Edinburgh Fringe comedy venues attack headliners deal

Published Tuesday 18 May 2004 at 13:00 by Ruth Gillespie

Leading Edinburgh comedy venues have criticised a new fringe outfit, which is offering premium rates to top performers, for threatening the future development of new talent.

Manchester-based Cyclops Events has attracted several major comedy names to its new five-stage venue. It is understood to have offered box office takings higher than the usual 60% rate used by the big three Fringe sites, Assembly Rooms, the Gilded Balloon and the Pleasance. The trio is now complaining that they will be unable to foster new talent if forced into a bidding war for headline artists. They say their larger share of the profits effectively helps to subsidise new and untried acts.

Christopher Richardson, manager of the Pleasance, said: “This company is offering better rates than we can. I question whether it can be sustained over several years but if it is successful, we may have to reduce the support we offer to up and coming acts in order to compete.”

Cyclops, which last year launched temporary venue the Pod, will this year occupy the former Odeon Cinema in Clerk Street. The new space, named Pod Deco, will seat up to 1,200 people and has already confirmed acts such as Tiger Lilies, Jenny Eclair, Jimeoin, Danny Bhoy and last year’s Perrier Newcomer Gary Le Strange.

Karen Koren, artistic director of the Gilded Balloon, said: “Pod Deco will get the better acts because people go where they get more money but smaller acts will not benefit because the venue is too big and not yet established. I have always specialised in being the first to bring in new comics like Adam Hill, Jo Brand and Peter Kay. This will be more of a threat to me if it survives beyond the first year. Then the difficulty will be trying to give the same kind of deals because we will still have the same outlays.”

While some fringe sources have accused the three established organisations of scare-mongering, director of the fringe Paul Gudgin said he was wary of there being a sudden deluge of venues. However, he added: “These companies have also been looking for extra space over the last few years. It is a natural instinct for them not to want to enter into a bidding war for performers. They have sold themselves on trying to provide what performers want and they won’t want to see that investment undermined by new companies offering better deals.”

Co-director of Cyclops Heidi Waddington dismissed comments that new acts would suffer as a result of providing better deals.

She said: “In my opinion these venues do not have a good reputation for fostering new talent and I don’t think it is a valid argument. We have 35 shows planned and at least half of those are new acts who couldn’t get slots in other places. If they have to tighten their deals with performers then they should look at their business plans. If we can do it, I don’t see why other people can’t do it too.

“These venues have always done things a particular way and we have challenged the status quo. I am not surprised they have had a reaction to us coming along but the fringe is not a monopoly and it is their job to show the punters they aren’t threatened by us. It is naive to think that people will return to the festival with poor box office deals. If we can find ways of providing better deals and still make it work for us then it is better for everybody.”

Waddington also denied claims she had offered performers an 80% split but refused to confirm what rates had been discussed with management companies.