A new fundraising effort being pushed by the Edinburgh Fringe will help several US-based acts participate in the original fringe theater festival in the Scottish capital this coming August.
According to Edinburgh’s Fringe Society, the grants provided by Keep It Fringe US will help a new generation of performers follow in the footsteps of early Americans who got career boosts playing the festival. These have included Lin-Manuel Miranda of Hamilton fame, David Schwinner of Cheers and Robin Williams, whose manic comic style seemed created for any fringe festival anywhere.
Brian Cox, an ambassador of the Edinburgh Fringe and a star of Succession, says his position as a Scotsman now based in the United States makes him “double invested” in the grants program. He hopes assisting American performers will “strengthen the cultural bond between our two countries.”
“There’s already an incredibly strong shared heritage between Edinburgh and the States,” says Cox. “One of Edinburgh’s foremost theaters for new writing, the Traverse, was founded by a US airman named Jim Haynes in the 1960s. Keep It Fringe US aims to enable and encourage the next generation of emerging US talent at the Fringe, ensuring that a spirit of adventure and collaboration can continue.”
The Society is recognizing some of the reasons American performers might decide to sit home this summer, rather than make it to Edinburgh and arrange lodging on their own nickel. No grant can remove the political chaos brought about internationally by the scattershot Trump trade wars, but money can help with the high cost of transatlantic travel. So far the typical grant, patterned after a similar (and presumably simpler) program within the UK, has been about $2,500.
So far, the grants have gone to fine US-based performers, the Society says. This financial aid comes with an advice and support package, with its main focus on marketing, screen development and industry networking. Donations are being accepted via the Chapel & York US Foundation. By giving to a registered 501 © (3) non-profit corporation, donors can claim tax benefits. According to the Society, $5,000 will support the Edinburgh appearance of an additional show, while $25,000 will allow the entity to double the size of this pilot program.
In 2023, the Edinburgh Fringe welcomed 366 shows from the United States for the festival’s month-long run, some for virtually the entire time and others for shorter durations.
Molly Morris, New York-based co-founder of Ghost Light Global, a travel company focused on arts and entertainment events around the world, said Fringe Festivals are essential to the development of new, innovative plays and musicals. “For artists it is such an important platform for gaining awareness of your work on a global scale and gaining a fan following,” she said. “For audiences it has a true ‘saw it there first’ excitement. There is nowhere else like it.”
