EVERY gag has a punchline, but sometimes, as Morrissey once sang, that joke isn’t funny anymore, and so the Great Yorkshire Fringe has had its last laugh in York after five years.
Founder and director Martin Witts, a hugely experienced impresario who runs the Leicester Square Theatre and Museum of Comedy in London, but whose home and heart are in York, cuts a frustrated figure in his reasoning.
“Our experience of sponsoring, curating and managing an event in this small city of ours has led us to the conclusion that until a well-managed and efficient city-centre management is implemented, a festival of our size cannot thrive and does not have a place in York,” he said in his formal statement.
Loosely translated, that means red tape, whether applied by the City of York Council or its cultural ambassador, Make It York.
Were his grievances insurmountable? Did they leave him at his Witts’ end? Or is there more to it than that?
Last summer, there was no longer enough room at the St Sampson’s Square end of Parliament Street to accommodate The Turn Pot tent to complement the White Rose Rotunda spiegeltent and The Teapot tent on the festival village green, and so the festival spread out to more locations than ever before across the city. On the one hand, that increased the festival profile; on the other, crucially it dissipated its central meeting ground.
Some people said the ticket prices were high, some reckoned the quality of the acts had lowered, especially among the newer, burgeoning acts making their way to the Edinburgh Fringe; others felt the same names kept returning.
In other words, festivals have a natural cycle, and the fickle world of comedy is particularly prone to “the new rock’n’roll” going in and out of fashion.
Could Martin Witts take the Great Yorkshire Fringe to another Yorkshire city? Possibly, but more likely he will deliver on his promise to continue to invest in the cultural scene of York with high-quality individual events, although a spiegeltent festival would be most welcome too.
In happier days: Great Yorkshire Fringe founder and director Martin Witts. Picture: Steve Ullathorne
THE comedy is over for the Great Yorkshire Fringe after five years in York, blaming the “city-centre management” for the decision to exit stage left.
In a formal statement this morning, founder and director Martin
Witts said: “Our experience of sponsoring, curating and managing an event in this
small city of ours has led us to the conclusion that until a well-managed and
efficient city-centre management is implemented, a festival of our size cannot
thrive and does not have a place in York.”
Henning Wehn: regular performer at the Great Yorkshire Fringe in York
This is the second summer festival to fold in York city
centre in quick succession in the wake of the loss of the ten-week Shakespeare’s
Rose Theatre, run by North Yorkshire entertainment impresario James Cundall, whose
Lunchbox Theatrical Productions company went into liquidation in October after
two summers of Shakespeare plays at a pop-up Elizabethan theatre on the Castle
car park.
Mr Witts, who lives in York, also runs the Leicester Square Theatre and the Museum of Comedy, in Holborn, London. In his full statement, he said: “The Great Yorkshire Fringe has had five fabulous years in York, 1,200 shows, 9,000 performers and 110,000 show patrons, plus a fantastic array of volunteers, festival crew and local venue staff.
Podcaster and comedian Richard Herring: interviewed a former Lord Mayor of York, Councillor Dave Taylor, at the Great Yorkshire Fringe
“We have sadly come to the decision that we will not be
continuing into 2020. We would like to thank all of the acts who have performed,
our food and beverage providers, the staff, both from York and London, and our
loyal team of volunteer staff.
“The biggest thank-you of all to our wonderful patrons, York
residents and visitors alike who have visited us and the city of York for the
last five years. We hope that we have given you some amazing memories.”
The Great Yorkshire Fringe logo from the front cover of each year’s brochure
Mr Witts added: “Thank you to all that have been involved in
the Fringe over the past five years; it has been a privilege to work with you.
We will continue to invest in the local cultural scene of York.
“Our experience of sponsoring, curating and managing an event in this small city of ours has led us to the conclusion that until a well-managed and efficient city-centre management is implemented, a festival of our size cannot thrive and does not have a place in York.”
Sean Bullick: Make It York
Responding to Mr Witts’s statement, Sean Bullick, managing director of Make it York, the organisation in charge of the city centre, said he was sorry the Great Yorkshire Fringe would not be returning this year, but did not rule out a resurrection.
“The Great Yorkshire Fringe was a valued addition to the city’s diverse events calendar and we are sorry to hear it will not be returning next year,” he said.
American singer Curtis Stigers: smooth performance at York Barbican at the 2017 Great Yorkshire Fringe
“It is disappointing that the organisers feel this way as over the last five years Make it York have offered significant marketing and operational support for this festival.
“However, we understand there have been some infrastructure challenges connected to putting on an event of this scale in a city-centre space.
“We would welcome the opportunity to discuss options to bring the event back to the city in future years as part of the ambitious programme of events we are developing.”
Al Murray;The Pub Landlord raises a glass to the inaugural Great Yorkshire Fringe on the first day at the White Rose Rotunda in July 2015.
Mr Witts, who took his first steps in the entertainment business
working alongside York actor Mark Addy in the York Theatre Royal carpentry
team, set up the Great Yorkshire Fringe on a village green laid down in
Parliament Street with street food and coffee, gin and craft beer stalls either
side of the pathway, and the ever-present
double-decker bus, Bob The Box Office.
At one end was the White Rose Rotunda spiegeltent, at the
other The Turn Pot tent, and in the middle, the star-lit Teapot, where the festival
presented comedy, music, variety acts, magic, theatre and children’s entertainment
each July.
Jerry Sadowitz: magic and menace at the Great Yorkshire Fringe
For last summer’s festival run from July 18 to 28, Mr Witts spread out into more locations than ever: the Grand Opera House, York Barbican, The Arts Barge on the River Ouse, 41 Monkgate and The Basement at City Screen, all complementing the spiegeltent and tent.
Among the acts over the five years were German ambassador of
comedy Henning Wehn; Pocklington-born podcaster Richard Herring; Reginald D
Hunter; Michael Palin; Tony Slattery; Omid
Djalili; Jerry Sadowitz; Al Murray: The
Pub Landlord; Austentatious; S!it-Faced Shakespeare; American singer Curtis Stigers; jazz singer Clare
Teal; Ronnie Scott’s All Stars and Shed Seven drummer Alan Leach in a fusion of
stand-up and quiz show.
