ED2010 BEST BITS: Edinburgh Fringe production duo Hartshorn and Hook chat to Tom Martin.

Bounding over to my table, Louis Hartshorn apologises for the late start – “we’re just finishing up a production meeting!” He then rushes back to his team and, after a few minutes of energetic chatting and nodding, he brings over the other half of his producing team, Brian Hook. It occurs to me that they both look impossibly young. Brian welcomes me to the festival, remarking on his hectic day: “Total chaos in the most enjoyable way”. We all grin.

The story surrounding the formation of the Hartshorn-Hook production company is already Fringe legend, but Brian insists that it wasn’t quite so romantic: “Mad. It was definitely mad. When Understairs Arts collapsed just before the Fringe started back in 2007, they left over fifty shows with no venue, and just six days’ notice. Louis and I took on co-producing, assistant producing duties, and basically gave everyone the chance to perform…except me! I came up expecting to act and flyer, and ended up stuck in an office with Louis – we didn’t see the sun for all of August”.

Louis continues: “We found that we were passionate about the same things, and the next step seemed obvious. Within three weeks of meeting each other we had formed a limited company. From that point on, we were working out of a bedroom with three desks and three computers – I was getting out of bed just before the staff arrived!”

Hartshorn-Hook is now a ‘commercial entertainment production management company’, and the two are keen to talk about their position in the precarious world of theatre finance. “We try to make it really clear: we receive no grants”, Louis insists. “Taxpayers’ money funds an opera that only 4,000 people attend, while our unfunded shows have people queuing for tickets to see them again and again. This proves that theatre is able to support itself financially – you just need to have the right model, and our model is based on producing shows that the public really want”.

Brian is adamant about the festival’s economic possibilities: “If you’re taking a show to the Fringe, the first thing everyone says is ‘you won’t make any money’. And that’s absolutely absurd – we make money. The Fringe is an astronomical opportunity for investment, and high-return investment at that”.

But of course, it’s not all about the cash. “We use the revenue from our bigger live music performances to bankroll smaller, less exposed shows – shows that we feel can win awards and deserve to be seen, especially here, on what some might call the ‘ultimate’ stage”. This year Hartshorn-Hook are supporting ‘The Crying Cherry’, a physical theatre piece that sold out at last year’s Prague Fringe and received the Dioraphte Amsterdam award in 2008. It’s a far cry from their ‘Live!’ music shows, or their production of ‘Fame!’ at C Plaza.

The year ahead looks bright for Hartshorn-Hook, as they transfer the Woody Guthrie musical ‘Woody Sez’ to the Arts Theatre in the West End for January 2011. Brian puts their ethos in simple terms: “When we’re deciding what to do next, whether it’s looking for an existing show to programme or coming up with a new project, we always come back to what ‘feels right.’”

Louis instantly agrees: “There has to be that emotional, personal connection – things that make us laugh and make us cry. And above all, it’s about providing the public with entertainment, hospitality and performance, and introducing them to shows they’ll love.” With the spectre of arts cuts looming, this is a heartening approach: Passionate, practical and proven, just like these two producers.

LINKS: www.hartshornhook.com

ED2010 BEST BITS: Karen Koren, the founder of the Gilded Balloon, has a very cool office. Overlooking the New Town, the woman responsible for launching the careers of countless comedy greats sits surrounded by pictures of her prodigies. There’s even a poster for Bill Bailey’s ‘Cosmic Jam’ from the time when Fringe tickets were only five or six pounds. Thomas Martin talks to her about her current role in the Gilded Balloon.

“Of course, the official job title is Artistic Director, but I would probably call myself ‘Risk Taker’”, Karen explains, “because what I’m really passionate about, what always drives my programming strategies, is new work. That can often mean new pieces by established people, maybe older comedians presenting new material, or moving in a different direction, but it can also mean that I have to take some risks to find new artists. So every year I fly to Melbourne, Montreal, London; to all these festivals and nights that showcase emerging talent, and I try to bring the best to the Gilded Balloon”.

It all sounds terribly taxing. “Luckily, I have enormous support from a great staff, as well as returning acts who are very loyal. The Gilded Balloon is a family-type organisation, and we like comics and companies that want to come back to us. We have Andy Linden performing this year, and he was with us back in 1987 in a play with Arthur Smith and Caroline Quentin. Sean Hughes is back as well; he was one of the first of those rock and roll comics that the girls all queued up to see. The Balloon is celebrating its 25th year, so
I’ve been looking at some photos of Sean from back in the eighties, surrounded by women – and I just can’t see why! Must have been all that Irish charm”.

