I am really enjoying these last few days. Although numbers have still been lower than usual for the last week of Talking Cock, there have been enough people to have some fun and not as much external noise so I've been able to perform it consistently well. Tonight was nearly full and might have been the most enjoyable show of the run. The podcasts have been fun and better attended than last year and though were a bit tougher to do when I was ill have all been of a standard that I am pleased with. Overall it's still been a good Fringe for me and I will probably make some money too. This will not be the case for most performers and I think the general consensus is that it's been a tough year, but it's one where being in the same boat has brought everyone together a little bit and everyone seems to have accepted the slight blow in a calm and philosophical way. There have been some pretty established and well known acts who have been getting audiences of 6 or 10 which is pretty heart-breaking and due to the sheer number of shows on there are lots of great shows which will not have got the credit they deserved.
People are still asking me if I am OK or saying that I had been a bit grumpy in the middle, but I think that partly comes from a slightly skewed reporting of my first week blog on Chortle. I was not full of beans and was disappointed by my sales and a bit angry that I had been slightly greedy in moving to a bigger room and charging a bit more for my tickets. Overall psychologically I think it's definitely best to be in a room that is full every night, even if it costs no more for a bigger room and you make more money. But also the Fringe shouldn't really be a place where acts are coming to make cash. Whilst it's cool not to lose cash and reassuring to make a bit, it doesn't seem in the spirit of the Fringe to walk away with tens of thousands of pounds, especially when others are losing so much and especially if you are the kind of act that can make that sort of money in a normal tour.
As with my earlier blog this is just a record of how I am feeling whilst in the middle of this storm - it's clear that with the end upon us I am less stressed and brighter, but it's still too early to make any totally rational assessments of the Fringe, but I'd like to get my thoughts down while I am here, because I think there might be some interesting ways to go.
Whilst the Olympics and the recession have certainly played their part in the poor ticket sales this year (generally the figure is supposed to be around about 30% down on last year, though I have heard of one manager privately stating that it's closer to 50% down), I think this Fringe could prove a watershed for comedians where we might be able to make some collective decisions that make things less stressful and frantic in future years (I say we might be able to do that, but I am almost certain that we won't - I think this blog will be more of a Utopia style entry, as I suspect we lack the ability as a profession to come together to make decisions that will be beneficial to us all).
But let's do it anyway. Some of this crosses over with what Stewart Lee said at the start of the Fringe, though some of it doesn't.
I think the huge number of shows, combined with nature of PR, social media and the decline of print journalism are reaching a point where acts spending thousands of pounds on publicists, adverts and posters are in the most part delusional and uneconomical. But like some kind of nuclear escalation, in the crowded market place because everyone is doing it, then it seems like a necessity to be seen to be amongst this sprawling and confusing splash of promotion. But I don't think it particularly helps with sales - I have a striking image on my poster and many people have commented on it and it stands out, but it doesn't seem to have led to ticket sales. Similarly every poster is plastered with four and five star reviews, but the public are clued in enough to know that many of these come from sources that are neither venerable or particularly trust-worthy. And when every poster has them it becomes a meaningless gauge in any case. And yet acts will feel that they have to put their stars up for fear if they don't people will think their show is so shit that you can't even find an online student website that liked it.
So what if we all just decided not to have posters? We'd all save several thousand pounds and get rid of something that is more of an annoyance than a calling card. Realistically you'd probably still want to have posters in the venues, but if there were none in the town itself I think from our point of view not much would change. Of course if most people stopped putting up posters and ads on taxis etc then the few people who carried on would get increased value for their money and doubtless not everyone would come on board with the idea. But if all comedians could agree that they wouldn't do it then it would be better for us all and probably immediately cut ticket prices. I am tempted to say that even if not everyone did it then it would still be in an individual acts favour (as things stand) not to bother. Save your money or think of a more interesting way to spend it.
