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Friday, March 08, 2024
Edinburgh festival slashes ticket prices to increase youth participation
Edinburgh festival 2024 | The Guardian: Nicola Benedetti, the Edinburgh festival director, has slashed ticket prices, increased youth participation and added more “beanbag concerts” in a renewed effort to broaden the art festival’s appeal.
10 comments:
Carly Tamborello
said...
Okay, I will admit, this article put a smile on my face. I am always talking about how theatre (and other forms of live entertainment) should be more accessible. It’s a difficult balance to strike when we also want to make sure shows are making enough money to pay artists fairly. However, it can’t be denied that theatre/opera/music often ends up being exclusive to higher society/ upper-middle class patrons who can afford the tickets, which is upsetting because art should be exploring universal and diverse themes and representing more demographics — so audiences should reflect these values as well. Everyone should be able to go to the theatre. So I love the active choices that Benedetti is making to make the Edinburgh International Festival more accessible. This is what we need to keep up, both in lowering prices and in implementing more BSL interpreters and audio descriptions.
I’m truly blown away by reading this. I think I’ve read a couple of different articles about major accessibility improvements the Edinburgh festival has been adding over the year, and this one is possibly the most impressive. Lowering the ticket price barrier is such a major way to improve accessibility to the festival, and make it easier for a new generation of people to experience these live performances. A festival of this size obviously incurs a lot of costs, and I’m sure the money made from ticket sales doesn’t all just go to waste, so I am really impressed that it was financially feasible to lower ticket prices as well as have so many half-priced and free tickets. I also think it’s pretty cool that they’re making the festival itself more accessible. Not only lowering ticket prices for people with hearing impairments, but pairing it with increased use of sign language and audio descriptions. The combination of factors like that shows that there has actually been a good bit of care and thought put into improving the festival.
I genuinely love this development at the Fringe. I’m always onboard with theaters and entertainment venues striving to make their content more accessible. I agree with the article’s point about the importance of collective experience, and how now in our isolated interconnected digital age, more than ever it is essential to make art together, with people and for people to enjoy. Reducing ticket prices that seem to just be increasing in many different ways is important - and it works to attract more audiences that might not otherwise attend. Recently, the Pittsburgh Ballet put on a production of the ballet Beauty and the Beast, and had reduced ticket pricing for students, something which caused my friends and I to actually try and figure out how we could visit and see the work of the artists there. This kind of work in entertainment accessibility is very important, and I’m glad to see the Edinburgh Fringe taking this step (I hope to see others follow suit).
Just the title of this article made me so beyond happy. I think that it is more than impressive that the fringe wants to make the festival more attractive for youth. Theatre has obviously been such an important part of my life and exposing this wonderful festival not only to the people that have been aware of this festival for many years but to the generations that are just becoming aware of the world around them is something that should be appreciated. Adding elements to the festival that the youth find more interesting and giving them opportunities to explore new expressions of theatre that has become popular in recent years. I think that many more theatre companies and festivals should take this directors approach of wanting to broaden their audiences. I think it makes sure the festival will continue to thrive and hold its iconic reputation for many more years to come.
I'm a huge fan of this decision. Speaking as a young person myself, I think that reducing ticket prices for those who may not have enough money to go is incredible. Unfortunately this festival is in Edinburgh, so I won't be able to make it this year. If only they had a program to pay for flights as well... but I digress. I believe that more people my age and below should be involved in the creation and viewing of beautiful art. I think that not enough people make art currently, and that there's always room for expansion. Slashing ticket prices is amazing, but I also think that this could be a stunt to drive more people in this year, to simply close the doors on them the next. Unless there is an institutional change in doctrine, I don't trust systems that can be changed completely by the whims of the director.
Nicola Benedetti's fresh take on the Edinburgh International Festival is super exciting! Slashing ticket prices and adding beanbag concerts to boost youth participation is a genius move. It’s so refreshing to see a major arts event working hard to be more accessible and inviting to everyone, not just the usual crowd. The mix of performances, from opera to contemporary dance and even a Bob Dylan concert recreation by Cat Power, shows there’s something for everyone. Making over half the tickets £30 or less and throwing in £10 deals and free tickets for young people, is a game-changer. It really opens the festival to students like us who might not have thought it was for us or within our budget. The focus on inclusivity, with discounts for under-18s, people with disabilities, and neurodivergent attendees, is something all festivals should take note of. Plus, the chance for young musicians to join rehearsals? That's a dream come true for aspiring artists.
