The story used to be about how enormous the Edinburgh fringe had become. As long ago as 1961, theatre director Gerard Slevin argued it would be “much better if only 10 halls were licensed”. Ever since, pundits have predicted the bubble would burst. But it has continued to grow. In recent years, the Fringe Society has taken to underplaying the enormity, believing size isn’t everything. The figures, though, are hard to escape. In 2019, there were 3,841 shows in 323 venues. [READ MORE]
Edinburgh festival’s cancellation will be felt not just around the city but the world
ByMark Fisher
Apr 20, 2020
Pleasance at the Edinburgh Fringe
By Mark Fisher
MARK FISHER is a freelance theatre critic and feature writer based in Edinburgh and has written about theatre in Scotland since the late-1980s. He is a theatre critic for The Guardian, a former editor of The List magazine and a frequent contributor to the Scotsman and other publications. He is the co-editor of the play anthology Made in Scotland (1995), and the author of The Edinburgh Fringe Survival Guide (2012) and How to Write About Theatre (2015) – all Bloomsbury Methuen Drama. He is also the editor of The XTC Bumper Book of Fun for Boys and Girls and What Do You Call That Noise? An XTC Discovery Book (both Mark Fisher Ltd).