Edinburgh Festival Fringe to revive childcare for performers
The scheme last ran at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe in 2019.
The Edinburgh Festival Fringe Society plans to revive its childcare scheme for Fringe performers travelling to Edinburgh with children when it opens its new headquarters next year.
The organisation said it was in “active conversations” with organisation Parents and Carers in Performing Arts (PiPA) about how a scheme would work.
A Fringe Society spokesperson said: “We would love to be able to support Fringe participants with childcare provisions and are in active conversations with PiPA and other partners about what might be possible within the new Fringe home.
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“We need to fundraise to support delivery and would welcome discussions with anyone who is in a position to help. On Sunday, August 17 we are hosting an event in Fringe Central to connect with local Edinburgh organisations, learn more about the new home building works, and contribute to building our new fringe home.”
Laura Corcoran, otherwise known as performer Frisky, welcomed the move during the Fringe Society’s welcome address on Friday. “Those of us trying to raise kids in a conventional way while having an unconventional life are really struggling,” she said.
“Just as the Fringe has long been a place of artistic innovation, let it be a leader in redefining the approach to working parents in this industry too. The Fringe has the potential to be a magnificent resource for parents.”
She added: “In 2019, in my first Fringe as a mother, PiPA worked with the Fringe Society to offer a drop in creche free of charge. It was amazing. I understand that the Fringe Society not having a permanent building made the red tape too constraining in subsequent years, but they are working on options for next year. Fantastic news for parents.”
The Fringe Society is to open its new Fringe Central hub next year in a Victorian school building on Infirmary Street.
The hub - which performers, companies, journalists and industry delegates will use in August - is also expected to offer affordable year-round rehearsal, workshop and desk space for artists and cultural organisations in the city.
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