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Kath Mainland BRIEFS
LEMONY SNICKET fans who missed the author’s one- off appearance in Edinburgh earlier this month, fear not. The Scottish Book Trust have filmed the whole event and will be making it available on their website from 8 February. See www.scottish booktrust.com/le monysnicket
CALLING ALL musos! The Green Door Studio is offering young musicians, aged 16–25, the chance to record their music for free as part of two new projects sponsored by the Scottish Arts Council. One project is a demo development for five unsigned bands, the other is a course for songwriters. Interested parties should mail thegreendoorstudio cic@yahoo.co.uk before 13 Feb. FAR BE IT for List Towers to gossip, but we were intrigued by the news that Iain Heggie has pulled out of directing DiScoMbObUlaTe buddy Iain Macpherson’s play Anguish with Posie following ‘creative’ differences.
AYE WRITE! REVEALS HEADLINER ■ Back for its fifth year, Glasgow based literary festival Aye Write! returns this spring, with poet laureate and all-round wonder woman Carol Ann Duffy, bestselling novelist Joanna Trollope and BBC World Affairs editor John Simpson. Orange Juice frontman and solo artist Edywn Collins (pictured) will also appear, talking about life after his brain haemorrhage, culminating in a special live performance. All events will be held at the Mitchell Library, Glasgow from 5–13 March.
DUNDEE ANNOUNCES NEW ART AND DESIGN CENTRE Dundee City Council has revealed plans for a £47m ‘V&A style’ art and design centre. The space will open as part of the city’s waterfront redevelopment. The council further announced that an international architecture competition will decide its design.
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21 Jan–4 Feb 2010 THE LIST 7
Fringe benefits? As the Fringe consider plans for a shake-up, what does this new approach actually mean for the acts performing? Words: Anna Millar
F rom a homosexual Jesus to Jane Austen’s Guide to Pornography, the Fringe has never been short of controversy when it comes to its acts. There was disappointment then, last year, when the headlines still often focussed on the Fringe’s administration and not the performers themselves. Despite making improvements after technical breakdown of 2008, the Fringe box office still faced problems in 2009, much to the frustration of both audiences and performers. Venues were overbooked; old systems appeared to be failing.
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Dogged by rumours of cashflow problems, and with new chief executive, Kath Mainland, just in the door, changes this year were inevitable. Earlier this month it emerged that following a poll of performers, promoters and venues, Fringe heads were mooting the possibility of giving all participants the opportunity to have a direct say in the organisation, by allowing each company booking a slot to become an official Fringe Society member.
Other suggestions included the hiring of a special board of directors, with specialist knowledge of the arts, as well as the potential appointment of a patron, to give additional credibility. Experts were also needed to help with sponsorship and IT systems, findings suggested.
Fringe director Kath Mainland has echoed many of the concerns, agreeing that it’s time to make the Fringe system ‘fit for purpose’, adding that it’s important for the Fringe Society constitution, written in 1969, to move with the times. ‘The world’s largest and most high-profile arts festival needs a structure that is fit for purpose and this process will deliver the changes needed to make that happen,’ she said.
to any one Mainland added, ‘The Fringe does not belong individual or organisation. The Society was established to provide support and advice for all participants, provide comprehensive information and ticketing for everyone taking part and to raise the profile of the Fringe.’
While the idea of change seemed to be met positively by many, questions are still being raised, with one Fringe performer asking for clearer definitions from Fringe heads. Wishing to remain unnamed he said, ‘So much of the Fringe is built on good will. Most acts know they aren’t coming to make money. Any closer involvement with the Fringe administration seems a good thing, but it’s not just about what’s written down, it’s about the logistics of what a change like that would actually mean for the acts. When they have some clarity on that, I’ll be interested in what they have to say.’