The Edinburgh Festival Fringe is the biggest arts festival in the world, with nearly 3,500 shows. Playbill is currently in Edinburgh for the entire month of August. Follow along as we cover every single aspect of the Fringe, aka our real-life Brigadoon!
The Edinburgh Festival Fringe Society has announced that the Edinburgh Festival Fringe will strategically partner with Nouveau Riche Productions to address the barriers that BIPOC artists face when trying to participate in the annual theatre festival.
Nouveau Riche Productions is a company and creative team aiming to create and nurture new, culturally inclusive writing with a focus on departing from traditional Western storytelling. They will initially partner with the Fringe Society for six months. Nouveau Riche Productions will facilitate a network for BIPOC Fringe participants, collaborating with the Fringe Society to provide resources, events, and support services.
Following the 2023 Edinburgh Fringe Festival, Nouveau Riche Productions will collect feedback from this year's artists of color, as well as Fringe experts and longtime participants of the Festival, to see where progress must be made and to inform future planning for the partnership and the support it provides. "There has historically been limited support available for Black and/or Global Majority artists taking part in Fringe, and the Fringe Society acknowledges that this needs to change," says the Fringe Society's Head of Artist Services Chris Snow.
Last year, Nouveau Riche Productions published a call-to-action towards the Fringe Festival based on the team's experience over the last five years attending and participating in the Festival as artists of color. They pointed out that there was little to no support for BIPOC communities. "I was delighted when the Fringe Society contacted us about a possible partnership to support the well-being and welfare of artists of colour heading to the festival...It’s important that we are listening to our communities and their experiences to shape the festival into a welcoming, safe and inclusive place for us," says Sarah Verghese, Senior Producer at Nouveau Riche Productions.
The Fringe Society supports the artists performing at the festival—providing them with guidance on how to find venues, housing, and other resources while they're in Scotland—and helps audiences navigate buying tickets and seeing theatre during the Fringe.
To see the full list of the Edinburgh Fringe Festival's 2023 strategic partners, visit here.
