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The Edinburgh Fringe Survival Guide: How to Make Your Show A Success
'Ah! The Fringe! I can't think of a more delightful way of putting my liver, bank account, relationship, complexion, and mental stability under the greatest strain they've ever known!' Mel Giedroyc
It is the world's largest arts festival, attracting everyone from student first-timers to Hollywood stars. Thrilling, inspiring and bewildering in equal measure, the Edinburgh Festival Fringe can make you a star or break your bank.
So what is the secret of making it work for you?
The Edinburgh Fringe Survival Guide draws on the experiences of the festival's leading figures - their disasters as well as their triumphs - to take you step by step through the process of making your show a success in the Scottish capital.
From choosing a venue to keeping on top of the budget, from sorting out accommodation to securing the best press coverage, from generating word of mouth to making the most of a hit, this unique practical guide for performers, directors and producers helps you get your show the audience it deserves.
Among those sharing their expert advice are playwright Simon Stephens, comedian Phil Nichol, actor Siobhan Redmond, producer Guy Masterson, Tiger Lillies front manMartyn Jacques, theatre critic Lyn Gardner, Foster's Edinburgh Comedy Award director Nica Burns, as well as the directors of all the major Fringe venues, top press officers, international promoters and insiders from the Fringe Society itself.
The foreword is written by playwright Mark Ravenhill.
It is the world's largest arts festival, attracting everyone from student first-timers to Hollywood stars. Thrilling, inspiring and bewildering in equal measure, the Edinburgh Festival Fringe can make you a star or break your bank.
So what is the secret of making it work for you?
The Edinburgh Fringe Survival Guide draws on the experiences of the festival's leading figures - their disasters as well as their triumphs - to take you step by step through the process of making your show a success in the Scottish capital.
From choosing a venue to keeping on top of the budget, from sorting out accommodation to securing the best press coverage, from generating word of mouth to making the most of a hit, this unique practical guide for performers, directors and producers helps you get your show the audience it deserves.
Among those sharing their expert advice are playwright Simon Stephens, comedian Phil Nichol, actor Siobhan Redmond, producer Guy Masterson, Tiger Lillies front manMartyn Jacques, theatre critic Lyn Gardner, Foster's Edinburgh Comedy Award director Nica Burns, as well as the directors of all the major Fringe venues, top press officers, international promoters and insiders from the Fringe Society itself.
The foreword is written by playwright Mark Ravenhill.
288 pages, Paperback
First published February 1, 2012
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13 people want to read
About the author
Mark Fisher
9 books2 followersMark Fisher is one of Scotland's foremost commentators on the arts. With over 25 years' experience, he is the Scottish theatre critic for the Guardian, a former editor of the List and a freelance contributor to Variety, the Scotsman and Scotland on Sunday. He is the author of The Edinburgh Fringe Survival Guide ("A wonderfully practical but also inspirational book full of good advice" – Lyn Gardner, the Guardian) and How to Write About Theatre, published July 2015 (both Bloomsbury Methuen Drama). He is also editor of The XTC Bumper Book of Fun for Boys and Girls: A Limelight Anthology, published October 2017, and What Do You Call That Noise? An XTC Discovery Book, published March 2019 (both Mark Fisher Ltd).
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Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews
October 20, 2012
A good little book that gives you all the advice you need to take your show to the greatest festival on earth.
The book somehow catches some of the energy and hedonism of the festival, and whets the appetite to take your own show there.
As someone who runs their own theatre company, it is a book I'll have by my side when I eventually prepare for our own Edinburgh adventure.
The book somehow catches some of the energy and hedonism of the festival, and whets the appetite to take your own show there.
As someone who runs their own theatre company, it is a book I'll have by my side when I eventually prepare for our own Edinburgh adventure.
November 3, 2023
The Fringe Survival Guide was published in 2012 and whilst possibly great back then, is now so badly out of date to be almost a pointless purchase. The free fringe was barely a thing when it was written and that really hurts it. There's some general advice in here that is probably timeless concerning making sure your flyer team knows what your show is about, but by and large you won't learn much from it. It's quite a broad book, covering a lot more than just the typical one person stand up show, which is nice in one way, but limits it in other ways.
It is quite Pleasance centric, with this being referenced on 31 pages and with that and the talk of marketing budgets and the pros and cons of hiring PR, much of it really isn't relevant to many and that's a shame.
It is quite Pleasance centric, with this being referenced on 31 pages and with that and the talk of marketing budgets and the pros and cons of hiring PR, much of it really isn't relevant to many and that's a shame.
March 14, 2018
Essential Reading for the Fringe Bound!
Tips and advice from a calm, educated perspective. All the encouragement and practical advice you’ll ever need! Don’t book your show without it.
Tips and advice from a calm, educated perspective. All the encouragement and practical advice you’ll ever need! Don’t book your show without it.
August 28, 2019
Published in 2012, this book for artists, creatives and producers is inevitable a little out of date but it is still a very useful, comprehensive and practical guide for anyone taking a show to Edinburgh Fringe.
September 30, 2015
I reccomend this book to anyone looking to take their work to the Edinburgh Fringe. It's really good at helping you to manage expectations, get a grip on timelines and get a feel for the behemouth beast of a festival before you get there. It was actually such a good intro the first year I went that I'm actually going to reread it before my upcoming fifth run.
Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews