City urged to cut fees for Fringe venues

Every production company staging a Fringe show in a venue that is not normally a theatre has to pay a fee - sometimes exceeding 1000 - for a temporary theatre license.

Now senior staff at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe Society have renewed their long-running campaign to cut fees.

They have asked for three venues that they say make a "valuable artistic contribution" to the festival to get last-minute reductions in licence fees. They have also vowed to continue to campaign for fairer fees for future years.

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After a survey of venues, the Society has asked for reductions to be considered for the popular Roxy Arts House, long-running Hill Street Theatre and a double-decker bus that will provide children's shows on the Meadows.

The Fringe Society said a "number of conversations" have taken place with council officials about festival licensing and they agreed to suggest the three venues that deserved a discount because they helped "give the Fringe its distinct character".

Christabel Anderson, head of participant services at the Festival Fringe Society, said: "We appreciate that it would not be practical for a large number of reductions to be considered and we have narrowed down the list to those organisations we feel would benefit most."

Zoo Venues now operates the Roxy Art House and will run four separate performance spaces from 40-200 seats. It faces having to pay 1273 for a theatre variation licence but Ms Anderson said a reduction should be given because the focus will be on dance, "an under-represented art form".

The Hill Street Theatre, which was the longest-running Fringe venue until it was unused last year, has been taken over by a new company, ReMarkable Arts, which will face an 849 bill for a temporary theatre licence. The theatre venue, which is actually a masonic lodge, has always had a temporary licence for the Fringe. It is not open throughout the year, so it does not have a theatre licence.

Ms Anderson said: "The programme consists of artists of high calibre who are at a breakthrough point in their careers and therefore a reduction for this venue would directly support Fringe artists and encourage forward-thinking business practices."

The Red Bus will be parked in the Meadows during the day and will offer a programme of children's shows.

The local firm operating it is to be charged 106 for its temporary licence.

Ms Anderson argued it deserved a reduction because it was unusual to have a venue like it, particularly one "catering to younger audiences".

A spokesman for the Fringe said all venue licence fees needed to be reviewed. He said: "We need to look at whether the cost of theatre licences, particularly temporary licences, are competitive with other towns and cities."

Councillors will decide tomorrow whether to give a discount to the three venues.

In a report for councillors, Jim Inch, the council's director of corporate services, said any shortfall in anticipated fees would have to be met from this year's licensing budget.

He added: "The committee is asked to consider, in light of the budgetary situation, whether or not to agree to a reduction."