Winners and losers at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe
August 27, 2018 3:43 AM Subscribe
This year's 10 Best Joke competition winners.
(Previously.)
And this year's Comedy Award winners.
Comedians at the Fringe voted for their own favourite comics.
This is the first time a POC has won the main Comedy award solo- Richard Ayoade was part of a sketch group.
New Zealand's Prime Minister and Taika Waititi congratulated Matafeo on Twitter.
The Home Safe Collective initiative that won the panel prize is a crowdfunded taxi account for female comedians leaving late night gigs, set up after Eurydice Dixon was murdered on her way home from performing in June.
Poor Pay, Rubbish Rotas and Bad Boss awards were given to venues in protest at exploitative working conditions for venue staff.
With nearly 4,000 shows on the Fringe this year, many performers expect to go into debt even if they sell well, due to the high cost of venue rental, promotions, and especially accommodation.
This is the first time a POC has won the main Comedy award solo- Richard Ayoade was part of a sketch group.
New Zealand's Prime Minister and Taika Waititi congratulated Matafeo on Twitter.
The Home Safe Collective initiative that won the panel prize is a crowdfunded taxi account for female comedians leaving late night gigs, set up after Eurydice Dixon was murdered on her way home from performing in June.
Poor Pay, Rubbish Rotas and Bad Boss awards were given to venues in protest at exploitative working conditions for venue staff.
With nearly 4,000 shows on the Fringe this year, many performers expect to go into debt even if they sell well, due to the high cost of venue rental, promotions, and especially accommodation.
It's a bit of a British-centric reference: when we were kids, we used to play soccer in the park and use sweaters/jackets/jumpers to mark the goalposts at each end of the pitch, hence "jumpers for goalposts".
As seen in the Fast Show with Ron the Manager.
posted by arcticseal at 5:33 AM on August 27, 2018 [4 favorites]
As seen in the Fast Show with Ron the Manager.
posted by arcticseal at 5:33 AM on August 27, 2018 [4 favorites]
@TreeRooster.
'Jumpers for goalposts' is a UK trope, a reminiscence about lost 1970s childhoods where kids would play football (soccer) in the park and use their sweaters (jumpers) for goalposts.
The joke ties in with 'moving the goalposts' which means changing the parameters of some problem halfway through.
posted by GallonOfAlan at 5:34 AM on August 27, 2018 [3 favorites]
'Jumpers for goalposts' is a UK trope, a reminiscence about lost 1970s childhoods where kids would play football (soccer) in the park and use their sweaters (jumpers) for goalposts.
The joke ties in with 'moving the goalposts' which means changing the parameters of some problem halfway through.
posted by GallonOfAlan at 5:34 AM on August 27, 2018 [3 favorites]
The link for "Poor Pay, Rubbish Rotas and Bad Boss" is borked.
posted by chillmost at 5:36 AM on August 27, 2018
posted by chillmost at 5:36 AM on August 27, 2018
.
For murdered on the way home.
I had been thinking about attending the Fringe next year but now I'm not as enthused, esp to hear that the artists struggle to be there.
posted by honey badger at 5:46 AM on August 27, 2018
For murdered on the way home.
I had been thinking about attending the Fringe next year but now I'm not as enthused, esp to hear that the artists struggle to be there.
posted by honey badger at 5:46 AM on August 27, 2018
Is it just me or are these almost universally horrible jokes?
posted by MisantropicPainforest at 6:46 AM on August 27, 2018 [13 favorites]
posted by MisantropicPainforest at 6:46 AM on August 27, 2018 [13 favorites]
I laughed at #9, but I imagine the delivery had something to do with the others.
posted by GenjiandProust at 6:58 AM on August 27, 2018 [1 favorite]
posted by GenjiandProust at 6:58 AM on August 27, 2018 [1 favorite]
> "I had been thinking about attending the Fringe next year but now I'm not as enthused, esp to hear that the artists struggle to be there."
Wellllll it's ... complicated.
