The annual Fringe Festival in Edinburgh, Scotland, is one of the world's largest ticketed events. Here's a look inside the festivities that have helped launch shows like "Baby Reindeer" and "Fleabag."

Edinburgh

The Edinburgh Festival Fringe, regarded as the world's largest platform for creative freedom, began in the aftermath of World War II when uninvited theatre groups staged their own performances alongside the official arts festival. This open-access event, now nearly 80 years old, allows anyone to participate regardless of experience, making it a unique and inclusive celebration of the arts.

The festival has been instrumental in launching notable works such as Phoebe Waller-Bridge's 'Fleabag' and the musical 'Six.' Performers value the opportunity for intimate, immersive experiences with audiences, while the festival's minimalist approach and diverse programming continue to inspire artists worldwide. With over 3,800 shows, the Fringe unites the global artistic community and provides a vital platform for creative expression.

Inside Scotland's Fringe Festival

The mantra is to give anyone a stage and everyone a seat. It's so simple, isn't it? It is. You know, but it's bloody hard to do. I bet. Shawna McCarthy is the CEO of the Edinburgh Festival Fringe Society. What's now billed as the world's greatest platform for creative freedom didn't start that way. The unconditional surrender of Japan. In the wake of World War II, an arts festival celebrating cultural life began in Edinburgh. But when eight theatre troops showed up uninvited, they weren't allowed to perform in the official festival. So they staged their own shows. And in 1947, the Edinburgh Festival Fringe was born. Is there anything like this anywhere else? I think the Fringe is unique. I think it's absolutely unique for two reasons. One, that it's entirely cross-art form. You don't get selected or curated at the Fringe. It's like a platform. So anyone who wants to be part of it can be part of it. And it doesn't matter if you're just emerging in your career or if you're at the peak of your career. It's a leveller. It has everyone involved. Now almost 80 years old, it's not just the diversity Fringe is most proud of. It's also the success stories that have come from it. She pulls into Tottenham Court Road and we both stand up at the same time. I could vomit. Like the one-woman show by Phoebe Waller-Bridge in 2013. I give a horribly giggly, no, no. Fleabag won critical acclaim at the festival. Then hit the small screen as a streaming adaptation. No, that is exactly what she asked for. No, it's not. We want compensation. The musical Six, now a Broadway hit, got its start at Fringe in 2017 as a student production. Those stories inspiring for artists like Charlene Boyd. The Ballad of Barbara for Johnny Cash. The Scottish-born actress and playwright behind June Carter Cash, The Woman, Her Music and Me. Can you express what it means to you to be a part of Fringe? Oh, wow. An incredible experience. Life-changing moment, to be honest, because the Fringe is such a celebration of theatre and theatre's what I do. June did this hillbilly act. And because she's so good at it, people think it's her. The show is inspired by Boyd's fascination with Johnny Cash's second wife, five-time Grammy winner, June Carter Cash. Fringe allows that. We've got tables all around. It's not end-on seating. It's not your normal theatre kind of experience. You're really immersed into the show. And I go around tables telling the story. And sometimes I play June, and it's sort of cabaret style. And sometimes I play myself. And it can be really intimate. Disappear through tables. And so it's a real joy, I think, to have the audience with me at the Fringe because it gives me that opportunity to just really tell my story to each individual. I love it. Another show, though started back in the States, My dear Dr. Sadler, welcome to Hold On To Your Butts! a Jurassic Park parody by theatre group Recent Cutbacks. I think keep droppings kind of where, so that when you approach this, it's like... For director-producer Kristen McCarthy-Parker, it all started with a memorable line. Hold on to your butts. We said, this could be a show. What if we just did like a two-person show? And that was really the seed of the idea. And then we went ahead and decided to do it and developed it over the course of a month and put it up for one night only, was the original plan, in a basement theatre in New York. And all of our friends came and loved it. And so we kept doing it. And here we are, 10 years later. The smaller venues and minimalist productions, which the Fringe Festival supports... Another thing, you told me to debug the phones earlier, so I went ahead and debug... A unique and appreciated aspect, according to actor Matt Zimbrano. And I do think it's refreshing in an age where so much media is digital, you know, projections in every play you see and really fancy special effects. To just go and watch a show that is 55 minutes of pure joy, there's no agenda other than just, let's have a good time and remember this awesome movie that we all kind of grew up with. Turn off the light switch! Turn off the light! I'm trying, Tim! I can't find the button! Huh? And whether it's in a theatre or the street, each August, those that are a part of the Fringe Festival can rightfully claim being a part of the world stage. What does Fringe Festival mean to the artistic community? Why is this such a big festival? Yeah, I think it unites a lot of artists from all around the world. There are, I think, over 3,800 shows here, so you get to spend the month not only meeting a bunch of other people who share your passion for theatre and the arts, but you also get to see so much work from so many different places. That has to be inspiring. Very inspiring, yeah.

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