How to perform at the Edinburgh fringe festival?
Moderator: busybusybusy
How to perform at the Edinburgh fringe festival?
Id love to have the opportunity to perform there but dont have a clue how to get involved especially as im from the south west of uk!
Re: How to perform at the Edinburgh fringe festival?
Hello
There's a lot of very useful information on the Fringe website
http://www.edfringe.com/participants
The only way to be able to guarantee that you will be able to perform there is to mount a show yourself really (not for the faint hearted and you will need deep pockets - it's very hard to make money, or break even, on the Fringe - it generally ends up costing people quite a bit - there is so much competition for audiences). Occasionally Casting Call Pro has casting calls for groups who are taking shows up to Edinburgh - probably other casting sites do too - and sometimes groups even look for performers via Spotlight. Usually, though, in my experience, it will be an existing group, with an existing cast that decides to take a show to Edinburgh, so it may not be easy to get involved as an individual.
I don't know whether any of that helps?
I do know many, many people who have performed at the Fringe, so if you have any specific queries I might have some answers - or could ask someone else who might know.
It might be more practical (and just as much fun) to look for Arts Festivals closer to home - there are lots of smaller versions of the Edinburgh Fringe around the British Isles.
There's a lot of very useful information on the Fringe website
http://www.edfringe.com/participants
The only way to be able to guarantee that you will be able to perform there is to mount a show yourself really (not for the faint hearted and you will need deep pockets - it's very hard to make money, or break even, on the Fringe - it generally ends up costing people quite a bit - there is so much competition for audiences). Occasionally Casting Call Pro has casting calls for groups who are taking shows up to Edinburgh - probably other casting sites do too - and sometimes groups even look for performers via Spotlight. Usually, though, in my experience, it will be an existing group, with an existing cast that decides to take a show to Edinburgh, so it may not be easy to get involved as an individual.
I don't know whether any of that helps?
I do know many, many people who have performed at the Fringe, so if you have any specific queries I might have some answers - or could ask someone else who might know.
It might be more practical (and just as much fun) to look for Arts Festivals closer to home - there are lots of smaller versions of the Edinburgh Fringe around the British Isles.
Re: How to perform at the Edinburgh fringe festival?
even if you are sold out, you can make a loss - we have a neighbour who has acted/directed and produced at the fringe for a number of years - this year, the venue his production was at had fewer seats than they had been told - so it sold out, but was still a financial miss (jolly good production though - we enjoyed it thoroughly!!)pg wrote:- it's very hard to make money, or break even, on the Fringe - it generally ends up costing people quite a bit - there is so much competition for audiences).
there are a few free venues - pubs and clubs basically, who make their money from the audience's drinks - and you pass a hat round afterwards - but they are really for comedians or monolgues or at best duologues
and you still have to find/fund somewhere to stay
how old are you? a few brave schools do go up there - perhaps you could start agitating?
Life is complex - some of it is real, some of it is imaginary.
Re: How to perform at the Edinburgh fringe festival?
From IdeasTap twitter: We're offering 10 grant of £500 to young people taking shows or exhibitions to @BrightonFringe: http://bit.ly/SBy4Pz
Re: How to perform at the Edinburgh fringe festival?
If you are still at school or college its worth trying to get a member of staff interested who can help you put a show together, raise profile/interest/funds etc. DS had a fabulous time for a week at the beginning of August with a group from his school, so successful they are already planning next year's production. But I know the school heavily subsidised the trip - the venue was quite big and even with plenty of parents supporting the show (great excuse to spend a few days in Edinburgh 
) it can't have broken even. Good luck!
) it can't have broken even. Good luck!be ready for anything and the unexpected never happens
Re: How to perform at the Edinburgh fringe festival?
Thanks for all your comments!
Im in the last year of sixth form and my school is very stingy when it comes to providing money for the arts subjects so a subsidy from them will be near impossible!
Im really tempted to put a show together next year as im thinking of taking a year out to do acting work and know a few committed actors. Do the shows have to be written by you or can you use a published script?
I think im going to start at smaller things around my area as there are a few small theatres around by me who dont charge to use the space but take half the ticket money.
If anyone has any advice of putting on a show id be hugely grateful!!
Im in the last year of sixth form and my school is very stingy when it comes to providing money for the arts subjects so a subsidy from them will be near impossible!
Im really tempted to put a show together next year as im thinking of taking a year out to do acting work and know a few committed actors. Do the shows have to be written by you or can you use a published script?
I think im going to start at smaller things around my area as there are a few small theatres around by me who dont charge to use the space but take half the ticket money.
If anyone has any advice of putting on a show id be hugely grateful!!
Re: How to perform at the Edinburgh fringe festival?
This was from the Tap Ideas website:
Call for Expressions of Interest for the Edinburgh Showcase 2013
In order to be considered for inclusion in the showcase you must have a production available for viewing before Sunday 17 March 2013. Please let us know immediately of any up-and-coming performance dates. We will do our best to ensure that one of our British Council Drama & Dance advisers or external advisers see the work. Due to the volume of productions to view in such a short period of time, we highly recommend that you provide as much notice as possible of your performance dates.