There have been so few national newspapers reviewing comedy shows this year that I would also argue it's of debatable use employing a PR person to get press into your show. The Guardian, for example, was doing maybe a comedy review a day and only a small proportion of bigger names got any kind of national coverage. Most papers had sparse coverage of the Fringe, even the Scotsman concentrated more on the Olympics. And newspapers are becoming less important in people's lives anyway. Social media and word of mouth - things that are free if you can be bothered to put in a bit of work yourself are far more effective tools in the modern world. PR is thus something that should probably only be contemplated by someone who has come up for a few years, built up their act and is in a position to break through (and even then, I am not sure you need it if you're good - I was told Pappy's don't have PR this year and they've done pretty well). It's pretty easy to write your own press release and send it to comedy journalists anyway - you might not want to spend thousands of pounds on it. Most PR companies are working for lots of people and they'll naturally gravitate to the acts that are doing well and getting press interest so you might be paying out money for someone else to benefit anyway. Do your own PR and hand out your own leaflets, certainly in the early days. You'll save lots of cash and much more effectively target your market. And good shows do get discovered through word of mouth - Luisa Omielan has done very well with that this year. Socialise with other comedians, support each other, if you see a good show tell others about it and people will do the same for you.
Much as it's been hard this year I think the competition and the variety available at the Fringe is impressive and important. It's good in many ways that it's so hard to get noticed as that should discourage the people who come up here hoping to get "discovered". There's no guarantee now that you will get reviewed and the chances of nomination for the Perrier are so slight that it hovers less demonically over the festival.
But the danger is that it gets so hard to get established here that newer acts won't be able to get a toe hold and for me the actual danger might be that it becomes like other festivals where big name acts take on massive venues and take all the audience whilst smaller shows get no punters at all. This year the bigger shows have only just sold out so there has been little overspill of audience into medium shows which have had seats remaining meaning no overspill into the smaller shows. And for me more than management or ambitious comedians or venues the danger to the Fringe and to newer acts are the bigger names coming here to make big bucks. I would include myself in this, even though I have failed to make the big bucks. But there are a handful of comedians up here that I would guess have earned five figure and possible even six figure fees from their month's work. And whilst most of them have earned their stripes and had lean years in the past that they're making up for now, they are also all acts that can make that kind of money any month of the year on a tour or a London run.
I think the Fringe has to be open to everyone and I am not saying they shouldn't come here at all and to an extent those big names might draw people into the city and then go and see other shows. I don't even have a problem particularly with acts making money, though in these times of austerity when acts are losing thousands, it does seem reminiscent of bankers bonuses when a few comics are making that kind of cash.
But speaking in Utopian terms is there anything we can do about it to make things a bit fairer, whilst not excluding anyone. Stewart mentioned that the Underbelly people had once talked of housing all their comedians for free (it might have been a joke or something his character was saying, it's hard to tell) but do we need the management to do that. What if the big acts who have made their fortune from the Fringe were to be the ones to help the newer acts? Could those bigger names donate some of the thousands they are making and maybe pay to rent out a student halls or some other building where smaller acts could live for free. This would get rid of one of the bigger expenses of the Fringe and also probably bring down rental prices (through less demand) meaning other acts who wanted to stay in flats could save money too. It is almost certainly a pipe dream, but wouldn't it be an amazing Fringe thing if performers worked together rather than in opposition and if those big names donated just a few thousand pounds (maybe 5% of their profits) and helped others get a foothold. I have no idea how much it would cost or how you'd organise it or how you'd decide who got a room (and this is why it probably would never work) but wouldn't that be a terrific gesture from the successful comics. If we were really organised we could just buy a building that we then rent out to students for the rest of the year and actually make it a viable business. You may say I'm a dreamer. And I am. But I can sort of see it working. And I think all the big name super rich comedians who are up here might well be up for it. It'd make them look less greedy and more cool - and none of them would suffer financially if they were to donate as much as £1 a ticket to such a scheme. What do you think guys? I'm in if you are.
Comedians can't get organised, which is a shame as I think there might be something in that. If we could do this we could just run our own venues - we could buy that Odeon cinema. But we can't do it. It won't happen. Will it?
The Fringe has been good to me. I'd like to give something back. Even if it's just fanciful and unworkable ideas. I'd like to see the bigger comedians giving something back - even if it was just for each of them to cover the costs of one new comedian that they like.
You may call me a dreamer.... I think I have just gone crazy after a long, long month and my first proper night on the booze.
It's something to think about though. Comedians unite, you have nothing to lose but your meaningless stars.
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