Fireworks concert brings record-breaking Festival to a close
After 50,266 performances of 3,269 shows in 294 venues across Edinburgh, the final curtain has fallen on the 2016 Edinburgh Festival Fringe – and it’s been yet another record-breaking year for the luvvies …
Continue reading Edinburgh folk get their city back!
Looking for something to do with the family this festival?
Hosted by Bec Hill, Kids Do Forth on the Fringe is set to showcase the very best in family Fringe entertainment from the Edinburgh Festival. Come along, bring the kids, sit back and be entertained for the morning…
We have storytelling, magic tricks, music, dance acts, comedy and lots more.
Gilded Balloon – The Museum – Friday 12th/Saturday 13th August – £10 (stbf) 10am.
SHOWCASING THE VERY BEST IN CHILDRENS VARIETY ENTERTAINMENT!
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You Name It! Youth Theatre are performing a “Pop-Up Youth Theatre” during the Edinburgh International Festival this year.
Hosted by Granton Youth Centre and made possible through Cashback for Creativity Open Arts Fund, the three performances by local young people is called GRANTON GOGGLEBOX.
You are invited to attend one of the following show times:
Wednesday 3rd August 7pm (Doors open at 6.30pm)
Thursday 4th August 1.30 pm (Doors open at 1pm)
Thursday 4th August 7pm (Doors open at 6.30pm)
We will send you booking and confirmation details early next week by email. You will have a chance to watch the performance, meet the young people, chat with volunteers and staff, as well as eat some food!!!
Please put the dates in your diary. Everyone involved, from organisers to young people, look forward to welcoming you to Granton Youth Centre for the performance!
Best Wishes
Wendy Weir
Office and Finance Administrator
Wendy@grantonyouth.com
0131 467 5854 (telephone)
07818 718 866 (mobile)
Granton Youth Centre, 3-11 West Granton Road, Edinburgh EH5 1HG
After 50,459 performances of 3,314 shows in 313 venues across Edinburgh, the curtain falls and the house lights go up on the 2015 Edinburgh Festival Fringe.
The Edinburgh Festival Fringe Society has announced that by yesterday afternoon – and with hundreds of performances still to take place – an estimated 2,298,090 tickets had been issued for shows across Scotland’s capital. The number of tickets issued reflects a 5.24% increase in comparison to tickets issued by the same point last year.
Kath M Mainland CBE, Chief Executive of the Edinburgh Festival Fringe Society said: “As this year’s Fringe draws to a close we can reflect on what a spectacular success it has been. Once again artists and audiences have travelled from across the globe to be a part of this unique cultural event.
“And with an estimated 2,298,090 tickets issued and many thousands of people attending the 800 free shows in the programme, I’ve no doubt every single person who watched a Fringe show, or experienced this wonderful festival city, will take away unforgettable memories.
“With incredible talent from 49 countries from all over the world taking part this year, the Fringe has once again demonstrated itself to be both truly international and profoundly Scottish. The 2015 season has firmly cemented Edinburgh’s reputation as the world’s leading festival city.“
Fringe Society Chair, Sir Tim O’Shea said: “On behalf of everyone who visited and enjoyed this year’s Fringe, I would like to thank all the creative souls, both onstage and backstage, who brought their work here. Their courage, creativity and sheer hard work is unrivalled anywhere in the world, and without them, the Fringe simply wouldn’t be possible.”
Fiona Hyslop MSP, Cabinet Secretary for Culture, Europe and External Affairs added: “This has been another incredible year for the Edinburgh Festival Fringe. The festival continues to evolve and work with the city to expand and offer more and more to audiences from across the world. The Edinburgh Festival Fringe demonstrates the innovative spirit that makes Scottish culture so vibrant.“
One new initiative this year was a scheme launched by the Edinburgh Festival Fringe Society, in collaboration with the City of Edinburgh Council and Virgin Money aimed at providing complimentary tickets to Fringe shows for children and young people who are being cared for by City of Edinburgh Council.
The project called Access Fringe – Looked After Children made £173,172.00 worth of tickets from 233 shows in 38 venues available to children and young people whose circumstances would not normally allow them to participate in cultural activity.
