The very best of cultural talent from Scotland will be under the spotlight this month as Edinburgh welcomes visitors from home and abroad to its world-class summer arts festivals.
Six of the festivals have received support from the Scottish Government’s Expo Fund to commission new work, some of which will tour internationally following festival performances. Under the Made in Scotland banner there are 18 funded shows this year featuring an exciting mix of theatre, music and dance commissions and performances.
In addition, the Platforms for Creative Excellence (PLACE) programme – jointly funded by the Scottish Government and the City of Edinburgh Council – focuses on programme innovation, creative development, and community.
Culture Secretary Angus Robertson said: “Scotland has a wealth of phenomenally talented artists and the Edinburgh festivals provide a fantastic platform for them to reach a much wider audience.
“Expo and PLACE funding have not only helped to raise the profile of Scottish artists but contributed to a more vibrant and diverse arts scene both at home and internationally.
“There is something for everyone across the summer festivals and I hope people from home and abroad, whether they’re taking part in events or watching performances will enjoy this fantastic celebration of culture.”
Festivals Edinburgh chair Dr Simon Gage said: “We warmly welcome this sustained support from the Scottish Government for our festivals and the people who make them happen.
“This is crucial in allowing us to deliver unparalleled cultural, social and economic benefits that enhance lives at home and Scotland’s profile around the world.”
Since it was set up in 2008, the Expo cohort has received £32 million. Within the first ten years, the fund had supported the commissioning of more than 550 new works of art, music and theatre.
Recipients awarded a share of the £1.8 million Expo Fund for 2023-24 include Edinburgh Art Festival (£130,000), Edinburgh Festival Fringe Society (£550,000), Edinburgh International Book Festival (£85,000), Edinburgh International Festival (£100,000), Edinburgh International Film Festival (£59,000) and Edinburgh Jazz & Blues Festival (£100,000).
The PLACE Fund was set up five years ago to provide £1 million each year over five years to the Edinburgh festivals.
£1.275m Fringe 2022 Resilience Fund developed, thanks to support from the Scottish Government’s Platforms for Creative Excellence (PLACE programme)
The Edinburgh Festival Fringe Societyis pleased to announce that 13 Edinburgh Festival Fringe producers have been awarded a share of £1.275 million through the Fringe 2022 Resilience Fund, developed thanks to support from theScottish Government’s Platforms for Creative Excellence (PLACE) programme.
The fund, designed to support resilience, recovery and creativity across the festival in its 75th anniversary year, is part of a £1.58m award to the Fringe through PLACE. The remaining £305k has been allocated to support the ongoing resilience of the Fringe Society and includes £55k to support the delivery of Street Events during August.
Venues in receipt of the Resilience Fund are Assembly, BlundaBus, Gilded Balloon, Greenside, Just The Tonic, Laughing Horse, Monkey Barrell Comedy, Pleasance, Scottish Comedy Festival, Summerhall, theSpaceUK, Underbelly and ZOO.
The awarding panel was chaired by the Fringe Society, and included the expert advice of Creative Scotland, City of Edinburgh Council and EventScotland.
Commenting on the fund, Shona McCarthy, Chief Executive, Edinburgh Festival Fringe Society, said:“It’s fair to say that the last few years have been the most challenging in our festival’s history. Now, as we prepare to enter our 75th anniversary year, creatives across the Fringe landscape are working hard to ensure that this incredible festival not only survives, but continues to work hard to be the best version of itself.
“This support from Scottish Government is absolutely vital in helping us to achieve that goal: allowing producers and creatives across the landscape to not only recover from the devastating effects of the pandemic, but to offer enhanced support to artists, workers and volunteers; to continue to programme creative and innovative work; to improve accessibility; to tackle affordability and to ensure that this festival remains true to its founding principles of openness and inclusivity.”
Scottish Government Culture Minister Neil Gray said: “As we celebrate the 75th anniversary of the Edinburgh Fringe this summer, I’m pleased that £305,000 from our Platforms for Creative Excellence (PLACE) Fund will support the activities of the Festival Fringe Society and their street events this year.
“In particular I want to congratulate the 13 producers who will share the Fringe 2022 Resilience Fund. The last few years have been difficult for the venues putting on events so this support will help to ensure the continued success of this flagship summer festival.”
How the funding will support creativity and resilience across the Fringe:
To address recovery and resilience challenges for the Fringe, funding was considered across four key pillars: Creative Programming; Risk Management; Fair Work and Sustainability.
