns, Marcus Brigstoke, Reg D. Hunter, Dan Antopolski
and Paul Foot
.
Imran Yusuf's Free Festival show became the first non-ticketed show at the Edinburgh Festival to be nominated for a main Comedy Award for Best Newcomer
the second largest promoter of Comedy).
produced a radio comedy pilot based on Ian Fox's 2006 Free Fringe Show The Butterfly Effect
New Venues in 2010
Other Venues
since 2004, originally in a partnership with The Free Fringe
founded by Peter Buckley Hill, splitting away from that organisation in 2006.
Scotland
Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...
. Free Festival venues are commonly independently run bars and nightclubs which create performance spaces in their premises for the duration of the Fringe Festival. Performers are allocated timeslots for free on the condition that they do not charge audiences an entry fee to watch the show. Although audience members are asked to make voluntary contributions at the end of the shows to help pay the performers expenses.
Generally, Edinburgh Fringe shows are self financing and the average run at the fringe can cost a performer £5000 in venue hire fees, publicity and accommodation. The aim of The Free Festival is to provide performers and festival goers with a cheaper alternative.
Predominantly the shows are stand up comedy and sketch comedy
Sketch comedy
A sketch comedy consists of a series of short comedy scenes or vignettes, called "sketches," commonly between one and ten minutes long. Such sketches are performed by a group of comic actors or comedians, either on stage or through an audio and/or visual medium such as broadcasting...
but in recent years there has been an increase in theatre
Theatre
Theatre is a collaborative form of fine art that uses live performers to present the experience of a real or imagined event before a live audience in a specific place. The performers may communicate this experience to the audience through combinations of gesture, speech, song, music or dance...
, cabaret
Cabaret
Cabaret is a form, or place, of entertainment featuring comedy, song, dance, and theatre, distinguished mainly by the performance venue: a restaurant or nightclub with a stage for performances and the audience sitting at tables watching the performance, as introduced by a master of ceremonies or...
, music
Music
Music is an art form whose medium is sound and silence. Its common elements are pitch , rhythm , dynamics, and the sonic qualities of timbre and texture...
, storytelling
Storytelling
Storytelling is the conveying of events in words, images and sounds, often by improvisation or embellishment. Stories or narratives have been shared in every culture as a means of entertainment, education, cultural preservation and in order to instill moral values...
and children’s shows.
In 2010 the Fringe office created controversy after being accused of inflating its box office figures by including an arbitrary number for audiences attending free shows and had to defend its position.
Free Festival Programme
The Free Festival promotes comedy, theatre, music, cabaret, opera, musicals, film, children’s shows, events and art displays – programmed by experienced producers in each area. Award winning performers and full runs of shows from the likes of Pappy’s Fun Club, John GordilloJohn Gordillo
John Gordillo is a Perrier Award-nominated English director and Comedian who has directed shows by the Comedian Eddie Izzard and was the host and co-creator of The RDA , a daily late-night topical comedy show...
, Lewis Schaffer
Lewis Schaffer
Lewis Schaffer is an American comedian. He is now based in London where he moved in 2000. He currently hosts his own weekly radio show on Resonance FM 104.4FM in London entitled "Voice of Americans with Lewis Schaffer of Nunhead" and has his own so stand-up comedy show in London entitled "Lewis...
, Nick Wilty, Sol Bernstein, Steve Day
Steve Day
Steve Day is Britain's best known deaf stand-up comedian.-Stand-up comedy:Day was a finalist in the Daily Telegraph Open Mic Award in 2000, and a finalist in the Hackney Empire New Act of the Year in 2002....
, Bob Slayer, Nik Coppin and Ivor Dembina have appeared in previous years, plus guest appearances in compilation shows from well known performers such as Alan Carr
Alan Carr
Alan Carr is an English comedian and television personality. Born in Weymouth, he was raised in Northampton before moving to Manchester during his early 20's....
, Scott Capurro
Scott Capurro
-Television appearances:-Stage appearances:-Personal life:In October 2006 Capurro purchased a flat in Bethnal Green and considers himself a London resident.-External links:* * *...