Access Fringe – Looked After Children is a part of the Fringe Society’s commitment to making the Fringe accessible to all and is one of a series of initiatives over the years to come to tackle the physical, economic, social and geographic barriers that prevent people from participating.
Other highlights in 2015 included the participation of a total of fourteen new venues across the city. These included the return of the famous St. Stephen’s Church in Stockbridge under the banner of Momentum Venues, Underbelly launching their Circus Hub on the Meadows in the city’s southside and SpaceUK debuting a new three floor venue called SpaceTriplex in The Prince Philip Building on Hill Place.
The Fringe Society unveiled two new commercial partnerships in 2015; with Airbnb and the Caledonian Sleeper. Both these relationships offered new opportunities for Fringe participants and audiences.
The Royal Mail celebrated this year’s Edinburgh Festival Fringe by issuing a special postmark, applied to stamped UK mail from 07-31 August. Royal Mail’s postmarks are reserved for special occasions and are used to recognise significant events, historical anniversaries or support of charity. It was the first time in the Royal Mail’s 500 year history that a festival has been featured on a postmark.
Award-winning comedian and theatre-maker Bryony Kimmings delivered the 2015 Fringe Central Welcome Address to participants, organised by the Edinburgh Festival Fringe Society. The welcome address, designed to welcome and inspire participants, was attended by a record number of people. Bryony Kimmings, an Associate Artist at Soho Theatre and a Fringe participant herself, encouraged participants to take advantage of over 85 free events hosted throughout August, to help develop performance skills, expand networks and advance careers.
A wide range of awards were on offer throughout the festival organised by a range of organisations. Euan’s Guide, the disabled access review website launched their Fringe awards, acknowledging a show and a venue for their outstanding efforts to include disabled audiences at this year’s Fringe.
AWARDS … the full list
Allen Wright Award
Winner – Griselda Murray Brown
Special Commendation – Holly Williams
Special Commendation – George Sully
Amused Moose Comedy Awards
Winner: Richard Gadd – Waiting for Gaddot (Banshee Labyrinth)
People’s Champion: Jess Robinson – The Rise of Mighty Voice (Pleasance)
The Asian Arts Awards
Winner – Best Production: The Cherry Orchard: Beyond the Truth – Theater Margot (Korea) (C Venues)
Winner – Best Directing: Ms. Shubhra Bhardwaj – Ticket to Bollywood – Ferriswheel Entertainment Pvt. Ltd. (New Town Theatre)
Brighton Fringe Award for Excellence in association with Sweet Venues
Winner: Police Cops – This Theatre – Zoo Venues
The Broadway Baby Bobby Award
Winners: Captain Morgan 1: The Sands of Time and Captain Morgan 2: The Sea of Souls – Ben Behrens / Tap Tap Theatre (Pleasance)
Richard III – Brite Theatre – Just Festival
Luke McQueen: Double Act – Luke McQueen / The Invisible Dot Ltd. (Pleasance)
Carol Tambor Best of Edinburgh Award
Winner: Key Change – Open Clasp Theatre Company in association with Live Theatre (Summerhall)
Dave’s Funniest Joke of the Fringe
Darren Walsh (Pleasance)
Edinburgh Comedy Poster Awards
Panel Prize: Tom Parry – Yellow Tshirt (Just the Tonic)
Audience Award: Michael Stranney & Olaf Falafel – Expect the Unexporcupine (Cowgatehead)
Euan’s Guide Accessible Fringe Awards
Winner: The Solid Life of Sugar Water (Pleasance)
Runner Up: Wendy Hoose by Johnny McKnight (Assembly Rooms)
Accessible Venue Award: Dance Base
The Foster’s Edinburgh Comedy Awards
Best Comedy Show – Sam Simmons – Spaghetti for Breakfast (Underbelly)
