Where Has All the Theatre Gone: The Allure of Edinburgh Festival and Fringe

As the Fringe approaches, Northwest companies Big Wow and Black Toffee Theatre discuss the enduring allure of Edinburgh, theatre’s largest magnet

Feature by Alecia Marshall | 30 Jul 2014

I’d imagine taking a show to Edinburgh is akin to climbing a rather large mountain – say, Mont Blanc. It is a difficult task and takes preparation, determination and – dare I say – a hint of madness. For those who succeed the rewards can be bountiful but there are also those productions that stubbornly refuse to leave the ground, despite the increasingly desperate efforts of their company. It is a risky business – does somebody have to do it?

The initial allure of the Edinburgh Festival Fringe needs little explanation: it is, after all, the largest arts festival in the world. From big names in entertainment to unknown artists looking to build their careers, last year’s fringe saw 45,464 performances celebrating a plethora of art forms, the figure rising this year to a record-breaking 49,487. Not a bad number considering the whole charade began with eight uninvited theatre companies staging makeshift performances at Edinburgh International Festival. “It is an amazing testament to our creativity as a country,” says playwright and director Robert Farquhar, one-third of Liverpool-based company Big Wow. “It truly is an astonishing thing.”

Farquhar is a man who ought to know. Working alongside actors Matt Rutter and Tim Lynskey, the trio have visited Edinburgh on numerous occasions – both collectively and separately – amassing a combined experience of thirty years as Fringe participants. Their trademark: fast-paced, wilfully anarchic comic theatre. This year’s show: The Art of Falling Apart.

“Whenever we put a show together the intention to take it to Edinburgh is always present,” says Rutter. “We will, of course, preview it in Liverpool, but Edinburgh is often our focus.”

“Companies want to be noticed and that is still happening at Edinburgh,” continues Farquhar. “Important people turn up.”

Laura Lindsay, founder of Manchester-based company Black Toffee Theatre, agrees. Infiltrating Edinburgh’s Underbelly last year with a three-week sell-out run of multi-role production Hidden (a play Lindsay also co-wrote and co-performed), Lindsay – who likens Edinburgh to having a baby ("You always say 'never again'") – is keen to stress the importance of Edinburgh as an advantageous trip, despite the financial strain.

“Exposure is the primary motivation – you are certainly not going to make any money, especially when you are just starting out.”

With Hidden now published and a sell-out Northwest tour under her belt, Lindsay’s post-Edinburgh benefits have been substantial: “Our entire tour was planned on the back of Edinburgh – having a three-week run that was sold out encourages venues to take you afterwards. You have momentum behind you.”

But you cannot fill a venue without a reputation and Lindsay believes Edinburgh can provide that, too: “Manchester can be a bit of a bubble. If you take your show to Edinburgh you are leaving that microcosm behind. Companies must not undervalue the benefit of reaching a broad range of audience. It is not just about industry people. Audience is key.”

Despite her encouragement to others, Lindsay will not be returning to the Fringe this year. “It is a ridiculous amount of work and a huge financial stress. I’d never say never – but it won’t be this year!”

Conversely, Big Wow seem energised and optimistic regarding their approaching trip – seasoned veterans that they are. “I am fucking ancient now,” laughs Farquhar, “but there is something in the air at Edinburgh that makes me return. I can’t say with any definite certainty that this will be my last visit.”

“We are going with the expectation that we are not going to change the world; we are not going to change ourselves – we just want people to watch our show!”

But can that not happen right here in the good ol' Northwest? With venues such as Liverpool's Lantern Theatre and Salford’s Kings Arms – not to mention the Manchester Fringe Festival, 24:7 and Shiny New – does the ultimate success of fringe theatre lie 220 miles north? “I think if you programmed a large-scale fringe festival in Liverpool that was cheaper than Edinburgh, people around the North of England would come,” muses Rutter.

“But would it really work?” interrupts Farquhar. “Edinburgh is beautiful, the city is right for it, they have the infrastructure to support such a festival. It cannot be surpassed.”

As costumes are put away and tumbleweed rolls across our local stages, all three men admit to the August lull of regional theatres as Edinburgh claims the country’s plays; a veritable black hole that conveniently closes as the autumn/winter season begins. “Theatres go dark,” admits Rutter – and Lynskey is quick to agree. “There is always a huge cross-section of potential audience that are not in the city any more and theatres are aware of that. Students go home, people go on holiday, and the weather becomes too hot for sitting indoors. For anyone who really wants theatre they have to go to Edinburgh: theatre on tap!”

But is a trip to the Scottish capital as desirable for the spectator as the performer, forced to navigate their way through a city that sees hotel prices rocket and a piece of theatre from their local community am-dram group leaving little change of a tenner? For the first time in Edinburgh Fringe history, there is another alternative.

Hibrow – a digital arts company who strive to increase artistic accessibility by uploading original performance and art online – has announced a deal in which selected Fringe performances will be shown in cinemas across Britain, including Warrington’s Odeon. Beginning on 4 Aug with The Dispute (a new version of the 18th-century Marivaux comedy, which tells the story of four babies raised in isolation for 18 years before being released in to the world), following shows include a set by the satirical rockers Jonny & the Baptists, a one-man show called Berkoff the Inimitable, and a comedy from the sketch quartet Four Screws Loose.

With plans to stream only eight shows, some may feel it is a scanty offering, but for those who can neither afford nor stomach the idea of incessant theatre – some mind-blowing, some mind-blowing in the wrong way – a trip to the cinema to sample the best of Edinburgh’s Fringe may have to do.

The Art of Falling Apart runs at Pleasance Courtyard, Edinburgh Festival Fringe, 30-31 Jul, 1-11 & 13-25 Aug

Hibrow Hour will transmit to Odeon Cinemas at Liverpool One, Manchester Printworks and Warrington Westbrook Centre at 6.30pm on dates between 4-21 Aug