The Showcase will take place from Monday 19 - Saturday 24 August 2013 in Edinburgh, during the Edinburgh Fringe Festival.
Please visit http://dramaanddance.britishcouncil.org ... h-showcase to download the artist’s information and application forms. If you would like to submit more than one production for consideration for Edinburgh Showcase 2013 please download and complete the additional productions for submission form.
The deadline for expressions of interest is Friday 7 December 2012.
We will inform all companies of the final programme decision by Friday 5 April 2013 which will allow time to confirm Edinburgh performances before the Fringe deadline in April.
All enquiries in relation to the Edinburgh Showcase 2013 should be directed to: showcase2013@britishcouncil.org
Re: How to perform at the Edinburgh fringe festival?
You can use a published script, but you would have to pay royalties unless it's out of its copyright period (e.g. Shakespeare!) which can make it expensive and potentially complicated because it is usual for there to be a limit on the number of productions of a particular play within a specific region/time period. Other groups might also wish to do the same piece. You would need to apply for permission to perform any plays that require performance rights very early on, otherwise you could find yourself with a rehearsed play that you don't have permission to perform. Also, Edinburgh audiences are different (and harder to persuade) than audiences where there is not so much choice. That's why local to you can be an excellent place to start. It will be easier to get publicity/favours/advice and probably - and crucially - an audience. Have you been to the Edinburgh Fringe? If you have, you will know how hard the performers work to try to get someone/anyone in to see their shows. I know quite a lot of people who have performed (in Edinburgh) to fewer people in the audience than there were on the stage...
I would definitely recommend starting locally (and on a small scale). It can be a very expensive and risky business. It could be worth getting involved with a local amateur group and asking to be part of the production team (they are normally crying out for help for this sort of thing). That way you will be able to learn about all sorts of aspects of putting on a play without taking any financial risk. There is so much to consider. I do highly recommend it - I am sure you would learn a huge amount from the experience - but it is quite an undertaking and if you have no experience at all it might be better to shadow someone first so that you can learn about all the potential pitfalls!
If there are performance spaces near you that will share the risk (by taking part of the ticket revenue) that is certainly a very good place to start and you might find that there are people at the venues who would be happy to talk it through with you and give you some advice - or point you in the direction of someone else who can advise you.
Above all, I would say, you do need to have a budget and estimate your expenditure and income before you start. Even just taking a guess at some figures is better than not doing it at all, but if you can find out likely costs (for example for rehearsal and venue hire and print/publicity and your technical costs - lights/scenery/costumes etc) you can then work out how many tickets you would need to sell to break even and can see whether you need to fundraise before you start, or whether you can find enough people willing to invest in it with you.
I have produced (and directed) plays - and have had help from some wonderful people in doing so - but it is a case of solving one problem after another and there never seems to be time to concentrate on the (for me) interesting and fun bits of the actual play because there is all of the business side to take care of (venue hire, rehearsal space, performance rights, technical assistance, marketing, print distribution, publicity, press releases, insurance, health and safety legislation, box office, tickets, front of house, lighting design (possibly lighting hire), set design and construction, props, costumes, audition and rehearsal scheduling, seating, programmes, refreshments, who sells the tickets for you - the list goes on!).
Having said that, my ds and his friends put on their first independent play on the Buxton Fringe on a budget of £60 (in 2003) so I suppose it need not be something that breaks the bank!
I would definitely recommend starting locally (and on a small scale). It can be a very expensive and risky business. It could be worth getting involved with a local amateur group and asking to be part of the production team (they are normally crying out for help for this sort of thing). That way you will be able to learn about all sorts of aspects of putting on a play without taking any financial risk. There is so much to consider. I do highly recommend it - I am sure you would learn a huge amount from the experience - but it is quite an undertaking and if you have no experience at all it might be better to shadow someone first so that you can learn about all the potential pitfalls!
If there are performance spaces near you that will share the risk (by taking part of the ticket revenue) that is certainly a very good place to start and you might find that there are people at the venues who would be happy to talk it through with you and give you some advice - or point you in the direction of someone else who can advise you.
Above all, I would say, you do need to have a budget and estimate your expenditure and income before you start. Even just taking a guess at some figures is better than not doing it at all, but if you can find out likely costs (for example for rehearsal and venue hire and print/publicity and your technical costs - lights/scenery/costumes etc) you can then work out how many tickets you would need to sell to break even and can see whether you need to fundraise before you start, or whether you can find enough people willing to invest in it with you.
I have produced (and directed) plays - and have had help from some wonderful people in doing so - but it is a case of solving one problem after another and there never seems to be time to concentrate on the (for me) interesting and fun bits of the actual play because there is all of the business side to take care of (venue hire, rehearsal space, performance rights, technical assistance, marketing, print distribution, publicity, press releases, insurance, health and safety legislation, box office, tickets, front of house, lighting design (possibly lighting hire), set design and construction, props, costumes, audition and rehearsal scheduling, seating, programmes, refreshments, who sells the tickets for you - the list goes on!).
Having said that, my ds and his friends put on their first independent play on the Buxton Fringe on a budget of £60 (in 2003) so I suppose it need not be something that breaks the bank!