Best Newcomer – Sofie Hagen – Bubblewrap (Liquid Room Annexe)
Panel Prize – Karen Koren
Fringe Review Outstanding Theatre Awards
The Frantic Canticles of Little Brother Fish (Bedlam Theatre)
2015 Fringe Sustainable Practice Award
Lungs (Summerhall)
Pip Utton…Playing Maggie (Assembly Rooms)
The Herald Angel Award
Winners – Week 1
Correction (Zoo Venues)
Fake it till you Make it (Traverse Theatre)
Little Devil Award:The artists and facilitators of Underbelly Circus Hub
Winners – Week 2
Penny Arcade: Longing Lasts Longer (Underbelly)
Aceh Meukondore (C Venues)
Winners – Week 3
Herald Archangel Award: Maureen Beattie for The Jennifer Tremblay Trilogy (Assembly Festival)
Herald Angel Award: Cathal McConnell
Little Devil Award: Our Ladies of Perpetual Succour (Traverse Theatre)
Holden Street Theatres Award
A Gambler’s Guide to Dying (Traverse Theatre)
Labels (Pleasance)
The Malcom Hardee Awards
Comic Originality – Michael Brunstrom
Cunning Stunt Award – Matt Roper
Act Most likely to make a million quid – Laurence Owen
The Scottish Arts Club Award for Best Scottish Play
Swallow – Stef Smith (Traverse Theatre)
The Scotsman Fringe First Awards
Winners – Week 1
A Gambler’s Guide to Dying (Traverse Theatre)
Going Viral (Summerhall)
The Christians (Traverse Theatre)
Swallow (Traverse Theatre)
The Deliverance (Assembly Festival)
Underneath (Dance Base)
The History of the World Through Banalities (Summerhall)
Winners – Week 2
Light Boxes (Summerhall)
Raz (Assembly Festival)
Citizen Puppet (Pleasance)
Labels (Pleasance)
Tar Baby (Gilded Balloon)
Trans Scripts (Pleasance)
The Great Downhill Journey of Little Tommy (Summerhall)
Winners – Week 3
A Girl is a Half-formed Thing by Eimear McBride (Traverse Theatre)
Our Ladies of Perpetual Succour (Traverse Theatre)
Penny Arcade: Longing Lasts Longer (Underbelly)
What I Learned From Johnny Bevan (Summerhall)
A Reason to Talk (Summerhall)
Primary Times Children’s Choice Award
The Voice Thief (Summerhall)
So You Think You’re Funny?
Luca Cupani: Still Falling (Heroes @ Bob’s Blundabus)
The Stage Awards for Acting Excellence
Winners – Week 1
Molly Vevers – Ross and Rachel (Assembly Festival)
Aoife Duffin – A Girl Is A Half-Formed Thing (Traverse Theatre)
Winners – Week 2
Andy Gray – Willie & Sabastian (Gilded Balloon)
Sean Michael Verey – Tonight with Donny Stixx (Pleasance)
1972: The Future of Sex (Zoo Venues)
Winners – Week 3
Ensemble from Police Cops – This Theatre (Zoo Venues)
Maureen Beattie – The Jennifer Tremblay Trilogy (Assembly Festival)
Ensemble from UKIP! The Musical (theSpaceUK)
Lizzie Clarke – Molly (Pleasance)
Ensemble from Our Ladies of Perpetual Succour (Traverse Theatre)
Total Theatre Awards
Emerging Company/Artist: The Beanfield (theSpaceUK)
Physical/Visual Theatre: Oog (Dance Base)
Innovation/Experimentation & Playing with Form: Can I Start Again Please (Summerhall)
Portraits In Motion (Summerhall)
Total Theatre & The Place Award for Dance: Vertical Influences (Assembly Festival)
Total Theatre & Jacksons Lane Award for Circus: B-Orders (Underbelly) and
Smoke and Mirrors (Assembly Festival)
Commiserations to those productions and performers who did not pick up an award this year – although given the length of the above list, there can’t be too many of you!
Scottish charity Health in Mind is to benefit from two Fringe productions which are based on true-life experiences.
The productions highlight the impact of mental illness on the individual and the people around them in the play, Disorder, and of domestic violence in the dance and spoken word performance, Herstory.
Disorder is the first production of the amateur creative collective, Kincaid Productions and is based on the childhood experiences of one of the two authors.
A spokesperson for the collective explained: “Focussing on mental health and in particular Bipolar Disorder, the play is set in both the present, where a son is visiting his mother in a psychiatric hospital and the past, where the mother and son attempt to address the differences between their perspectives.
“The play looks at the effects and impact of mental illness on the individual and the people around them and highlights the shifts of mental state caused by Bipolar Disorder.”
The spokesperson added: “Herstory is a combination of dance and spoken word and is performed by its writer Zosia Jo. It was created after women were invited to share their stories about their relationships.
“Ten of the women’s experiences, some being told to Zosia for the very first time, were woven to create a single story, which is the performance. The show deals delicately but powerfully with the issue of domestic violence and it is a love story with a painful twist that has nothing whatsoever to do with love. Herstory has been described as ‘A powerful testimony to survival and renewal’ (ThePlace.org.uk).”
Katherine Sellar, Health in Mind’s community fundraiser is delighted that both productions have pledged to raise funds for the charity. She said: “The productions reflect in different ways, the experiences of some of the people engaged with the specialist services Health in Mind delivers.
“Services include a range of support and counselling for people affected by trauma; befriending services for those feeling isolated due to experiencing difficulties with mental health and support to enable people experiencing long term and enduring mental health difficulties to stay in their homes.
“We believe that people should not be defined by their illness or trauma and we work with them to help them live the life they want to live and to survive and thrive.”
Disorder is on daily until 31 August at C NOVA Studio 6d, India Buildings, Victoria Street from 14.30 to 15.15 and Herstory is on daily from 7 to 22 August at The Aviary, The Zoo, 140 The Pleasance from 14.25 to 15.10.
A vacuum cleaner joke by Fringe favourite Tim Vine has been voted the funniest at this year’s Edinburgh Fringe Festival.
For the first time in Dave’s Funniest Joke of the Fringe’s seven-year history, the award has been presented to a previous winner. King of the one-liners Tim Vine has this year come top with nearly a fifth (19%) of respondents voting “I decided to sell my hoover… well it was just collecting dust” their funniest joke of the Edinburgh Fringe.
Tim also triumphed in 2010 with: “I’ve just been on a once-in-a-lifetime holiday. I’ll tell you what, never again.”
Three female comedians also feature in this year’s Top 10 as jokes from Bec Hill, Ria Lina and Felicity Ward proved to tickle the nation’s funnybone, reflecting the overall reported 62% rise of women performing at this year’s Fringe.
In its mission to find the most hilarious one-liners, Dave enlisted the help of an expert panel of ten judges, consisting of the UK’s foremost comedy critics. They scoured venues at the world-famous Edinburgh Festival Fringe over a week to nominate their three favourite jokes. The shortlisted gags were then put anonymously to the public vote, with 2,000 Brits selecting those that they found the funniest.
Dave’s Top 10 Funniest Jokes from the Fringe Festival 2014
1. “I’ve decided to sell my hoover… well, it was just collecting dust.” – Tim Vine
2. “I’ve written a joke about a fat badger, but I couldn’t fit it into my set.” – Masai Graham
3. “Always leave them wanting more, my uncle used to say to me. Which is why he lost his job in disaster relief.” – Mark Watson
4. “I was given some Sudoku toilet paper. It didn’t work. You could only fill it in with number 1s and number 2s.” – Bec Hill
5. “I wanted to do a show about feminism. But my husband wouldn’t let me.” – Ria Lina
6. “Money can’t buy you happiness? Well, check this out, I bought myself a Happy Meal.” – Paul F Taylor
7. “Scotland had oil, but it’s running out thanks to all that deep frying.” – Scott Capurro
8=. “I forgot my inflatable Michael Gove, which is a shame ’cause halfway through he disappears up his own arsehole.” – Kevin Day
8=. “I’ve been married for 10 years, I haven’t made a decision for seven.” – Jason Cook
10. “This show is about perception and perspective. But it depends how you look at it.” – Felicity Ward
Dave’s first two-time winner and regular fixture on the Top 10 list, Tim Vine is a firmly established comedian whose rapid one-liners have helped him achieve great success in the world of comedy.
