Latest news with #Shedinburgh
Scotsman
01-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Scotsman
'I couldn't have brought first show to Edinburgh Fringe now', warns Baby Reindeer and Fleabag producer
Baby Reindeer and Fleabag producer Francesca Moody first brought a show to the Edinburgh Festival Fringe in 2011. Sign up to our Arts and Culture newsletter, get the latest news and reviews from our specialist arts writers Sign up Thank you for signing up! Did you know with a Digital Subscription to The Scotsman, you can get unlimited access to the website including our premium content, as well as benefiting from fewer ads, loyalty rewards and much more. Learn More Sorry, there seem to be some issues. Please try again later. Submitting... When star Edinburgh Festival Fringe producer Francesca Moody brought her first theatre show, The Ducks, to Edinburgh in 2011, the full cost of the run was £10,000. 'You just can't do that now, because that's what the accommodation is going to cost you on its own,' says the Baby Reindeer and Fleabag producer. 'I certainly would have struggled to take work for the first time up there now. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad Francesca Moody is the producer behind Fringe hits including Baby Reindeer and Fleabag. | Rich Lakos 'I say that in the knowledge that there are lots of barriers to access that don't exist to me. I grew up in a very comfortable, middle-class upbringing - but I certainly think it would have been far tougher.' Now revered in the industry for her two hit shows, both of which have gone on to become major TV productions - as well as last year's critically-acclaimed production Weather Girl - Ms Moody is on a quest to return the Fringe to the hotbed of new work and raw talent it once was. Netflix hit Baby Reindeer, starring Richard Gadd, began as a one-man Francesca Moody Productions show on the Fringe. Through her company, Francesca Moody Productions, she is launching a new venue Shedinburgh in Edinburgh College of Art's Wee Red Bar. Venue organisers have promised to 'flip the traditional Fringe model' by paying artists to perform and has called on funding from the Scottish and UK governments, as well as philanthropists and corporate sponsors, to help support performers. The soaring cost of appearing in the Fringe has been cited as one of the major barriers for artists performing in Edinburgh, with some, especially those outside of Scotland, forced to abandon plans of performing entirely, or stay as far away from the capital as Glasgow or even Newcastle. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad Originally conceived as a digital operation during the pandemic, the revival of Shedinburgh is already one of the most talked-about topics of this year's Fringe, not only because of its founder's iconic status, but as a potential blueprint for other venues. Artists will perform for one night only and while they will be paid, they will also be funded for their accommodation and travel expenses. The initial line-up includes comedians Jayde Adams and Mark Watson, as well as a range of up-and-coming artists. However, further shows are still to be announced, with special 'secret sets' to be revealed during the festival. For audiences, 'pay what you can' tickets will be available for every show. Ms Moody says: 'As a company and an individual which had so much success at the Fringe and was able to make it work there at a time where it felt a little bit more like a level playing field, I think we just feel really passionately that we wanted to try and find new ways of reimagining that Fringe model. 'At the same time, we want to have a chance to platform some really exciting and interesting emerging artists alongside some well-known, prolific makers who maybe haven't been to the Fringe more recently. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad 'We want to make a real commitment to thinking about how we can make sure that the Fringe that we know and love and that has been so significant to our success can be that for other artists and producers and theatre makers and comedians and musicians as well. It's increasingly challenging to be able to do that.' Fringe Society data released last year suggested that a 150-capacity play from a Scottish-based company with 12 performers would cost an average of around £25,000, with an international dance or physical theatre show in a 60-capacity venue coming in at around £19,000. Accommodation, meanwhile, now averages out at well over £100 a night for a single room. Ms Moody says: 'Accommodation in particular, has become just inaccessibly expensive, and it means that the majority of the work that gets to the Fringe, is either work that's already backed by somebody with money, which requires you to have, you know, established yourself a little bit in the industry and made some meaningful relationships as an artist, or just super commercial work. