The Scotsman (UK) (01/04/22) Ferguson, Brian

Edinburgh Festival Fringe Society CEO Shona McCarthy is expecting the event to undergo a "renaissance" for its 75th anniversary this year, after weathering cancellations and scaled-back production in 2020 and 2021. The 2020 Fringe had to go fully virtual due to the pandemic, while hopes of a revival in 2021 were downgraded by uncertainty over what COVID restrictions would still be in force. Overall, 942 Fringe shows were registered for the summer, including 414 online and 528 in-person, with more than 400,000 tickets sold. The Fringe Society in August launched a three- to five-year, £7.5 million fundraising campaign to reinvigorate the festival. The drive is focused on creating new funding pots to make putting on shows more affordable for performers, companies and venues; to help cover the costs for rolling out "sustainable practices;" to foster new audiences in Edinburgh; and to acquire a new long-term home for the Fringe Society. McCarthy said her optimism is high, and "we'll be fighting as hard as we can to ensure the wider Fringe recovers and that the Fringe that returns really does reflect the world we live in."

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