In the run-up to this year’s Edinburgh fringe, the biggest festival in the world, a dialogue has been opened about what activist Jessica Brough calls the “overwhelming whiteness” of the festival.
Brough, 25, is the founder of grassroots organisation Fringe of Colour and has spent the last year and a half campaigning to make the fringe more accessible to BAME people. Last year the project published a spreadsheet of fringe shows with a cast of at least half BAME performers and this year it has expanded to offering free tickets for a selection of shows to people of colour under the age of 25.
In recent years performers of colour have spoken out about their experiences at the fringe, including being racially profiled or refused entry to venues, mistaken for other BAME performers, and struggling disproportionately to afford the high costs participation in the festival entails. One theatre-maker has even gone so far as to reject the fringe, instead encouraging black artists to focus on other platforms that serve the BAME community better.
The fringe has acknowledged these things as issues, and has placed diversity as a key strand of their Fringe Central programme - but is this enough?
Share your experiences
We want to hear from BAME people who are attending - or have attended previously - the Edinburgh fringe.
Whether you’re a performer, an audience member, or even an Edinburgh native, what have your experiences been during the festival? Have you encountered racism or discriminatory behaviour? How do you feel about efforts being made by groups like Fringe of Colour? Do you think the Fringe needs more diversity in programming?
You can share your stories in the form below. We will include some of your submissions in our reporting.
If you’re having trouble using the form, click here. Read terms of service here.