, Richard Herring
Richard Herring
Richard Keith Herring is a British comedian and writer, whose early work includes his involvement in the double-act, Lee and Herring...
, Brendan Burns, Marcus Brigstoke, Reg D. Hunter, Dan Antopolski
Dan Antopolski
For the rowing coach and commentator, see Daniel TopolskiDan Antopolski is a British stand-up comic, actor and writer, mostly known for his surreal stand-up.- Stand-up comedy :Shows at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe include:...
and Paul Foot
Paul Foot
Paul Mackintosh Foot was a British investigative journalist, political campaigner, author, and long-time member of the Socialist Workers Party...
.
Critical Acclaim
The Free Festival has earned a good reputation through coverage from Sky News, BBC, Culture Show, The Guardian, The Times, The Scotsman, The List, Metro, Chortle and many other local publications. In 2009 75% of Free Festival shows were reviewed 3 star and above, with thirty 4-star and 20 5-star reviews.2010 Facts
In 2010 the Free Festival produced over 300 shows at the fringe.Imran Yusuf's Free Festival show became the first non-ticketed show at the Edinburgh Festival to be nominated for a main Comedy Award for Best Newcomer
2009 Facts
In 2009 there were a total of 2,098 shows at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe and 235 of these (over 11%) were part of the Free Festival making it the largest promoter of free events at the Fringe, and after the Edinburgh Comedy FestivalEdinburgh Comedy Festival
Edinburgh Comedy Festival is a collection of comedy shows at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe which runs each August.-Media coverage:In June 2008, there were many news stories and commentaries in the media about the launch of the Edinburgh Comedy Festival, both positive and negative.Much was reported...
the second largest promoter of Comedy).
- 22 stages across 14 Venues
- Venue capacities from 50 to 150
- 235 shows (Over 11% of all shows at Edinburgh Fringe)
- 3,500 performances (140 per day)
- 50,000 Free Festival brochures
- 100,000 website visitors (over 500,000 page impressions)
- 180,000 free tickets (7,200 per day)
- 1,175,000 flyers (average of 5000 per show)
Previous Accolades
In 2007 the BBCBBC
The British Broadcasting Corporation is a British public service broadcaster. Its headquarters is at Broadcasting House in the City of Westminster, London. It is the largest broadcaster in the world, with about 23,000 staff...
produced a radio comedy pilot based on Ian Fox's 2006 Free Fringe Show The Butterfly Effect
Free Fringe Venues
Edinburgh venues that are part of the Free Edinburgh Fringe Festival:New Venues in 2010
- The Metropole Cafe (Venue 141)
- The Reverie (Venue 270)
- Three Sisters (venue 272)
- Laughing Horse Online (venue 194)
Other Venues
- The Argyle Bar (venue 353)
- The Counting House (venue 170)
- Cafe Renroc (venue 84)
- The City Cafe (venue 85)
- Edinburgh City Football Club (venue 164)
- Espionage (venue 185)
- The Hive (venue 313)
- Jekyll & Hyde (venue 259)
- The Meadow Bar (venue 264)
- The National Museum of Scotland
- The Newsroom (venue 93)
- The Pear Tree
- St. Martins Church
Free Festival History
The Free Festival was set up by Alex Petty of Laughing Horse Comedy, who has organised free venues at the Edinburgh FringeEdinburgh Fringe
The Edinburgh Festival Fringe is the world’s largest arts festival. Established in 1947 as an alternative to the Edinburgh International Festival, it takes place annually in Scotland's capital, in the month of August...
since 2004, originally in a partnership with The Free Fringe
Free Fringe
The Free Fringe is an organisation that promotes free shows at the annual Edinburgh Festival Fringe in Scotland. Free Fringe venues are commonly independently run bars and nightclubs which create performance spaces in their premises for the duration of the Fringe Festival...
founded by Peter Buckley Hill, splitting away from that organisation in 2006.