Many, possibly even most, of the venues charge too much for space rental, and god knows landlords use the month to gouge every possible penny they can get from visitors and performers alike. The Fringe show I was in last year sold an average of 85% of its tickets every night for a month of shows, and it barely broke even. And that was a locally-based group that didn't need to pay for rent for the month. Or air or train fare, etc.
On the other hand, many performers go to Fringe knowing full well they're going to lose money there, but are going for other reasons. Many bookers go to the Fringe looking for shows for tours, and favorable reviews from the Edinburgh Fringe is currency that can be used to get bookings in many, many other places. Also, some groups have outside funding to go to Fringe (grants, association with a university or organization that pays for it, etc.)
Even the landlords gouging for rent has a flipside, in that quite a large number of locals sublet their places for the month and use the extra (often minus what it costs to clean the place, or so I hear) to pay down a few months of their own rent, making life a bit easier economically for the locals. And some local businesses make most of their money for the whole year during Fringe.
If you're concerned, though -- and I agree, there is reason to be concerned, the costs for performers are too high -- one possibility is to selectively go to the "free Fringe" shows more often than not. These venues generally charge little to no rent to the performers, and the performers do not charge for tickets, instead passing the hat at the end of the show so audience members can pay whatever they like. From what I have been led to understand, in many cases performers at a free Fringe show will end up making significantly more than a show selling advance tickets of similar size and popularity. There is sometimes less of a "quality bar" at free Fringe as compared to some of the bigger venues that carefully and selectively vet their shows, but on the other hand I've seen utterly brilliant free Fringe shows and completely shite shows at the big venues, so it's not exactly a hard and fast rule.
Honestly, though, my policy has always been to assume that the performers at all venues would rather I was there buying tickets or putting money in the hat, rather than not giving them money because I'm worried they aren't getting enough money. I could understand boycotting a particularly terrible or exploitive venue, definitely, but I'm not sure I would advise boycotting the whole thing. There were 4,000 shows at this year's Fringe, spread out among hundreds of venues; free, cheap, and expensive; making money, losing money, breaking even, or there for different reasons entirely. It's hard to argue that the Fringe is just one thing.
posted by kyrademon at 7:06 AM on August 27, 2018 [9 favorites]
Wellllll it's ... complicated.
Many, possibly even most, of the venues charge too much for space rental, and god knows landlords use the month to gouge every possible penny they can get from visitors and performers alike. The Fringe show I was in last year sold an average of 85% of its tickets every night for a month of shows, and it barely broke even. And that was a locally-based group that didn't need to pay for rent for the month. Or air or train fare, etc.
On the other hand, many performers go to Fringe knowing full well they're going to lose money there, but are going for other reasons. Many bookers go to the Fringe looking for shows for tours, and favorable reviews from the Edinburgh Fringe is currency that can be used to get bookings in many, many other places. Also, some groups have outside funding to go to Fringe (grants, association with a university or organization that pays for it, etc.)
Even the landlords gouging for rent has a flipside, in that quite a large number of locals sublet their places for the month and use the extra (often minus what it costs to clean the place, or so I hear) to pay down a few months of their own rent, making life a bit easier economically for the locals. And some local businesses make most of their money for the whole year during Fringe.
If you're concerned, though -- and I agree, there is reason to be concerned, the costs for performers are too high -- one possibility is to selectively go to the "free Fringe" shows more often than not. These venues generally charge little to no rent to the performers, and the performers do not charge for tickets, instead passing the hat at the end of the show so audience members can pay whatever they like. From what I have been led to understand, in many cases performers at a free Fringe show will end up making significantly more than a show selling advance tickets of similar size and popularity. There is sometimes less of a "quality bar" at free Fringe as compared to some of the bigger venues that carefully and selectively vet their shows, but on the other hand I've seen utterly brilliant free Fringe shows and completely shite shows at the big venues, so it's not exactly a hard and fast rule.