With this funding, Summerhall are planning a range of creative work at the festival, including supporting two under-represented artists to make new work in response to 75 years of the Edinburgh Festivals.
To address sustainability, they aim to lead the way as a flyer free venue and will implement e-ticketing. Within their workforce, they are looking to create a brand-new Fringe Learning Management System, which will help onboard workers through online learning.
BlundaBus’ funding will support their return to the Fringe after the pandemic. They actively work to programme and support alternative and experimental artists, as well as artists for whom cost is a barrier to participation, offering both performance and ‘green room’ spaces to support artists.
Since 2019 they have been working to develop a programme of work centred around women and LGBTQ+ performers. They are champions of the Pay What You Want ticketing model to support affordability at the festival, and embed sustainability across their practice by reducing single use items and prioritising sustainable materials in their infrastructure.
Greenside’s funding will allow them to continue operating as an open programming venue, giving artists from non-professional backgrounds a route to access the festival.
It will also support them to increase staff pay further, from Living Wage to paying every team member above the Real Living Wage; facilitating the creation of an additional 24 Festival jobs paid above the Real Living Wage.
To address sustainability, they will move to e-ticketing, transition their programme from print to digital, and look to reduce omissions across their technical operation.
Just The Tonic will use the funding to support their programming of high-quality comedy and to support and underwrite costs for artists who are still recovering from the pandemic.
In 2022, their venue The Tron will be programmed with female performers only, with the aim of addressing gender imbalance in the comedy sector. They will continue their Pay What You Want ticketing model to help with affordability, and as part of their commitment to fair work, all staff will be paid Living Wage.
Support for theSpaceUK will allow them to mitigate costs for artists who have been impacted by the pandemic, whilst keeping access to the festival affordable for creatives.
As a champion of both emerging and established artists, they will continue their commitment to open access programming and supporting new and original writing. They will continue to operate as a Living Wage employer and to offer a programme of staff training.
With their funding, Gilded Balloon will continue to support emerging artists and their development. In consolidating their programme, they plan to reduce the number of overall shows to allow for increased turnaround times between shows (allowing for a better experience for artists, staff and audiences alike).
While all staff are already paid the National Living Wage and above, this fund’s support will enable them to increase the number of staff on site and reduce staff hours. They are also investing in e-ticketing to support sustainability and are reducing the number of flyers produced by investing in digital marketing.
Laughing Horse have received support for the delivery of a range of activities associated with the Free Festival. To address sustainability, they are looking to fully replace their printed programme with an app and improved mobile website.
They will run mental health support sessions for performers and staff before and during the Fringe, and they have committed to a BSL interpreter for several performances to improve access to deaf audiences.
Funding will also support them with equipment costs and with the hiring of paid ticketing staff.
Underbelly’s funding will allow them to increase their minimum pay offer for temporary festival staff from the National Living wage (which they already pay) to the Real Living Wage.
They will also use the funds to hire additional short-term staff to support their existing team during the busy Fringe period, thereby improving working conditions and reducing working hours.
To address sustainability, the support will allow them to invest in e-ticketing. They plan to enhance their accessibility programme with extra captioned shows and a range of shows with BSL interpreters.
Support will also help with the build and maintenance of their temporary venues, and accommodation for their staff during the Fringe.
Monkey Barrell are looking to use their funding to continue to programme diverse and inclusive line-ups, whilst creating greater opportunities for local acts, unrepresented performers and those from non-privileged backgrounds.
They are looking to create a community focused artistic hub to enable creatives to come together at the festival. As of 2022, all year-round staff previously on Living Wage are now paid the Real Living Wage.
This fund will allow them to extend this to all temporary staff during the Fringe, and to create a staff development programme to upskill and develop their wider team.
ZOO’s programming in 2022 is aimed at better reflecting the lives of under-represented or minority audiences, and support from this fund will allow them to subsidise core costs for creatives.
Work by disabled artists is already central to their programming, and this funding will allow them to improve access to their audiences with enhanced BSL, audio description and captioned performances.
They will continue their commitments to paying staff Living Wage and above and to paying freelancers above the recommended rates. They will also continue to support their volunteer programme – which includes budget to address areas such as transport, access needs and childcare.
Funding will allow for Covid mitigations – such as enhanced cleaning, and provision of masks and hand sanitiser.
Pleasance will use the funding to reduce the financial risk to artists attending the Fringe – with targeted interventions which will support debut and early career creatives.
