Law lives in a mobile home in a working yard outside the city with his 13-year-old son, Atticus, and their German shepherd, Wolfie, after the price of living near marginal sites doubled. Law is an established comedian with a strong fan base and, unlike many performers, expects to make a profit from his performances. But he almost didn’t come this year because of the cost of accommodation – until the last minute from a friend with a caravan and a connection with a farmer who wants to lease his land – and he’s not sure he’ll be back next year. “If you’re 22 and you can live in an apartment with 7,000 people, you can make it. It’s fine for them or Ricky Gervais, but for other performers, I’m not sure,” he said, adding that he is unable to get lucrative last-minute work on syndicated shows because of the half-hour drive into the city. Law is one of several performers who have opted for extreme measures to make ends meet on the sidelines this year. Many feel honored by accommodation costs which have soared as a result of tenancy reforms which incentivize students to keep their accommodation in the summer months, combined with cost of living increases. This is likely to be further exacerbated by proposals aimed at limiting the number of Airbnb-style rentals in Edinburgh, which were recently approved by Scottish ministers. While both sets of reforms benefit locals, performers worry that, without loopholes for the margin, working-class comics may be deprived of an important platform for their work and access to industry insiders. Speaking at a gala to celebrate 40 years of the Assembly, one of the big four fringe venues, its director, William Burdett-Coutts, warned that “the future of the event is under threat from accommodation prices”. He called for a “serious discussion about how this all works and how to find solutions to the problems facing this festival”. Sian Davies, who runs Best in Class, which showcases working-class comedians on the fringes and provides co-funded grants to support them with their expenses, said everyone she had spoken to had noticed that accommodation costs had “rocketed » this year and many have been reassessing how regularly they should come, if at all. “It’s pricing people out and you’re already at a disadvantage if you’re from a working-class background,” Davies said. “You’ll end up with a margin that’s even more homogenous and middle class. If one type of performer is here at the biggest festival in the world, then all the TV and radio is just that. This is where deals are made and people gather.” Davies added that this results in a “two-tier” system in which people staying at campsites have less access to networking and paid opportunities. Such is the case of Samantha Day, a full-time comedian who lives in a campsite 45 minutes by bus outside the festival for the first fortnight. The site is so popular that it has to move for the second fortnight to an area without a bus link. “All the comedians I know are very nervous about their shows, I’m much more nervous about the logistics. Will I have to walk home four miles at 1am? It adds a layer of complexity,” he said. The fringe knows the challenges artists face and has formed a partnership with universities in the city to offer 1,200 rooms this year for £280 or less a week. Subscribe to First Edition, our free daily newsletter – every morning at 7am. BST A spokesman noted that the cost of short-term accommodation was rising across the UK, including in Edinburgh, but said the margin continued to “put pressure on local government, universities and student accommodation providers to make affordable rooms available to our artists”. . Many artists believe that their future on the sidelines is not sustainable unless more is done to support them with living expenses, given that many are already leaving with heavy debts from putting on shows. Sarah Archer is staying with three other performers in the comedy drama Three Women and Shakespeare’s Will in a tent outside the city after her Airbnb from last year doubled its price. He said this would be “our last stand” after a decade of participation. Archer noticed a “wave of discontent” this year from colleagues. “Having had that break during the pandemic, people have been weaned [the fringe] and they say “there are better ways to spend my money and get my show in front of the public”. He added: “We will turn to the Brighton fringes instead of Edinburgh just to manage costs.” This article was amended on 4 August 2022 to correct the spelling of Sian Davies’s surname.