As well as sold out tours and best-selling DVDs, he has appeared on various TV shows including Not Going Out and Blandings. He first performed at the Fringe in 1993 and was awarded Best Newcomer in 1995. His current Edinburgh Fringe show, “Tim Timinee Tim Timinee Tim Tim To You,” is a sell-out success at the Pleasance Courtyard, and his first stand up tour in four years is also planned for next Spring.
On being awarded the top spot, Tim Vine said: “I’m a little bit surprised but very delighted. This is the second time I’ve won this award but I guess nobody loves a repeat more than Dave!”
Honourable mentions – These one-liners that just missed out on the top spots:
“I go to the kebab shop so much that when they call me boss in there it’s less a term of affection, more an economic reality.” – Ed Gamble
“Leadership looks fun, but it’s stressful. Just look at someone leading a conga.” – James Acaster
“I bought myself some glasses. My observational comedy improved.” – Sara Pascoe
Top of the Flops – And some of the jokes voted the least laughable included:
“My mate sat on my pumpkin. He butternut squashed it.” – Leo Kearse
“I had a friend call Iain. Two ‘i’s… to go with the face.” – John Kearns
“I’m lazy – my childhood ambition was to be an injured footballer.” – Mike Shephard
“This vodka is drunk by the rapper Sean Combs. P Diddy? Only when he drank a whole bottle.” – Ben McFarland and Tom Sandham
“I tried to Google endangered species. They were hard to find.” – Suns of Fred
“I’d like to start with the chimney jokes – I’ve got a stack of them. The first one is on the house.” – Tim Vine
FRINGE STAR HELPS COUNCIL CLEAN UP ITS ACT
Cheeky Fringe stalwart Craig Hill kept it clean when he helped City of Edinburgh Council’s street cleansing team spruce up the capital during the Festival.
The comedy veteran and Edinburgh resident pitched in to help the local task force tackle one of the summer’s busiest spots, against the familiar backdrop of his own promotional posters at Middle Meadow Walk.
Craig is one of hundreds of performers to be promoting their shows using the Council’s official advertising, which for the first year will generate thousands of pounds towards keeping the city clean during the festival.
The scheme, now in is in its fourth year, dissuades illegal fly-posters by providing alternative advertising opportunities, saving the Council up to £350,000 on the cost of cleaning away flyers and posters.
And now, for the first time, revenue from the advertising contract with print and distribution company Out of Hand, in partnership with Edinburgh Festival Fringe Society, will be ploughed back into keeping the city beautiful for residents and visitors.
Money gained from the contract to advertise on Council-owned assets will be used to fund additional street cleansing and litter capacity over the busy festival period.
Environment Convener, Councillor Lesley Hinds, said: “Last year’s Fringe Festival Advertising proved a real success so now it’s great to be able to harness this to help keep our city beautiful for everyone.
“Edinburgh Festival Fringe is an amazing experience for performers, visitors and people living in Edinburgh, but it has an undoubted impact on the city’s environment.
“That’s why we’re glad to be able to work with Out of Hand and Edinburgh Festival Fringe Society to provide a solution benefitting both citizens and those making the most of this world-famous festival.”
The City of Edinburgh Council’s outdoor advertising poster project, delivered by Out of Hand, provides different styles of advertising on around 900 Council-owned assets throughout the city, including wrap-around lamp post advertising and tower columns.
Revenue gained from advertising of performances during the period will fund operational costs associated with the Fringe.
Amongst these measures are the employment of more than 70 temporary street cleaners to patrol the city’s streets to tackle litter resulting from increased footfall and a batch of extra large bins, to be located in some of the city’s busiest areas to cope with the rise in rubbish.
Comedian Craig Hill added: “Edinburgh is so gorgeous I’m really pleased that one of the Council’s priorities is keeping it clean because it’s too beautiful a city to mess up!”
Twelve Nights, Twelve Charities raises over £75,000
It seems like Danny Bhoy’s been a regular at Edinburgh’s Fringe since Nicholas Parsons was a boy – he’s performed here since 2001 – but this year the popular Scottish stand up did things a little differently. All proceeds from Danny’s Assembly Rooms show – Twelve Nights, Twelve Charities – was donated to local charities.