They plan to increase the number of employees in their workforce, reduce working hours during the festival, reduce the ratio of volunteers to paid staff, and provide increased opportunities for staff training. Some funding will also be used to invest in key infrastructure to improve their offering to artists and audiences, such as a reinforced Wi-Fi network to be able to facilitate e-ticketing.
Funding for The Scottish Comedy Festival will enable them to continue their work in programming local acts at the Fringe. Their model is centred around affordability and mitigating financial risk for the artists, and they are especially keen to support working class performers.
To further support affordability, their programme will continue to feature a mixture of Pay What You Want and Pay What You Can shows.
Assembly’s funding will be used to support artists’ attendance at the festival, by assisting with core costs such as accommodation, marketing and underwriting risk. Their programme, which celebrates 40 years at the Fringe this year, includes emerging artists and those from diverse backgrounds, as well as established performers.
Assembly Festival is a Living Wage employer and will use this fund to support increased training for staff and will also use it to mitigate against rising costs. They also aim to undertake research into post-pandemic audience behaviours and will continue their work as a sustainability champion.
Edinburgh International Film Festival (EIFF) has today revealed an inclusive range of new and continuing programmes created to support and develop burgeoning filmmaking and curatorial talent across the film industry.
With EIFF celebrating its 75th anniversary this year, these programmes feed into the film festival’s history of supporting new film talent by connecting audiences with innovative and essential storytellers.
The programmes are supported both through the PLACE programme, a partnership between the Scottish Government – through Creative Scotland – the City of Edinburgh Council and the Edinburgh Festivals and also through the Scottish Government’s Festivals Expo Fund.
Kristy Matheson, Creative Director of EIFF said: “This suite of programmes acknowledges that storytelling takes infinite forms – from the production of new films to the creative interpretation of cinema for audiences.
“Creating meaningful connections is a value we hold dear, and as we celebrate our 75th anniversary, Edinburgh International Film Festival is excited to look to the future of our industry and the makers and audiences who will shape it.”
Sambrooke Scott, Head of Audience Development at Screen Scotland said: “Screen Scotland and Creative Scotland are proud supporters of EIFF. As the festival celebrates its 75th year we’re excited that the talent-development programme offers a suite of forward-looking initiatives and bold new schemes that will support voices at different points in their careers from across the film industry.
“The programme sets out an exciting new vision for EIFF’s talent development activity, defined by experimentation and inclusion.”
Cllr Amy McNeese-Mechan, Culture and Communities Vice Convener for the City of Edinburgh Council, said:“The festival’s continued commitment to emerging talent is further cemented with this announcement.
“We’re proud to support the city’s Film Festival as it continues to identify, support and highlight new screen talent. It is a great example of what the PLACE festivals funding programme can support, which in this instance is providing pathways to television and film industry skills development for participants from across Scotland.”
Running since 2011,EIFF Talent Labseesfour days of workshops, masterclasses and 1-2-1 sessions bringing together 30 emerging writers, writer/directors, directors and producers with established industry professionals.Past participants in the programme include: Anna Griffin (CALIBRE); Ben Sharrock (LIMBO); Claire Oakley (MAKE UP); Daniel Kokotajlo (APOSTASY); Eva Riley (PERFECT 10); John McPhail (ANNA AND THE APOCALYPSE); Lucy Brydon (BODY OF WATER); Moin Hussain (BIRCHANGER LANE); Rob Savage (HOST); Sarah Brocklehurst (ANIMALS).
Talent Lab Connects, running since 2019, is a 9-month programme to help support filmmaking teams with professional script editing and mentoring.
The initiative is open to EIFF Talent Lab alumni and their collaborators to develop a feature film or serial drama project.EIFF will work with story editor Kate Leys and industry mentors to guide the 6 selected teams towards achieving a series of specific goals for their projects.
The 6 selected projects are:
BEFORE I WAKE | Producer: David Brown (Talent Lab 2017) | Writer/Director: Kevin Pickering (Talent Lab 2018)
DROVERS ROAD | Producer: Deb Charles | Writer: Morna Young | Director: Robin Haig (Talent Lab 2016)
PUNZEL | Producer: Rajita Shah (Talent Lab 2012) | Writer: Polly Courtney | Director: Tessa Joffe
SUNBURN | Producer: Hollie Bryan | Writer/Director: Jack King (Talent Lab 2021)
ULA (working title) | Producer: Cat Marshall | Writer: Lucy Kaya & Mandy Lee (Talent Lab 2012) | Director: Alex Browning
EIFF & Curate-It Fellowship is a 12-week online curatorial training programme for 7 early career programmers created to develop an online programme with digital access on the Curate-It platform and a public event for EIFF in 2022. This programme is developed and delivered by professional curators, Justine Atkinson (director) and Carmen Thompson (producer) of Curate-It.
