EDINBURGH FRINGE THEATRE FESTIVAL
PROGRAM DATES: AUGUST 9-22, 2010
Although the group may attend the upscale International Arts Festival, too, the focus of the program is on the kind of cutting edge contemporary work that can only be found on the Fringe.
The Edinburgh Fringe Theatre Festival first flourished in the early ’60s as an artistic alternative on the margins of the International Festival on which Edinburgh’s post-war tourist economy was built. But in terms of its size, economic importance, artistic significance, and sheer excitement, the “fringe” quickly overshadowed its purported center and remains the center of festival excitement today.
The Edinburgh Fringe festival hosts more than 20,000 shows in over 200 venues across the city during its three weeks in August. Despite logistical evolution, the Edinburgh Fringe has retained its counter-cultural, grass-roots identity. The Fringe offers performers an opportunity to find new audiences, win awards, and bring international recognition to their work. Anyone who experiences the vast array of theatrical possibilities on display at the festival can only be inspired about the future of theatre and performance.
Although fringe theatre festivals have popped up in lots of places like New York, Toronto, Dublin and Glasgow, the Edinburgh Fringe Festival is the original and remains by far the largest and most influential. The medieval city of Edinburgh itself plays a part in its continuing popularity.
Ticket Prices
Full price festival shows range from $20. to $60., but seniors (anyone over 60 years of age) or full time students ticket prices are reduced. The “Forest Fringe,” a self-proclaimed “fringe of the fringe” space, offers all shows free of charge. The program cost includes at least 10 THEATRE TICKETS to high-quality events at the renowned Traverse Theatre, the Assembly Stages, and elsewhere. The director will also steer you to promising shows that are not part of the group event.
For more on the Fringe, visit and explore their website at www.edfringe.com.