Says comedy award supremo Nica Burns

A smaller Edinburgh Fringe is good news because fewer performers will lose substantial sums, comedy awards producer Nica Burns has said.

The number of shows across the festival is down 17 per cent on 2019 numbers – and Ms Burns, who also owns a string of West End theatres – said some venues had even reported increased ticket sales since then.

In her traditional, boosterist speech to the industry at the start of the festival, Ms Burns also pointed to research that most Edinburgh residents welcomed the festival.

And she called on Shona McCarthy, chief executive of the Edinburgh Festival Fringe Society, to do more to try to reduce the dizzying accommodation costs in the city in August.

Here is her speech in full:

Welcome to Dave’s Edinburgh Comedy Awards, and the comedy movers and shakers lunch in our celebratory 40^th year and the Fringe’s 75^th year.

A special warm welcome to an outstanding writer and performer, equally brilliant at drama and comedy, 2013 Fringe First winner - it is, of course, the president of the Fringe Society, ‘Fleabag’ herself – Phoebe Waller-Bridge.

How lovely it is to see you all. Isn’t it great to be back?  Back at our beloved Fringe.  Gloriously the same and yet fundamentally different.

2019 was a record-breaking year and now, after two years away we have had to reset, restart and rebuild our Fringe. 

What is fundamentally different – post Covid - is that there is so much more that is beyond anyone’s control. Less money, cost of living through the roof, recession looming, increased concern about insufficient reviews and media coverage for the talent. And now to cap it all, major transport disruption on planes and trains. 

Yet despite all of that, when we’ve been really worried about ticket sales, the great news just out is that we’ve seen a last-minute spike at the box office.  Happiness! Some venues are now reporting even better sales than 2019. 

That’s absolutely the best news of all, especially as this year the Fringe is also smaller - 17 per cent less shows and 68 fewer venues, which resets the Fringe venue size back to 2009.

We’ve been debating whether the Fringe has become too big for some time, so this year gives us a chance to see how a slightly smaller Fringe works and hopefully means that fewer performers will lose big sums of money. 

To any performer who has a tough time this year, remember what Eddie Izzard – our alumnus patron – said this year: ’It took me eight Fringe festivals to break through and 10 to finally arrive’ (that was in 1991, when he was nominated for Best Comedy Show). He also said: ‘It is also physically and mentally tough as hell"

Omid Djalili said he is back this year for the love of it. ‘My career started at the Festival in 1993.  I’ve come up to say thank you.’

And Phoebe I understand that you have said that the Fringe changed your life… is that right?  [She agreed]

As it did mine.

Another good piece of news is that an independent survey commissioned by the Fringe Society and out this year found that three-quarters of Edinburgh residents believed that hosting the Fringe made the city a better place to live.

It is important for us to remember that we are only visitors and the residents live here 52 weeks a year, and the City of Edinburgh Council, of course, listens to them. We need their support and particularly on accommodation.

Some of the residents stepped forward this year in response to an appeal by the Fringe Society to offer performers rooms for no more than £280 a week. 1,200 rooms were offered to grateful performers.  Let’s hope that they have all enjoyed the experience so that this scheme can grow.

We also need to respectfully ask the residents and Edinburgh Council to consider waiving, for the six weeks of the Fringe, the new regulations for student lets, which has reduced accommodation at the more affordable level. Shona   – over to you.

I also challenge the good press of Edinburgh to support us in our respectful asks: Brian Ferguson – how about a lovely positive post-fest piece in The Scotsman with residents about contributing to the Fringe in this way? 

I believe that this year is going to be a bumper year for all genres of comedy at all levels. I’m particularly excited about the newcomers because they’ve really had time to work on their first hour shows. There are so many talented performers for us to see. 

I’m also delighted that the comedy scene continues to become more diverse, more female and more LGBTQIA+. We are all here to enjoy established talent but more importantly to discover and support the next generations of talent.

There is a brilliant buzz in the city, our audiences are here, we have so much to celebrate in this special anniversary year. 

Before our annual toast, let’s take a moment to remember and appreciate those we have lost from our community since the last festival.

• Paul Byrne, much missed superb Director extraordinaire to many comedians. 
• David Johnson, the popular maverick producer of  both comedy and theatre,
•  Andrew Leigh, charmingly working for all in the background, Pleasance board member since 1995 and 18 years on the board of the Fringe Society 
• …and the ‘comedians’ comedian’, Best Comedy Award nominee, the talented and much loved Sean Lock.

Let’s hear a round of applause for them all. 

So, raise your glasses for our annual toast.

To the Edinburgh Festival Fringe!

To Dave’s Edinburgh Comedy Awards!

And to comedy!

Published: 8 Aug 2022