EIFF Curatorial Commissionis an annual commission for world class film programming based on a particular theme or provocation. In 2022, EIFF will invite 3 mid-career programmers to develop a programme for public presentation.
EIFF Curatorial Mentoring Programme is a 1:1 mentoring programme pairing 3 mid-career programmers with a leading international curator. Support will also include actively connecting participants with key decision makers at institutions.
EIFF Critical Writing Commission is an annual writing commission based on a particular theme or provocation that connects 10 mid-career Scottish born or based cultural critics to global editors and audiences. This opportunity opens soon!
Justine Atkinson, Director of Curate-Itsaid ‘We are delighted to be partnering with the EIFF this year to create the Fellowship programme.
“Curate-It uses the digital space to make information about film curation more accessible, creating a unique platform to learn and share curatorial perspectives. Through this we hope to bring together a programme of films that will inspire, entertain and inform audiences as we celebrate the historic 50th anniversary of the Women’s Film Festival”.
Curate-It is a training app that uses the digital space to make information about film curation more accessible. Through doing this it creates a unique platform through which people from all over the world can learn the processes of implementing their own screening event, connect and collaborate.
The app will be launched during EIFF in August.
EIFF 2022 Theme:
In 1972, the Edinburgh International Film Festival (EIFF) presented the first global film event entirely dedicated to the cinematic achievements of female directors. Comprising works drawn from historical and contemporary cinema, the Women’s Film Festival was produced by Claire Johnston, Lynda Myles, Laura Mulvey.
Honouring the spirit of the original event, in 2022, EIFF welcomes the opportunity to work with independent collaborators to craft a bold, political, and wildly celebratory responses to the 50th anniversary of the Women’s Film Festival that acknowledges the multiplicity and variety of feminisms.
After an extraordinary 25 days, the 2021 Edinburgh Festival Fringe has drawn to a close, having brought artists, arts industry, media and audiences together once again to celebrate the magic of live performance.
This year, the Fringe looked very different. For the first time, audiences were able to engage with work both online and in-person, with performers, creators and producers embracing new ways to keep performance in our hearts and minds.
Shows happened in car parks, racecourses, tents and forests. There were brave new works-in-progress; exciting revivals; reimagined classics; solo shows; family-friendly shows; international showcases; sketch shows; interactive digital works; outdoor site-specific shows; walking tours; immersive experiences and late-night, mixed-bill, laugh-a-minute shows.
Some performers took the stage for the first time in 18 months, while others used the festival as a way of reconnecting with fellow artists and industry professionals.
There was support for arts professionals in new ways – with Fringe Connect offering a professional development, workshop and networking space for artists and industry, and Fringe Marketplace providing a digital platform to showcase export ready professional work from across the Fringe to delegates from around the world.
Our Street Events programme looked different, but was just as joy-filled as always, with everything from magic to live music happening in safe, managed locations from West Parliament Square to the Mound.
Street performers also went into communities across Edinburgh, while the Fringe Society worked with over 30 charities and community groups to distribute Fringe vouchers and Lothian bus tickets to give people the opportunity to experience the Fringe either in person or online.
The Fringe Society continued its commitment to accessibility. There was BSL interpretation of the street events at West Parliament Square, and a bespoke access bookings service on offer for customers who require it.
This Fringe was also a big step forward for sustainability. More performers marketed their shows digitally, through QR codes, social media and more. Our online strand meant less travel and a reduced carbon footprint for some participating artists, audiences and industry, extending our global reach even further.
We also strengthened the Fringe’s place in our local community. This year, over a third of audiences were from Edinburgh, and a further 17% were from the rest of Scotland. 44% were from the wider United Kingdom. Artists and creatives local to Scotland also added their stories to stages and screens in greater proportions than we have seen in recent years.
But that didn’t happen at the expense of the festival’s founding open access principle. 38 countries were represented on the Fringe this year, with work from nine countries featured as part of international showcases taking place. There was also increased international representation in proportion to the overall programme.
