The Edinburgh Fringe Survival Guide

Every single page of this book is enhanced by Mark Fisher’s lifelong enthusiasm for, and commitment to, the Edinburgh Festival Fringe – the greatest arts festival in the world

Kath M Mainland
Former Chief Executive
Edinburgh Festival Fringe Society

It is the world’s largest arts festival, attracting everyone from student first-timers to Hollywood stars. Thrilling, inspiring and bewildering in equal measure, the Edinburgh Festival Fringe can make you a star or break your bank. 

So what is the secret of making it work for you?

The Edinburgh Fringe Survival Guide is a brilliantly written 280-page book drawing on the experiences of the festival’s leading figures – their disasters as well as their triumphs – to take you step by step through the process of making your show a success in the Scottish capital.

From choosing a venue to keeping on top of the budget, from sorting out accommodation to securing the best, from generating word of mouth to making the most of a hit, this unique practical guide for performers, directors and producers helps you get your show the audience it deserves.

Among those sharing their expert advice are playwright Simon Stephens, comedian Phil Nichol, actor Siobhan Redmond, producer Guy Masterson, Tiger Lillies front man Martyn Jacques, theatre critic Lyn Gardner, Foster’s Edinburgh Comedy Award director Nica Burns, as well as the directors of all the major Fringe venues, top press officers, international promoters and insiders from the Fringe Society itself.

It has an introduction by playwright Mark Ravenhill and is written by Mark Fisher, one of the foremost writers on the arts in Scotland and a longstanding Fringe fan.

“The Edinburgh Fringe is the premiere arts festival on the planet, but it can be an overwhelming, exhausting and incredibly expensive experience if you don’t know what you’re doing. The Edinburgh Fringe Survival Guide is an invaluable tool for participants of all levels of experience.”

John Clancy 
Clancy Productions, New York, 
and co-founder of the New York International Fringe Festival

Click here to order your copy

The Edinburgh Fringe Survival Guide is published by Bloomsbury Methuen Drama, Bloomsbury Publishing Plc, 50 Bedford Square London WC1B 3DP 

ISBN 978 1 408 13252 4 

Available in the USA from Bloomsbury Academic & Professional, 175 Fifth Avenue/3rd Floor, NewYork, NY 10010.

Reviews

Every single page of this book is enhanced by Mark Fisher’s lifelong enthusiasm for, and commitment to, the Edinburgh Festival Fringe – the greatest arts festival in the world

Kath M Mainland
Former Chief Executive
Edinburgh Festival Fringe Society

“The advice it contains from those who have experienced the August 
onslaught first hand will prove invaluable to newcomers” 
Scotland on Sunday

“A wonderfully practical but also inspirational book full of good advice” 
Lyn Gardner, The Guardian

“A must-read for anyone interested in the workings of the event – whether producer, journalist, punter or, indeed, performer . . . Easily the best investment for anyone, veteran or neophyte, intending to participate”
Thom Dibdin, The Stage 

“Useful . . . engaging . . . excellent”
Susan Elkin, The Stage

“You’ll have a better festival as a performer if you read this book than if you don’t”
Steve Bennett, Chortle

“If you’re determined to perform a show at the Edinburgh Fringe, following Mark Fisher’s Edinburgh Fringe Survival Guide: How to Make Your Show a Success will save you several thousand pounds”
Abie Philbin Bowman, Irish Theatre Magazine

“Great book about a great festival”
Grid Iron Theatre Company

“An excellent resource if you’re thinking of participating”
Willie White, artistic director, Ulster Bank Dublin Theatre Festival

“If you plan to perform I thoroughly recommend Mark Fisher’s book”
EdinburghFestivalPunter.co.uk

“There is so much love about Edinburgh in the book”
Comedian Giacinto Palmieri, So It Goes

“Mark Fisher knows his Fringe from the inside out and the outside in”
John Fleming, So It Goes

“I wish I’d had it last year. It’s wonderful”
Mind reader Doug Segal

“A great read. Been plugging your book to all and sundry”
Comedian Yianni

“It’s a must-read. Am recommending it to everyone involved in our production, in every department. Thank you!”
Writer and director, Paul Boyd

“Your inspirational book saved our little theatre company so much time, money and stress”
Steven Kirschbaum, Theatre Paradok

“Can I just take this opportunity to say another gushing thankyou for writing the Survival Guide? As a first-timer from Australia, it has been absolutely invaluable, and I’m sure it’ll continue to prove its worth in the months to come.”
Comedian Paddy Magee

Blog

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The interviewees

HERE’S a list of people quoted in The Edinburgh Fringe Survival Guide.  There’s a lot of them. If I’ve missed somebody out, please let me know. Anthony Alderson, artistic director, the Pleasance Christabel Anderson, head of participant services, Fringe Office Suzanne Andrade, artistic director, 1927 Miriam Attwood, former media manager, Fringe Office Cora Bissett, actor and director, …

Continue reading “The interviewees”

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Hook Hitch gets its Edinburgh Fringe priorities right

THE website of Guildford’s Hook Hitch theatre company says its actors “grab their audiences and don’t let go”.  That’s not all: they also grab their copy of The Edinburgh Fringe Survival Guide and don’t let go.  Here’s the evidence (above), tweeted to me at @MarkFFisher only yesterday. The company is bringing This Was the World …

Continue reading “Hook Hitch gets its Edinburgh Fringe priorities right”