It was twelve past one on Friday the 21st of March 2025, the Adelaide summer heat was forcing my linen shirt to cling to my back like a leopard in an Acacia tree. This diva has just seen my show If You’re From Africa? and wanted to make a show too. He. Had. Questions. The Adelaide sun made his teeth glow, framed by his slightly crusty lips. I remember these details so keenly because he proceeded to ask the most amazing question: “How much do Fringe pay you to perform?”.
DIVA! IMAGINE IF THAT WAS THE CASE.
On the current Fringe festival circuit, which includes the Edinburgh Fringe, it is almost impossible to find a venue that charges artists LESS than 40%. This has bugged me immensely, especially considering they get MORE money the more successful your run is, but the room remains the same? MORE?? For a hotter, sweatier and stinkier room!? Imagine if your bank charged you more money for the same bank account, the more money you had in it? We’d have riots. However, we need the awards and press from the festivals to further our careers, throwing ourselves into debt for a slither of success.
This year, Melbourne Fringe raised their Festival Managed Venue cut from 30% to 35%. When you include their ‘participation fee’, $3.25 for a $30 ticket (you do your math please I don’t know how much that is in Deep-fried Dollars or whatever you use up here), they’re asking for you to commit to 46% upfront. Before. Any. Other. Expenses. These rise in costs are why you’ll only see rich divas consistently making art, while anyone working class, maybe, if they’re lucky makes a new show every three years.
However, there is hope. We penned an open letter to Melbourne Fringe basically asking them to revert to the old cut and 580 divas signed it. It was so exciting. Artists acting as one. Melbourne Fringe’s response was swift, and it was summarised perfectly by my friend (and stand-up) Fin McLachlan: “I actually need your lunch money because I ordered a really big sandwich.”
Of course there are many sides to this story. There are major funding issues for the arts globally but there is value in making noise, in shouting NO, and standing our guard. There HAS to be another way to get that money other than fracking our ticket sales. They are literally biting the hand that feeds them, I mean, biting the bait that lures the hand that feeds them? Look, you get the point. We cannot be expected to make shows and then solve problems too. We OBVIOUSLY need venues and venues need us, but the balance has been off for ages, even when funding was good.
If artists got a fair cut, the VERY first thing we’d do with that cash is fund another show. I have no doubt about that. But year after year, we lose talented diva after talented diva to debt, making room for doe-eyed divas to be led to slaughter, or just the rich divas performing more. It’s time to make some noise, these festivals are BUILT on us and we will get a fair cut. Fringes started because of closed off, highly curated and inaccessible city approved festivals. We’re in a terrible place if going into debt to actually make it to Edinburgh Fringe is considered a privilege.
If this doesn’t get fixed, we may have to restart the Fringe cycle.
B48Y Crash Lands on Earth!, Assembly George Square Studios, 5-30 Aug (not 12, 19,25), 10.40pm