Alright lovelies, let’s have a little heart-to-heart about PR at the Fringe.
Theatre PR companies are the magicians behind the curtain, the unsung heroes who keep the wheels turning. They’re the ones sending those daily press releases, juggling frantic schedules, and whispering in reviewers’ ears about “just one more show you have to see.” If you’ve spotted a poster on every lamppost, opened your inbox to find a perfectly crafted press note, or stumbled across a show that seems to be everywhere on social media – chances are, a PR company has been working their socks off to make it happen.
And honestly? They deserve every bit of credit. A good PR can lift a show from hidden gem to hot ticket. They know who to talk to, how to pitch, and how to keep a production in the spotlight when hundreds of others are shouting just as loudly. When we reviewers arrive in Edinburgh, it’s often PR folk who first point us in the right direction, sliding us that email, giving us a nudge, or making sure we’ve got time in our diary for their client. Without them, the Fringe would feel a lot more chaotic.
But – and it’s a big but – not everyone can afford that luxury. For many independent performers, the cost of hiring a PR can be as out of reach as renting a castle. Some artists are already maxed out just paying for venue fees, dodgy Airbnbs, and daily meal deals. Adding a PR budget? Impossible.
And here’s the important bit: that doesn’t mean your show won’t be seen. Some of the most thrilling productions we’ve reviewed weren’t backed by a slick PR campaign at all. They were passion projects – a two-person play staged in a tiny black box theatre, a stand-up comic leafleting on the Royal Mile themselves, a musical promoted with nothing more than a handful of hand-drawn posters and word of mouth. And you know what? When the lights went up, the quality of the performance is what we reviewed, not their marketing campaign.
So if you’re sitting there worrying you can’t compete without PR – stop. Yes, PR is invaluable and, if you can afford it, absolutely worth considering. But don’t let the lack of one clip your wings. Theatre Village don’t judge a show by its marketing spend. We’re interested in heart, originality, and craft. If you’ve got those, we’ll happily trot along to see you.
At Theatre Village, we like to think of ourselves as equal opportunity cheerleaders. We’ll give a big-budget production a fair shake, and we’ll equally champion the scrappy, suitcase-toting misfits who’ve poured their soul into getting here. PR companies – we salute you. Artists without PR – don’t be disheartened. The Fringe has space for both, and we’ll be right there in the thick of it, cheering you all on.
Because at the end of the day, whether you’ve got a PR powerhouse behind you or you’re flying solo, it all comes down to this: can you tell a story that makes the hairs on our arms stand up? If the answer is yes – we’re listening.