- Free Fringe
The Free Fringe started in 1996, with the show Peter Buckley Hill And Some Comedians. Peter Buckley Hill saw the Fringe as it then was: performers losing thousands of pounds, venues with four or five people in them, and complaints about high ticket prices. This was a vicious cycle. As costs to the performers rose, ticket prices rose. As ticket prices rose, fewer people went to shows and even fewer went to shows by artists they hadn't heard of. And this was bad for
comedy ; you can't make people laugh if there are only four of them, one in each corner of an otherwise empty room. And the more empty the audiences were, the more prices went up, to cover the rising costs of the venues. There seemed no escape from the cycle, and yet it was providing no opportunity for performers to rise through the ranks. The circle had to be cut.Making the space free to performers would not be enough. The benefit had to be passed on to the consumer. Only thus could more people be attracted to see more shows.
Since 1996 the Free Fringe has thrived, winning numerous awards including...
* Tap Water Awards: spirit of the Fringe 2006
* Chortle Award for Innovation 2007
* Chortle Award for Best Off--Stage Contribution 2007
* Three Weeks: Editors Choice AwardExternal links
* [http://www.freefringe.org.uk The Free Fringe] – Official website of The Free Fringe: "bringing free comedy to the
Edinburgh Fringe since 1996."
* [http://www.edinburgh-festivals.com/reviews.cfm?id=1236892006&genre=Comedy The Man Who Wants to Set the Fringe Free!]
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