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad 'There's definitely a place for that in the eco-system. But when you think about the really amazing artists and shows that have come out of the Fringe over the last 75 years - the brilliant, game-changing, cultural moments and pieces of work from artists who were doing it unencumbered by other people and voices and who were giving themselves permission to just be a bit scrappy and and try something out and not be afraid to fail. 'Then obviously that becomes harder when things get more expensive, because there's more pressure on success as well. I certainly think there are people who are being priced out of the Fringe at the moment.' Phoebe Waller-Bridge with her 2013 Fringe First award for the original production of Fleabag. She points to other initiatives from other venues and the Fringe Society, to find new routes to accessibility for artists. 'What we're doing, we're not doing in isolation,' she says. 'We're not reinventing the wheel here. There's the Free Fringe, which has been doing it for a really long time. But I think it's the responsibility of all of those stakeholders and folks like me who've had some success to try and level the playing field in some way again. If we don't keep reimagining it, then the problem is only going to get bigger.' Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad Ms Moody admits that Shedinburgh, which she describes as a 'subsidised project', is unlikely to break even this year, but insists lessons can be learned from the process - not least utilising other available funding. She says she hopes the structure would spark a conversation around how guarantees are paid to artists, rather than artists paying guarantees to venues. 'Work at this scale is really where all the really great things start,' she says. 'My hope is that the legacy, amongst other things, is that some of the shows that are new are built into other things, and that this is the start of that for those artists who are performing in Shedinburgh.' However, she admits changing the existing Fringe model more widely would require 'some serious remodelling' and called for funding from various sources to support artists. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad 'Other venues should be able to replicate it,' she says. 'But all venues have a bottom line they have to hit. So, whether they'll be able to replicate it to the level that we've managed to structure it at this time, I don't know, but what I do think it's showing is that there's a need for more investment in philanthropy at this level of making work.' She adds: 'There's less public funding than ever for the arts. There are ways of procuring public funding to make your work at the Fringe, but they are super limited. So I think it's about saying 'is there more investment that could be made to help us to reimagine the ways that we make the festival possible?' And then is there more that can be done from a philanthropic perspective and from partnerships at a sponsorship level in order to support work at this scale? 'We need funding from from the Scottish Government, from central government, the arts councils, grants and foundations, philanthropy from individuals. We don't have a great culture of philanthropy in the UK in the way that they do in the States. Corporate sponsorship is one very valuable way of achieving investment in the arts, and I certainly think that there could be more of that. It's an eco-system, money needs to come from multiple sources.
Scotsman
27-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Scotsman
Edinburgh Festival Fringe: Shedinburgh location revealed as line-up unveiled for venue with Baby Reindeer link
The new Edinburgh Festival Fringe venue will pay artists to perform. Sign up to our Arts and Culture newsletter, get the latest news and reviews from our specialist arts writers Sign up Thank you for signing up! Did you know with a Digital Subscription to The Scotsman, you can get unlimited access to the website including our premium content, as well as benefiting from fewer ads, loyalty rewards and much more. Learn More Sorry, there seem to be some issues. Please try again later. Submitting... New Edinburgh Festival Fringe venue Shedinburgh has named its first line-up of acts as the hub's location is revealed for the first time. Based in the Edinburgh College of Art, the venue is believed to include the iconic Wee Red Bar, as well as outdoor courtyard bar areas. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad Jayde Adams is to join comedian Mark Watson among a strong of one-night acts to perform at Shedinburgh, the brainchild of producer Francesca Moody, who originally brought Baby Reindeer and Fleabag to the Fringe. Venue organisers have promised to 'flip the traditional Fringe model' by paying artists to perform. Richard Gadd and Jessica Gunning in Baby Reindeer. The hit Netflix show started out life on the Edinburgh Fringe. | Ed Miller/Netflix Further shows are still to be announced, with special 'secret sets' due to be revealed during the festival. Other Shedinburgh events include work-in-progress performances of three Shed Originals - unseen scripts with development supported by Shedinburgh from up-and-coming writers. These include brand new scripts from Nick Cassenbaum, Ciara Elizabeth Smyth and Rosaleen Cox, with more to be announced. Meanwhile, Ms Moody will host a panel discussion on 'How to Produce a Fringe Hit' as part of the Shedx Talk line up aimed at Fringe professionals, alongside other industry names. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad She said: 'We're absolutely thrilled to be making this first programme announcement for Shedinburgh. [It will be] a hugely diverse range of original work from an incredible roster of artists from the emerging to the emerged. We're delighted that Shedinburgh means that these much-beloved shows, artists and makers of the future can perform at the Fringe this year. 'It's likely I'll be permanently sat in Shedinburgh for the duration of August and I'm thrilled we've been able to set up our home in the Edinburgh College of Art at the heart of the Fringe.' The revival of the venue, which ran digitally during the Covid pandemic, will pay artists and fund accommodation and travel in a series of one-night shows in a bid to 'level the playing field' at the 'increasingly inaccessible' Fringe. Francesca Moody is the producer behind Fringe hits including Baby Reindeer and Fleabag. | Rich Lakos The 100-seat venue will be a cafe and bar for artists to meet by day before turning into a performance venue at night in what is being billed as an 'intimate, immersive setting'. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad Scottish writer and performer Gary McNair, who is to perform his show Clamjamfry on August 24, said: 'It's incredible that a project founded on a pun and made during the pandemic has become such a beacon of potential and positivity for artists. 'I'm totally bowled over by the passion, determination and insane hard work that has gone into launching this festival, venue and idea. Personally, I owe a great debt of gratitude to the Edinburgh Fringe. I've had the most amazing experiences as an artist there over the years and I'm excited that Shedinburgh will now give that opportunity to others to do the same.' Shedinburgh will also be opening applications for its Shedload-of-Future Fund. The fund will award three £5,000 grants to artists making their Fringe debut in 2025. The bursaries can be put towards any costs associated with bringing a show to the Fringe, including travel, marketing, accommodation, set, and artists' time.
The Guardian
07-05-2025
- Entertainment
- The Guardian
Shedinburgh festival returns with new 100-seat venue at Edinburgh fringe
When the 2020 Edinburgh fringe was cancelled due to Covid-19, producer Francesca Moody and theatre-maker Gary McNair unveiled a DIY solution: Shedinburgh. Theatre, comedy and music shows were put on in a variety of sheds and streamed live to an audience online. The digital initiative proved as popular as it was canny and returned the following year. Now, the Shedinburgh festival is set to be resurrected this summer for a series of in-person, one-off performances in a new 100-seat venue in Edinburgh. Jayde Adams, Mark Watson and Ivo Graham are among the standups taking part, along with fringe favourites Sh!t Theatre, the Guilty Feminist host Deborah Frances-White, Marlow and Moss (the composing duo behind hit musical Six) and recent Olivier award-winner Maimuna Memon. There will be Shed Shows (intimate 'unplugged' versions of hit fringe productions from the past), Shed Originals (using previously unseen scripts by emerging writers) and ShedX Talks (free panels and Q&As), as well as late-night music events. The venue will be open during the day as a cafe and bar. Tickets including pay-what-you-can options will be released later this month when the full 'shed-ule' is announced as well as further details about the venue including its location. Taking a show to Edinburgh is a financially risky endeavour for performers who are often required to pay the venue a minimum guarantee. Shedinburgh will instead be giving a guaranteed fee to each act as well as covering their travel and accommodation expenses. Moody, whose Edinburgh hits include Fleabag and Baby Reindeer, said: 'In recent years it has become more challenging than ever to bring a show to the festival and for artists and audiences it feels increasingly inaccessible. Shedinburgh is our attempt to level the playing field; it's our love letter to the fringe, and something that we hope sits in conversation with the many other brilliant initiatives working to ensure the festival remains a launchpad for the next generation of gamechanging artists.' Applications will soon open for Shedinburgh's Shedload of Future Fund, which will distribute money raised from the 2020 and 2021 digital seasons. The fund will award three £5,000 grants to artists making their Edinburgh fringe debut this summer. Watson said 'it's getting harder and harder for emerging artists to survive [in Edinburgh] or even take the risk of going in the first place. There needs to be a fresh approach to the way the festival works for performers, and that's what Shedinburgh is offering.' Adams, who will be performing a show that is 'more theatrical, more personal and unlike anything I've done before', said Shedinburgh would offer a space that is 'intimate, raw and open to risk'.