Danny explained: “All charities are deserving, but I have chosen twelve perhaps lesser well-known organisations that do terrific work in and around Edinburgh mainly with young people and children.”
The punchline? Sellout gigs and the twelve local charities are laughing all the way to the bank – Danny’s sell-out shows raised an incredible £75, 240.61p!
Among those charities were Leith-based Multicultural Family Base (MCFB), The Yard in Stockbridge and Pilton Youth and Childrens Project, and Danny and his sister Bina have just completed a wee mini-tour, delivering the goods news to the projects!
For Pilton Youth and Children’s Project,there was a cheque for over £5600 and a ‘bucket shake’ at the Assembly Rooms raised another £600 – lots to smile about when money is so tight!
PYCP’s chairperson Clare Halliday said yesterday: “This is really amazing, absolutely brilliant. Support like this makes a huge difference and Danny’s generosity will be used toward our holiday provision and residentials. We can’t thank him enough.”
Don’t you feel the West End is always left out when it comes to Fringe Fun? Well, no more – the West End is joining the party …
Randolph Crescent gardens are no longer sleeping. From 8 to 24 August a 150-seats circus tent, twice the size of the Institute’s theatre, will expand the Fringe experience at the Institut français.
The gardens off Randolph Crescent are about to turn into a new Fringe venue as the Institut français adds circus to its programme for the first time this August. From 8 to 24 August, the tailor made big top of Belgian company T1J will be the home of the circus show L’Enfant qui…
Randolph Crescent gardens are no longer sleeping. From 8 to 24 August a 150-seats circus tent, twice the size of the Institute’s theatre, will expand the Fringe experience at the Institut français.
Under the ‘Chapiteau’, the Belgian theatre company T1J will bring together acrobatics, puppetry and live music for the stunning circus show L’Enfant qui… Passing the doors of the impressive structure, festival-goers, neighbours and inhabitants of Edinburgh West End will discover the world of an ill child who finds his own way to escape reality through arts, his connection to Nature and the power of his imagination.
Including circus to its Vive le Fringe! programme is the latest and biggest development of the Institut français since its return to the Fringe in 2010.
Covering almost all the surface of the gardens, the circus tent will provide greater visibility to the Institut français’ presence at the Fringe and increase the attractiveness of the West End, a flourishing area that the recent arrival of the tram contributed to reinforce.
Pictures: Ann Baraquin
Institut français d’Ecosse/ Venue 134 – 13 Randolph Crescent, Edinburgh.
Box Office: 0131 225 53 66 Mon – Sun 9.30 am – 9.00 pm.
www.vivelefringe.org
Everybody’s favourite war criminal Frank Sanazi’s back in town, and the Fuhrer’s thankfully learnt nothing since his defeat in 1945. A blitzkrieg attack on taste and decency, Das Vegas Night 3 was a delight.
The Rat Pack’s songs are given the Sanazi makeover – That’s Life becomes Das Reich, Gestapo Gestapo is the new Chicago Chicago; you get the picture. The material’s as subtle as an attack by a Panzer division, but predictable or not, it’s very funny.
Pol Pot, Chairman Mao, Tony Blair, Saddam Hussein, the Twin Tower bombers and Harold Shipman – all received an honourable mention in despatches during the performance, and Sanazi didn’t hold back. But there’s something strangely endearing about Sanazi, and material that makes you wince is delivered with a cheeky smile.
As he said: ‘A bit close to the mark? But hey, today we have no mark! We have the Euro – Germany wins again!’
While Sanazi himself was hilarious, the cabaret’s supporting cast and material was not so strong – a bit like Mussolini’s Italian army during World War Two, I suppose. But an hour of world domination, war crimes and some gratuitous nudity thrown in too – wunderbar!
Zis time we win? Yes, Frank, I rather think you did. Tonight, the Voodoo Rooms, tomorrow the world.
Das Vegas Night 3 – Zis Time We Win!
The Voodoo Rooms, West Register Street
Until 10 August
Have you seen any Fringe shows (good AND bad!) you’d like to share with our readers?
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