Guest Blog: Jamie Eastlake of Theatre N16 On Supporting Working-class Creatives

It's August, again. It's pissing it down, again. The sound of a capella groups fill the air, again. Must mean we're all in Edinburgh for the best month of the year!

I mean, it's a damn spectacle, isn't it? It's glorious, full of hope and expectation and the chance that this year could be your year. However, inside the shiny purple bovine and the VIP bars that never seem to have last orders, not everyone is getting an equal chance at this month of promise.

The big issue, as you look around, pay attention and listen, is diversity. This is the biggest festival in the world and it's just a sea of middle-class white people. In the industry, we all know why this is, but do the public know?

Production costs, accommodation costs, leaflet printing, advertising, travel, food, drink, living costs. Edinburgh is horrifically expensive. So many working-class souls who would dare to take the next step find the door closed, priced out of opportunity. It leaves them stuck looking at the Fringe from a distance.

For those who have broken through that door, despite the cobbled terraced streets they come from and the lack of education they've been left with, there is an unholy amount of risk. There is no family safety blanket. If our shows don't do well, we're kaput.

I'm a working-class theatre producer who doesn't have a pot to piss in, and Edinburgh is always the biggest risk of the year. Of course, it's horrifically terrifying, but it's also incredibly exciting at the same time.

Eastlake Productions are delighted to be representing a whole host of voices this year all across our eight shows. I'm still just as excited to be running Theatre N16 to open theatre to a wider variety of voices. We're working to close the gap on costs in the industry with our 'box office splits only' policy.

We're also in our third year of First Credit, a production which gives creatives the opportunity to get their first paid gig on stage to achieve their first credit and see them fly into other work.

Our Catapult programme has given space, time and industry support to six companies for them to make the best shows possible. Our new ten-week actor/writer course, run by the amazing Wolab, will give free training to performers wanting to create work.

We're working to kickstart the careers of artists who are less well-off and to provide that little bit of help they need to create and be seen. We hope more will join us in this mission.

If you do want to support us this year, you can check out all our Edinburgh shows on our website, and check out our Catapult shows too. Watch out for more info coming soon how to apply for First Credit and what Wolab have up their sleeves...

Photo credit: Andreas Lambis

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