Honestly, though, my policy has always been to assume that the performers at all venues would rather I was there buying tickets or putting money in the hat, rather than not giving them money because I'm worried they aren't getting enough money. I could understand boycotting a particularly terrible or exploitive venue, definitely, but I'm not sure I would advise boycotting the whole thing. There were 4,000 shows at this year's Fringe, spread out among hundreds of venues; free, cheap, and expensive; making money, losing money, breaking even, or there for different reasons entirely. It's hard to argue that the Fringe is just one thing.
posted by kyrademon at 7:06 AM on August 27, 2018 [9 favorites]
Yeah, I know some comedians who do the fringe, and the aim has always been exposure rather than money. Breaking even is a good result. It was worth it to them apparently, but it all sounded rather miserable to me. Every moment is spent doing their show or some sort of self-promotion or advertising or leafleting.
There's no upside to the rent gouging that I can see though. I also know a number of people who have to move out during the fringe so the landlord can rent their place out for more money (otherwise, their lease won't get renewed). And the money to be made during the fringe and the increasing number of airbnbs is just pushing rents up. Sure, we could have moved out and rented our place and made some money - but where would we go? We were lucky to be able to buy when we did, because we've just watched the rents rise since. I think if there's an upside, it's for the well off who have somewhere else to go, not those already squeezed by rent.
Of course, because I live in Edinburgh, my default response to the fringe is "ugh". It's quite funny to see the change in attitude from people who've just moved here, where in a few years it goes from excitement to "oh god, its the fringe again isn't it." It's so hard to sort the wheat from the chaff, and I straight up don't go see stand-up any more.
posted by stillnocturnal at 7:29 AM on August 27, 2018
There's no upside to the rent gouging that I can see though. I also know a number of people who have to move out during the fringe so the landlord can rent their place out for more money (otherwise, their lease won't get renewed). And the money to be made during the fringe and the increasing number of airbnbs is just pushing rents up. Sure, we could have moved out and rented our place and made some money - but where would we go? We were lucky to be able to buy when we did, because we've just watched the rents rise since. I think if there's an upside, it's for the well off who have somewhere else to go, not those already squeezed by rent.
Of course, because I live in Edinburgh, my default response to the fringe is "ugh". It's quite funny to see the change in attitude from people who've just moved here, where in a few years it goes from excitement to "oh god, its the fringe again isn't it." It's so hard to sort the wheat from the chaff, and I straight up don't go see stand-up any more.
posted by stillnocturnal at 7:29 AM on August 27, 2018
Oh look it's the annual 'PR teams submit jokes to Dave in June/July, Dave runs a poll on the ten it selects (presumably on how much it wants to showcase them on the channel over the next 12 months) and the poll comes up with a 'winner'.'
Heck, last year's winner wasn't even written by them, but the performer gets the trophy... and the writer who is now at the Fringe with a solo show can say she wrote the joke.
Like much of the public facing Fringe that is seen on mainstream media, the Dave Funniest Joke is not for me and is not my Fringe... there's far more inventive material in comedy than one liners designed to get someone on a TV panel quiz comedy edited quipfire show.
posted by ewan at 8:19 AM on August 27, 2018 [2 favorites]
Heck, last year's winner wasn't even written by them, but the performer gets the trophy... and the writer who is now at the Fringe with a solo show can say she wrote the joke.
Like much of the public facing Fringe that is seen on mainstream media, the Dave Funniest Joke is not for me and is not my Fringe... there's far more inventive material in comedy than one liners designed to get someone on a TV panel quiz comedy edited quipfire show.
posted by ewan at 8:19 AM on August 27, 2018 [2 favorites]
>”I also know a number of people who have to move out during the fringe so the landlord can rent their place out for more money (otherwise, their lease won't get renewed)”
That practice has, apparently, just been made illegal (finally).
(After 5 years in Edinburgh, I still think of Fringe as the most wonderfullest time of the year. I know that this view is not the most common one among residents, and also that 5 is not 50.)
posted by kyrademon at 8:43 AM on August 27, 2018 [3 favorites]
That practice has, apparently, just been made illegal (finally).
