Heroes of Fringe

Heroes of Fringe are award winning comedy promoters and venue managers at Edinburgh Festival Fringe (the largest Arts Festival in the world) as well as Dave's Leicester Comedy Festival and tours around the UK and Europe.

Awards

In 2013 Adrienne Truscott won the Edinburgh Comedy Awards (formerly the Perrier Comedy Award) panel prize for spirit of the Fringe[1] thus making Heroes the smallest venue at the Fringe to win one of the highest awards. "The results were a victory of the 'Independent' Fringe – for the first time the 'Big Four' venues, went home from the Foster's Awards empty-handed... Showing that this year that non 'pay-to-play' has finally arrived as a force to be reckoned with, not just when to comes to good value for audiences, but also when it comes to high quality comedy.” Bruce Dessau [2]

Edinburgh Fringe

Dave's Leicester Comedy Festival

History

Heroes was initially called The Alternative Fringe[9] and set up as set up as a statement against Pay-To-Play venues.[10] The First year it promoted in a former Free Festival venue The Hive. Notable acts that year were Phil Kay, Kunt and The Gang, John Robertson, Frank Sanazi and Bob Slayer. On 2013 Heroes @ Bob's Bookshop was added. This was renamed Bob & Miss Behave's Bookshop in 2014 to acknowledge Miss Behave's co-production of the venue.

Dave's Leicester Comedy Festival

In 2014 Heroes promoted Heroes @ Hansom Hall at Dave's Leicester Comedy Festival. Heroes were nominated for the best venue Award at the festival. Bob Slayer was nominated for best promoter and won the Liberty Award for Spirit of the Festival.

Stand Against Pay-to-Play at The Fringe

Heroes was at the centre of considerable debate at the 2012 Fringe centred on the increasing commercialism of the Pay-To-Play fringe venues who charge acts to perform in advance of the fringe. In many cases venue costs such as: venue rents / guarantees, compulsory marketing and various deductions mean that performers are being charged more than they can make back in ticket sales.[11][12]

Fringe veteran Stewart Lee also joined the debate in support of Heroes stance against Pay-to-Play[13] And stated in The Guardian: "For decades, the Fringe has been a utopia for artists and performers – but now profit-obsessed promoters are tearing it to pieces."[14]

Many Fringe commentators agree that the Fringe is changing and that the independent promoters such as Heroes are leading that change.[15][16]

References

  1. ↑ http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-23808788
  2. ↑ http://www.beyondthejoke.co.uk/content/opinion-edinburgh-comedy-awards-results-%E2%80%93-right-or-wrong
  3. ↑ http://www.comedy.co.uk/fringe/2014/features/malcolm_hardee_awards_2014/
  4. ↑ http://www.beyondthejoke.co.uk/content/1033/news-franken-hill-buckley-hill-slayer-win-barry-awards
  5. ↑ http://www.threeweeks.co.uk/article/more-gongs-malcolm-hardee-herald-and-stage-awards-presented/
  6. ↑ http://www.thetimes.co.uk/tto/arts/stage/edinburgh-festival/article3847129.ece
  7. ↑ http://www.comedy.co.uk/fringe/2011/features/kunt_and_gang_win_malcolm_hardee_award/
  8. ↑ http://www.leicestermercury.co.uk/Miles-smiles-comedy-stars-stand-counted/story-20826848-detail/story.html
  9. ↑ http://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/john-fleming/edinburgh-fringe-2012_b_1150990.html
  10. ↑ http://entertainment.stv.tv/307345-alternative-fringe-gets-set-to-shake-up-edinburgh-this-august/
  11. ↑ "How the Edinburgh Fringe is financed: the article which you cannot read in this morning’s edition of The Scotsman | SO IT GOES – John Fleming's blog". Thejohnfleming.wordpress.com. Retrieved 18 October 2012.
  12. ↑ Claire Smith (25 August 2012). "Don’t ask about dosh: The true cost of staging a Fringe show - Scotland". Scotsman.com. Retrieved 19 October 2012.
  13. ↑ "Stewart Lee & Bob Slayer: How The Fringe Escaped Its Certain Fate". Theskinny.co.uk. Retrieved 18 October 2012.
  14. ↑ Stewart Lee (30 July 2012). "Stewart Lee: the slow death of the Edinburgh Fringe | Culture". The Guardian. Retrieved 18 October 2012.
  15. ↑ "Edinburgh Fringe round-up II – will 2012 be a turning point? | Edinburgh Comedy Festival | Edinburgh is Funny". Londonisfunny.com. 30 August 2012. Retrieved 18 October 2012.
  16. ↑ "The future of the Fringe? Think smaller : Correspondents 2012 : Chortle : The UK Comedy Guide". Chortle. 28 August 2012. Retrieved 18 October 2012.