I love Edinburgh. I went this past summer for a few days, and it’s such an incredible city, it’s so unbelievably beautiful and was an amazing experience. I really want to go to the Edinburgh Fringe one year, it seems so incredible, I remember after I’d gone it started appearing so much all over my social media, and it’s such a cool looking festival! I think this decision to cut prices is awesome, making theater more accessible can seem quite difficult but in doing this so many more people can go and see the great art and performances that are in the festival, as well as attracting younger people will increase interest in the arts and in theater, hopefully drawing more people to participate in future years. In doing this she is really broadening the audience, and I hope many more people attend the festival in future years! I hope to go in the future as well, and the decrease in ticket prices will make that much more affordable.
This is so exciting! I’ve always wanted to go to the Fringe Festival and this makes it so possible for me. I won’t be able to go this year but maybe next year! One thing that was really interesting is that in this audience manifesto that the Festival proposed has a part about how they will offer half price tickets for neurodivergent individuals. I wonder how they will enact this. Does someone have to have a doctor's note to get half priced tickets? Is a diagnosis required for a half priced ticket? If so that doesn’t necessarily make the festival more accessible to neurodivergent people as diagnoses are expensive and a privilege not many can afford. People who can afford a diagnosis are more likely to be able to afford a full priced fringe ticket. This isn’t to say what they’re doing is bad. I’m really happy with what they’re doing and I think it’s great that they’re trying to make Fringe more accessible. The increase in accessibility helps both the creators and the consumers. However I am curious about the logistics of it all.
This is a great way of integrating the arts into more young people's lives. The struggle for some to even go out and see theater is far too common these days. The younger generations are not being exposed to enough art and seeing the possibilities of their future in the arts instead of something un-creative. With the rise of TikTok, social media, and ai, youths aren’t looking at real artistic creations but rather filtering images through a screen. However, many people cannot afford to see a great show on a stage, and I do agree the prices are high– but in some cases, they deserve to be that way. The work that theater companies, technicians, designers, and actors put into the production is insane and deserves to be paid in such a way. Now don't get me wrong I am all for lowering the prices of tickets, I just hope people utilize this and see ART!!
I have always wanted to see and be an audience member at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival, or even cooler be a part of productions that get to perform during the festival. But all of that can become a very fantastical idea when it comes to actually getting to Scotland, staying there, and then attending the shows, the price racks up very quickly. Over this past summer I had a friend perform in one of the shows at the Fringe, and I was so excited for him and would’ve loved to see him perform there, it wasn’t very realistic. I am a huge advocate for making theater prices more accessible and affordable and I am glad to see the Fringe take large steps like cutting their ticket prices to do so. Hopefully this will make it easier to one day go to and experience the Fringe while slightly lessening the cost burden that can come with it.
10 comments:
Okay, I will admit, this article put a smile on my face. I am always talking about how theatre (and other forms of live entertainment) should be more accessible. It’s a difficult balance to strike when we also want to make sure shows are making enough money to pay artists fairly. However, it can’t be denied that theatre/opera/music often ends up being exclusive to higher society/ upper-middle class patrons who can afford the tickets, which is upsetting because art should be exploring universal and diverse themes and representing more demographics — so audiences should reflect these values as well. Everyone should be able to go to the theatre. So I love the active choices that Benedetti is making to make the Edinburgh International Festival more accessible. This is what we need to keep up, both in lowering prices and in implementing more BSL interpreters and audio descriptions.
I’m truly blown away by reading this. I think I’ve read a couple of different articles about major accessibility improvements the Edinburgh festival has been adding over the year, and this one is possibly the most impressive. Lowering the ticket price barrier is such a major way to improve accessibility to the festival, and make it easier for a new generation of people to experience these live performances. A festival of this size obviously incurs a lot of costs, and I’m sure the money made from ticket sales doesn’t all just go to waste, so I am really impressed that it was financially feasible to lower ticket prices as well as have so many half-priced and free tickets. I also think it’s pretty cool that they’re making the festival itself more accessible. Not only lowering ticket prices for people with hearing impairments, but pairing it with increased use of sign language and audio descriptions. The combination of factors like that shows that there has actually been a good bit of care and thought put into improving the festival.
I genuinely love this development at the Fringe. I’m always onboard with theaters and entertainment venues striving to make their content more accessible. I agree with the article’s point about the importance of collective experience, and how now in our isolated interconnected digital age, more than ever it is essential to make art together, with people and for people to enjoy. Reducing ticket prices that seem to just be increasing in many different ways is important - and it works to attract more audiences that might not otherwise attend. Recently, the Pittsburgh Ballet put on a production of the ballet Beauty and the Beast, and had reduced ticket pricing for students, something which caused my friends and I to actually try and figure out how we could visit and see the work of the artists there. This kind of work in entertainment accessibility is very important, and I’m glad to see the Edinburgh Fringe taking this step (I hope to see others follow suit).
