The Free Fringe is what Edinburgh is all about, really. As more and more venues hike their prices up year on year, the fact that there is a huge body of work out there that is being put on purely for the sake of being put on is rather heartwarming really. So get out there and take some risks. Take the program and put a pin in it, draw names out of a hat, pick a show with the most ridiculous title (and there are several contenders). You’ve got nothing to lose!
Theatre is widely billed as a bit of a gamble on the Free Fringe, but then that’s what it’s all about: gambling! Fear not, however, as we’ve spotted some definite bankers. Sh!t Theatre come highly recommended by Fringebiscuit, after a mix-up last year left them re-enacting their show for us without music, projection or props. And it was awesome. Then there’s Proper Night by the Outhouse Collective, a group of young people from the Roundhouse in London, and one of the few companies brave enough to set up camp in Princes Mall. It’s one thing to win over the soft targets shuffling around the Mile, it’s quite another to play to actual Edinburgh locals, many of whom have just come to have a bit of a shop.
The Banshee’s Labyrinth is a terrifying place if you’re unprepared, but rest assured that somewhere down the hall from the pentagram-filled entrance is not only a very well-priced bar, but the underground home of some excellent spoken word and poetry. Most interesting of the bunch are ‘Lovecraftian clown rap apocalypse’ Hydronomicon and Aisle 16 R Kool!, a triple-headed monster of a poetry gig featuring the very accomplished Tim Clare, Luke Wright and John Osbourne (all up with their own individual shows at other venues).
Cabaret seems at home on the Free Fringe – there’s something about the form that suits the pay-what-you-want model. A couple of good looking nights include Tales From A Cabaret, which returns to Fingers Piano Bar and East End Cabaret bringing their brand of ‘sexual revolution’ to the Counting House. If you’re looking for something a bit different there’s buzz about mind reader Doug Segal – selling well at The Three Sisters – and magician Oliver Meech.
Comedy wise, a big draw will be Robin Ince’s trio of Science shows, while getting Phil Kay for free also provides exceptional value. Free fringe institution and self styled 'lazy Woody Allen' Lewis Schaffer also returns for the umpteenth time - if you've never seen him, you should. It's an Edfringe tradition.
Panel shows Quiz In My Pants and Bob Slayers Marmite Game Show put in decent shouts for silliest title, but both are roundly double-teamed by ridiculous moniker goliaths Gagtanamo Bay and Kunt and The Gang. Go see all four just to reward the balls of their marketing teams.
Obviously we've barely scratched the surface of all the free goodies (and not so goodies) out there, but hopefully that gives you a little taster of the humungous number of shows out there that won’t cost you a penny. Go see all of them. Or none of them. You’ll still have spent the same!
Please get in touch with us on @fringebiscuit and let us know what free shows have caught your eye.