Fringe Institutions Fall Out Over Star Alumni???

This year sees significant anniversaries for two of the Fringe’s highest profile venues, with the Gilded Balloon celebrating its 25th birthday whilst the Assembly turns 30. The Guardian reports that their respective anniversary celebrations – and PR machines – have led to a rather unexpected and public spat as both try to claim various now-famous alumni as their discoveries. The situation hasn’t been helped by the Edinburgh Comedy Awards (formally the Perriers), also marking their 30th milestone, claiming in their marketing material that it was they’re responsible for unearthing the comedy talents of stars such as Jo Brand, Johnny Vegas, Dylan Moran and Eddie Izzard. The awards boast an early Cambridge Footlights revue that featured Emma Thompson and Stephen Fry as a previous winner. This year the Fringe plays host to a bumper crop of TV and film stars coming back to their Edinburgh roots, with stars such as Julian Clary and Alan Cumming performing for festival audiences.