Fringe audiences are 99% white? As a South Asian critic, I found Edinburgh’s screaming lack of diversity hugely troubling | Anya Ryan

Outdated terminology, racist gags, almost entirely white audiences … with just a few fantastic exceptions, fringe shows do not feel like they are for people like me I’m sitting in the audience of another Edinburgh fringe show. The month is in full swing and, as a reviewer, I’ve fallen into the pattern of rushing across the city from one venue to another to find my next seat. But, as I sit here, I have a growing sense of discomfort. Like the previous show, and the one before that, I’m the only person of colour in the audience. I fell in love with the fringe on my first visit to the festival when I was 17. There’s magic in the mass coming-together of creativity in Scotland’s capital. And, although a lack of diversity had always prevented me from feeling entirely at ease in the city, I still managed to sing the praises of a place that championed new, exciting talent and celebrated the wonder of art. But this year, the screaming lack of representation felt like a barrier too big to negotiate. Continue reading...
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