Just the title of this article made me so beyond happy. I think that it is more than impressive that the fringe wants to make the festival more attractive for youth. Theatre has obviously been such an important part of my life and exposing this wonderful festival not only to the people that have been aware of this festival for many years but to the generations that are just becoming aware of the world around them is something that should be appreciated. Adding elements to the festival that the youth find more interesting and giving them opportunities to explore new expressions of theatre that has become popular in recent years. I think that many more theatre companies and festivals should take this directors approach of wanting to broaden their audiences. I think it makes sure the festival will continue to thrive and hold its iconic reputation for many more years to come.
I'm a huge fan of this decision. Speaking as a young person myself, I think that reducing ticket prices for those who may not have enough money to go is incredible. Unfortunately this festival is in Edinburgh, so I won't be able to make it this year. If only they had a program to pay for flights as well... but I digress. I believe that more people my age and below should be involved in the creation and viewing of beautiful art. I think that not enough people make art currently, and that there's always room for expansion. Slashing ticket prices is amazing, but I also think that this could be a stunt to drive more people in this year, to simply close the doors on them the next. Unless there is an institutional change in doctrine, I don't trust systems that can be changed completely by the whims of the director.
Nicola Benedetti's fresh take on the Edinburgh International Festival is super exciting! Slashing ticket prices and adding beanbag concerts to boost youth participation is a genius move. It’s so refreshing to see a major arts event working hard to be more accessible and inviting to everyone, not just the usual crowd. The mix of performances, from opera to contemporary dance and even a Bob Dylan concert recreation by Cat Power, shows there’s something for everyone. Making over half the tickets £30 or less and throwing in £10 deals and free tickets for young people, is a game-changer. It really opens the festival to students like us who might not have thought it was for us or within our budget. The focus on inclusivity, with discounts for under-18s, people with disabilities, and neurodivergent attendees, is something all festivals should take note of. Plus, the chance for young musicians to join rehearsals? That's a dream come true for aspiring artists.
I love Edinburgh. I went this past summer for a few days, and it’s such an incredible city, it’s so unbelievably beautiful and was an amazing experience. I really want to go to the Edinburgh Fringe one year, it seems so incredible, I remember after I’d gone it started appearing so much all over my social media, and it’s such a cool looking festival! I think this decision to cut prices is awesome, making theater more accessible can seem quite difficult but in doing this so many more people can go and see the great art and performances that are in the festival, as well as attracting younger people will increase interest in the arts and in theater, hopefully drawing more people to participate in future years. In doing this she is really broadening the audience, and I hope many more people attend the festival in future years! I hope to go in the future as well, and the decrease in ticket prices will make that much more affordable.
This is so exciting! I’ve always wanted to go to the Fringe Festival and this makes it so possible for me. I won’t be able to go this year but maybe next year! One thing that was really interesting is that in this audience manifesto that the Festival proposed has a part about how they will offer half price tickets for neurodivergent individuals. I wonder how they will enact this. Does someone have to have a doctor's note to get half priced tickets? Is a diagnosis required for a half priced ticket? If so that doesn’t necessarily make the festival more accessible to neurodivergent people as diagnoses are expensive and a privilege not many can afford. People who can afford a diagnosis are more likely to be able to afford a full priced fringe ticket. This isn’t to say what they’re doing is bad. I’m really happy with what they’re doing and I think it’s great that they’re trying to make Fringe more accessible. The increase in accessibility helps both the creators and the consumers. However I am curious about the logistics of it all.
This is a great way of integrating the arts into more young people's lives. The struggle for some to even go out and see theater is far too common these days. The younger generations are not being exposed to enough art and seeing the possibilities of their future in the arts instead of something un-creative. With the rise of TikTok, social media, and ai, youths aren’t looking at real artistic creations but rather filtering images through a screen. However, many people cannot afford to see a great show on a stage, and I do agree the prices are high– but in some cases, they deserve to be that way. The work that theater companies, technicians, designers, and actors put into the production is insane and deserves to be paid in such a way. Now don't get me wrong I am all for lowering the prices of tickets, I just hope people utilize this and see ART!!
I have always wanted to see and be an audience member at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival, or even cooler be a part of productions that get to perform during the festival. But all of that can become a very fantastical idea when it comes to actually getting to Scotland, staying there, and then attending the shows, the price racks up very quickly. Over this past summer I had a friend perform in one of the shows at the Fringe, and I was so excited for him and would’ve loved to see him perform there, it wasn’t very realistic. I am a huge advocate for making theater prices more accessible and affordable and I am glad to see the Fringe take large steps like cutting their ticket prices to do so. Hopefully this will make it easier to one day go to and experience the Fringe while slightly lessening the cost burden that can come with it.
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