(After 5 years in Edinburgh, I still think of Fringe as the most wonderfullest time of the year. I know that this view is not the most common one among residents, and also that 5 is not 50.)
posted by kyrademon at 8:43 AM on August 27, 2018 [3 favorites]
I will admit that my husband and I tend towards the introverted and curmudgeonly, plus he hates crowds. The fringe can be tonnes of fun! There are great shows! I love the art markets. But man sometimes I just want to get the bus without getting completely mired in traffic and having tourists stop the bus to ask the driver for directions. Or walk down the street without being papered with flyers (and my god, the waste of paper! OK that's sort of petty but at this point you might as well start with a giant roll of printed advertising paper at the castle and just let it roll it down all the way down the royal mile like runaway toilet paper)
posted by stillnocturnal at 9:14 AM on August 27, 2018 [2 favorites]
posted by stillnocturnal at 9:14 AM on August 27, 2018 [2 favorites]
Mod note: fixed the "poor pay" link in the post
posted by jessamyn (staff) at 9:20 AM on August 27, 2018
posted by jessamyn (staff) at 9:20 AM on August 27, 2018
(Saying that my husband just told me there's fireworks on tonight at nine and he'll come with me to see them and I am PSYCHED because I love fireworks so much that sometimes they make me cry. So I guess there's good things even for cold-hearted cynics like me.)
posted by stillnocturnal at 9:23 AM on August 27, 2018
posted by stillnocturnal at 9:23 AM on August 27, 2018
Comedy at the Fringe is a mixed blessing.
The Fringe Festival (or the Festival Fringe, if you're being completely accurate) was originally a theatre-based celebration of "outsider" art that acted as a kind of counter-programming to the International Festival, which was curated and--according to some--rather stuffy. In recent times, stand-up comedy has come to dominate the Fringe; it fills a huge chunk of the Festival programme and Edinburgh is festooned with mugging faces on oversized posters, each one trying to outdo the other with attention-catching titles and wacky outfits. Comedy became so lucrative and so overshadowed the rest of the Festival that about ten years ago the "big" venues threatened to secede from the Fringe Festival itself and create a "comedy festival" (didn't work out).
On the other hand, comedy brings in the big money, lots of publicity, and, one hopes, has a trickle-down effect to the other forms of performance (theatre, music, circus, physical theatre, children's shows, etc) that make up the rest of the Festival.
My inclination is to support new writing and fledgling theatre companies and to take a chance on some weird, experimental, totally bonkers shows. (I saw quite a few this Fringe.) In my ideal world, it would be those crazy-wonderful-risky performances and the artists struggling to promote their shows and tirelessly flyering on the Mile who get recognition and awards from their peers, not the big-name comedians.
(As for the problems associated with venue management--well, that's another gigantic complex issue but sort of ancillary to the comedy issue.)
posted by Quaversalis at 10:00 AM on August 27, 2018 [3 favorites]
The Fringe Festival (or the Festival Fringe, if you're being completely accurate) was originally a theatre-based celebration of "outsider" art that acted as a kind of counter-programming to the International Festival, which was curated and--according to some--rather stuffy. In recent times, stand-up comedy has come to dominate the Fringe; it fills a huge chunk of the Festival programme and Edinburgh is festooned with mugging faces on oversized posters, each one trying to outdo the other with attention-catching titles and wacky outfits. Comedy became so lucrative and so overshadowed the rest of the Festival that about ten years ago the "big" venues threatened to secede from the Fringe Festival itself and create a "comedy festival" (didn't work out).
On the other hand, comedy brings in the big money, lots of publicity, and, one hopes, has a trickle-down effect to the other forms of performance (theatre, music, circus, physical theatre, children's shows, etc) that make up the rest of the Festival.
My inclination is to support new writing and fledgling theatre companies and to take a chance on some weird, experimental, totally bonkers shows. (I saw quite a few this Fringe.) In my ideal world, it would be those crazy-wonderful-risky performances and the artists struggling to promote their shows and tirelessly flyering on the Mile who get recognition and awards from their peers, not the big-name comedians.
(As for the problems associated with venue management--well, that's another gigantic complex issue but sort of ancillary to the comedy issue.)
posted by Quaversalis at 10:00 AM on August 27, 2018 [3 favorites]
sometimes I just want to get the bus without getting completely mired in traffic
During the Fringe was definitely the best time of the year to own a motorbike in Edinburgh. I can't have actually looked as cool as I felt cutting through stop-go George Street traffic with my girl on the back! That made up for commuting in horizontal February sleet...
posted by rhamphorhynchus at 12:38 PM on August 27, 2018 [1 favorite]
During the Fringe was definitely the best time of the year to own a motorbike in Edinburgh. I can't have actually looked as cool as I felt cutting through stop-go George Street traffic with my girl on the back! That made up for commuting in horizontal February sleet...
posted by rhamphorhynchus at 12:38 PM on August 27, 2018 [1 favorite]
Must have only been 11 entries.
posted by craven_morhead at 1:07 PM on August 27, 2018 [2 favorites]
posted by craven_morhead at 1:07 PM on August 27, 2018 [2 favorites]
Sorry about the broken link!
I love going to the Fringe but knowing a bit more about some of the backstage issues is a bit sobering. I definitely try to see a lot of free shows (Heroes of Fringe seems to have a good hit rate for my sense of humour).
Following a few comedians' blogs through the Fringe, there are upsides- they get a chance to watch lot of people's shows, and meet and work with people they don't get a chance to through the year, and maybe try more experimental stuff. And there's a lot of networking, in the sense of getting drunk together. It isn't purely a slog.
posted by Shark Hat at 4:09 PM on August 27, 2018 [1 favorite]
I love going to the Fringe but knowing a bit more about some of the backstage issues is a bit sobering. I definitely try to see a lot of free shows (Heroes of Fringe seems to have a good hit rate for my sense of humour).
Following a few comedians' blogs through the Fringe, there are upsides- they get a chance to watch lot of people's shows, and meet and work with people they don't get a chance to through the year, and maybe try more experimental stuff. And there's a lot of networking, in the sense of getting drunk together. It isn't purely a slog.
posted by Shark Hat at 4:09 PM on August 27, 2018 [1 favorite]
I’m always glad to live in Newhaven and work on George Street and therefore can basically ignore the festival if I want.
Anyway... it would appear that my friend Donald is as funny as professional comedians. My evidence -
7. "Trump said he'd build a wall but he hasn't even picked up a brick. He's just another middle-aged man failing on a DIY project" - Justin Moorhouse
On the 24th June this year I posted on Facebook the following quote from the host of my b&b
““Donald Trump is a typical Lewis man. I can see it in all of his manners and some of his looks.”
-Angus. Near the border of Lewis and Harris. (Harris side)“
To which my friend Donald (a Lewis man) replied - “Aye, saying he is going to build a wall for someone and never getting round to doing it” which I reckon is actually funnier than Moorhouse’s joke as Moorehouse wrongly suggests that Trump is middle aged while Donald’s is self depreciating.
(Angus wins though. He is a 70+ year old crofter with a twinkle in his eye and a magnificent beard.)
posted by gnuhavenpier at 12:47 PM on August 28, 2018 [1 favorite]
Anyway... it would appear that my friend Donald is as funny as professional comedians. My evidence -
7. "Trump said he'd build a wall but he hasn't even picked up a brick. He's just another middle-aged man failing on a DIY project" - Justin Moorhouse
On the 24th June this year I posted on Facebook the following quote from the host of my b&b
““Donald Trump is a typical Lewis man. I can see it in all of his manners and some of his looks.”
-Angus. Near the border of Lewis and Harris. (Harris side)“
To which my friend Donald (a Lewis man) replied - “Aye, saying he is going to build a wall for someone and never getting round to doing it” which I reckon is actually funnier than Moorhouse’s joke as Moorehouse wrongly suggests that Trump is middle aged while Donald’s is self depreciating.
(Angus wins though. He is a 70+ year old crofter with a twinkle in his eye and a magnificent beard.)
posted by gnuhavenpier at 12:47 PM on August 28, 2018 [1 favorite]
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posted by TreeRooster at 5:20 AM on August 27, 2018 [2 favorites]