Fringe funding fear raised over 'level playing field' demand

The Herald Scotland

16 hours ago

Peter Buckley Hill wants to ensure there is a 'level playing field' for participants rather than the Fringe Society 'discriminate' in favour of a number of shows in its programme.
Read more:
Mr Buckley Hill is urging members of the society to ensure funding is distribute 'equally and equitably' to acts and performers in the programme, which features more than 3900 shows this month, the highest tally in the event's history.
The Fringe Society, which has overseen the running of the festival since 1958, has been responsible for the distribution of more than £1m in Scottish and UK government funding for artists and companies appearing in this year's event.
Ruxandra Cantir's show Pickled Republic is part of the Scottish Government-funded Made in Scotland showcase at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe. (Image: Andy Catlin) Proposals to try to secure new investment for the next few years are expected to be put forward by Fringe Society chief executive Tony Lankester, who took over the role in the spring, before the end of the year.
However the Fringe Society has warned it would be 'very unlikely' to secure investment from funders unless there is strict criteria in place.
Singer-songwriter Karine Polwart's Fringe show Windblown was funded by the Scottish Government this month. (Image: MIHAELA BODLOVIC)
It has insisted it has always been an 'arms-length administrator' of public funding and has put 'rigorous' measures in place to ensure the society is not making 'artistic or other subjective assessments' on funding applications, including bringing in independent assessors for review panels.
The Fringe Society has suggested that Buckley Hill's proposals, which are expected to be voting on at the annual general meeting of the Fringe Society, would lead to 'greater inequality' the festival.
It has told members of the society that affordability was 'widely agreed to be the biggest risk of Fringe's success and accessibility, and arguably the greatest issue facing artists and venues.'
Buckley Hill is widely credited with coming up with the idea of the 'Free Fringe,' a strand of the festival which allows audience free access to shows but encourages them to make a donation to the performer on the way out the venue.
The motion he has put forward for the Fringe Society AGM states that 'the principle of open access' remains at the heart of the Fringe' and argues that the charity has 'no power or mandate to 'distinguish between the artistic quality of shows, or the value of venues.'
Posting on social media, Buckley Hill said the distribution of grants adjudicated by 'experts' brought in by the Fringe Society was a 'violation' of the open access principle.
He added: 'The custom and rule of the Edinburgh Fringe was: if you can get a venue, you can perform at the Fringe. The Fringe Office had no role in the selection of who performed and who did not. That was the venue providers' job.
'The playing field was never level: money always talks. But the principle of a Fringe is to keep the field as level as possible. You can bring your show. Once you have a venue, you're equal. Only the public can judge you.
'The Fringe Office was not put in place to discriminate in favour of one show and against another. It doesn't have the mandate, and it doesn't have the expertise.
'We all, I hope, want to see the Fringe represent all groups and classes in Scotland, the UK and the world. And perhaps these grants might have been intended to help the poorest. But that's not how they're being used. How much better it would be to make it easier and cheaper for all, across the board.'
In a response published ahead of the AGM, the Fringe Society states that disbursing funds for the wider benefit of the community was 'core' to its aims and objections.
The Fringe Society added: 'The Fringe Society has, both historically and currently, found itself in a position where a funder or donor has made funds available for wider disbursement, and has attached certain conditions or criteria for such disbursement. Typically this is public sector investment.
'The Fringe Society acts, in all these instances, as an impartial, arms-length administrator of the available grants. In each case it puts in place rigorous principles, signed off by the relevant funder, to ensure that the society itself is not making artistic or other subjective assessments of requests for support.
'This objective process has enabled the society to pass significant support on to the broader Fringe community in a way that is, we believe, fair and defensible.
'The Fringe Society's aim is to ensure limited funding for culture is directed to the Fringe by any means possible, and for the Fringe Society to use it's fundraising skills and capacity to support all artists and venues who take part.
'Funders would be very unlikely to support investment without criteria, and if funding was secured directly by the venue or artist, those who have greater capacity and experience in securing public investment would likely benefit more, creating greater inequality.
'The Fringe Society recognises, however, that there is also more that can be done to ensure the artists and venues who make the Fringe happen are engaged and can inform the processes and criteria, and would welcome conversations and workshops on how we ensure any influence over funding or decision making is in the best interests of the widest range of artists.'
The Herald has teamed up with EdFest.com to make the purchase of tickets for the Edinburgh Festival Fringe so much easier.
To buy tickets, please click here.