Beyond the contract: Edinburgh festival fringe performers and their relationships with key stakeholders
“It becomes quite difficult to capture the Edinburgh Festival Fringe in a single sentence. With a programme that includes everything from theatre, comedy, and dance to music, cabaret, and spoken word, the options are seemingly endless. As the Edinburgh Fringe Society likes to illustrate, the festival plays host to the world’s greatest platform for creative freedom.
My dissertation examines the intricate relationships between performers and key stakeholders at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe, beyond the contract. With the use of a qualitative research approach, I was able to interview an array of key festival stakeholders to critically explore how these connections influence artists’ campaigns and the overall festival experience.
The findings uncovered the strategic use of power within the festival’s social structures and highlighted a collective objective among stakeholders to enhance the creative development for visiting companies and all artists venturing to the Edinburgh Fringe. The festival should be used as an inclusive development platform as opposed to a performance space for favored or polished productions. There is immense risk involved for all contributing stakeholders across the entire ecosystem in which the most damage falls on the financial. This paper takes a valuable look into the importance of stakeholder connections for the longevity of the festival. It also provides insights for both artists and key festival stakeholders on how to leverage these vital networks that inevitably elevates the performing arts and culture escapade.”
Read the full dissertation by Christy Tukalo, MSc Marketing with Festival and Event Management