A Big Fringe

The Stage reports that this year's Edinburgh Festival Fringe (August 5-27) will have more than 2,000 different shows.

"This year presents us with some events on an epic scale," said Gudgin [festival director], who will be replaced by Contact Theatre's Jon Morgan in two week's time. "We have got the biggest single comedy event ever announced in Edinburgh, with Ricky Gervais performing to 8,000 people at the castle. The largest purpose-built venue ever to arrive in Edinburgh is the Black Tent, down on the waterfront in Leith, which will hold 1,200 people for an extraordinary Argentinean show called Fuerzabruta."

Of the new awards, the most prestigious is a link with the Edinburgh International Festival, which offers one fringe show the opportunity to perform in next year's EIF. The Arches Brick Award for Emergent Talent will commission a developing theatre company to perform at the Glasgow venue.

There will also be a new award for the comedy section. The winner will be commissioned to produce three programmes for the Current TV channel, set up by Al Gore and Joel Hyatt.