Commenting on this year’s festival, Shona McCarthy, Chief Executive, Edinburgh Festival Fringe Society, said: “Traditionally, this day in the Fringe calendar is all about statistics: how many shows took place, how many tickets were bought, and what that means.
“But this year, I’d like to stop defining success by scale. For me, that’s never been what makes the Fringe special. Success should be defined by the quality of experience we’ve all had – and what we’re hearing from performers and audiences alike is that this year’s Fringe has been hugely successful indeed.
“When registration opened in May, we had no way of knowing for sure what this summer would look like. Today, we celebrate every single show that has been brought to life. I’d like to personally thank and congratulate everyone that made it happen, as well as our audiences, sponsors and supporters who have cheered us on and offered much-needed support through this wild and unexpected year.
“We’ve still got work to do to ensure the Fringe recovers – but recovery isn’t about growth in the statistical sense. It’s about growth as a Fringe community. As we move forward with our Save the Fringe campaign and continue to champion this festival and the wider arts, we’ll be calling on everyone to help us shape what the future of this fantastic festival holds.”
Benny Higgins, Chair, Edinburgh Festival Fringe Society, said: “I’d like to offer huge congratulations to everyone that made this festival happen in the most challenging of circumstances.
“I’ve been blown away by the commitment, creativity and talent of those that have worked tirelessly to bring the magic of the Fringe back to Edinburgh’s streets – and for the first time – to screens around the world.
“As we look to the Fringe’s 75th anniversary in 2022, I am looking forward to being part of a wider conversation about how we make this festival the very best version of itself. This year proved that a small amount of public sector investment can bring about positive change, and it’s crucial that investment in this hugely important festival continues. The Fringe has a big role to play in our recovery, and as we look to build a renaissance for the Fringe in the future, we’ll keep working to support those that make it happen.”
Barbara Smith, Managing Director of Johnnie Walker Princes Street, said: “It’s been a fantastic month, seeing the phased return of the Edinburgh Festival Fringe and seeing Edinburgh locals and visitors get to enjoy what Edinburgh does best.
“As official whisky of the Edinburgh Festival Fringe, Johnnie Walker has celebrated the month with our residence ‘The Fringe Club’ on The Mound throughout the festival and gifting lucky festival-goers with exclusive prizes. We’ve our eyes firmly on the future, opening our doors to Johnnie Walker Princes Street on 6 September and joining in the celebrations once again in 2022.”
Next year’s Edinburgh Festival Fringe will run from 05 – 29 August 2022. It will mark the 75th anniversary of the festival.
SPONSORS and SUPPORTERS
As a charity, the work of the Edinburgh Festival Fringe Society would not be possible without the valuable support of our partners, sponsors and funders.
We are delighted to be working with Johnnie Walker for the third year running as our official whisky partner.
We are proud to be partnering with the newly opened St James Quarter and are excited to be working with them this year and beyond.
We are excited to be partnering with Crowdfunder again through our FringeMakers fundraising platform, supporting Fringe artists and venues with vital fundraising efforts.
We have teamed up with Rare Birds Books to a create a limited-edition book bundle with books selected by the women behind three of the Fringe’s most iconic venues; Rowan Campbell, the General Manager of Summerhall, Dani Rae, the General Manager of Assembly and Katy Koren, who co-runs Gilded Balloon. Proceeds of the sale of this bundle will support go directly to supporting Fringe artists bring work to the Fringe.
We would also like to thank Lothian Buses for their continued support of our Fringe Days Out programme.
We’re thrilled to welcome Edinburgh Gin on board as Official Gin of the Fringe and look forward to working with them.
We are grateful for funding through the PLACE Programme, a partnership between the Scottish Government -through Creative Scotland -the City of Edinburgh Council and Festivals Edinburgh; Scottish Government for Made in Scotland through the Festivals Expo Fund – managed through Creative Scotland – and the continued support of the City of Edinburgh Council. Thanks also to Scottish Government for funds from their Get into Summer campaign.
We are grateful for funding from the Pivotal Event Business Fund, the SCVO Adapt and Thrive programme, the Foyle Foundation and the UK Government to enhance our digital capabilities.
Our thanks also to the Paul Hamlyn Foundation, the Pump House Trust and the Turtleton Charitable Trust.
With thanks to EventScotland and City of Edinburgh Council for supporting Street Events.
Thank you to Brightcove, our streaming partners, for their support in delivering the Fringe Player.
Our thanks also to our Fringe Angels, Patrons, Friends and supporters whose passion and generosity made a real difference this year.