Karen is famed for fostering the careers of comedy pioneers. We talk for a minute about the current paradigms in comedy, before I ask her who will be the next to redefine its nature. Her finger flicks out immediately, pointing at a framed poster of Flight Of The Conchords’ Folk The World tour: “Those two, absolutely. I remember Rhys Darby’s girlfriend, now wife, telling me all about this New Zealand pair, that they were terrific, and when she told me what they were called, I just laughed and said ‘what a stupid name!’ Then David O’Doherty saw them, and he told Daniel Kitson and all the rest of his underground comic friends, and suddenly all of the Conchords’ audiences were these incredible comedians, and the message began to filter down that these two were amazing – so I just had to have them at the Fringe”.

“You see a lot of people, usually younger comics, trying to do what they do – and failing, of course. They’re funny because of who they are, because of the relationship between them, and comedy must be unique to the person who’s doing it”.

Karen has a busy year ahead, touring Doon MacKichan’s ‘Primadoona’ to America and Australia, as well as around the UK – but there’s more! “Gilded Balloon is instrumental in promoting and developing the Scottish comedy circuits, particularly in less central areas, like Inverness, Aberdeen, and St Andrews. So far the response has been great, although the smaller venues aren’t coming out as much as they could be. We’re also organising all of Tim Minchin’s Scottish dates. His stadium tour is going to be quite incredible – he’s supported by an entire orchestra!”

As long as Karen Koren continues working, it seems that the Scottish comedy scene has all the support it will need.

LINKS: www.gildedballoon.co.uk

Photo: Steve Ullathorne

ED2010 BEST BITS: Notorious for its varied programming, cheap drinks and massive red doors, the Bedlam has for many years been a bastion of accessible and affordable quality shows during the Fringe. Nicola Hazelton is managing the venue this year, so Thomas Martin threw her a few questions.

TM: So, how did you start managing the venue?
NH: We are a unique venue in that our management team changes every year, with different people being offered the opportunity. I have been involved with Bedlam since I began studying at the University of Edinburgh in 2007, and this is my third Fringe here. I began as Box Office casual staff, and then last year I was the Press and Publicity Manager. This year I decided I fancied the challenge of running the Venue, and so applied for the job and was appointed in January. It’s been fantastic, especially now that the Fringe is properly under way.

TM: The Bedlam has a diverse program of events – what’s your strategy when picking shows?
NH: My aim when programming was to have something for everyone, while at the same time having shows that complimented each other and would work well together. I think we’ve struck a good balance between straight drama, comedy and more physical theatre and dance. When it comes to actually picking, all of our managers get together and read through the many applications that we receive. We then draw up a shortlist and from that begin to compile our programme.

TM: As far as you can tell, what are the differences in managing the Bedlam as opposed to other Fringe venues? How does the Bedlam change when the Fringe comes around?
NH: I think one of the biggest differences is that we have just the one 90-seater auditorium, and a relatively small staffing team so both staff and shows all become very close-knit by the end of the Fringe. In some ways I imagine it is an easier venue to manage because it is a permanent theatre; instead of having to build the space in the run up to Fringe we are able to concentrate on making improvements to what we already have. This year we were able to carry out some significant renovation projects, which I think have benefited the theatre enormously. Bedlam is also unique in offering these kinds of management opportunities to young people just starting out in their careers, and that in itself is extremely valuable.

TM: This August, the Bedlam celebrates thirty years at the Fringe – doing anything nice to celebrate?
NH: Back in January when the Bedlam actually turned thirty there was a big party in celebration, but given that the building was originally converted into a theatre with the Fringe in mind, I feel that the whole of August is a celebration in itself. With all the work that has gone on in the building in recent months it feels almost like a new venue, and I feel very lucky to be able to run it this year especially.

TM: Arts cuts… How does the Bedlam anticipate changes in programming and development over the coming years?
NH: Because our team changes every year, and because of the level of control that the Venue Manager has, Bedlam is constantly evolving. It’s difficult to say what it might be like in five or even one year’s time, but that is one of the things I most love about Bedlam. There is always a fresh energy and enthusiasm amongst the team that makes Bedlam a very exciting place to be during August.

LINKS: www.bedlamfringe.co.uk

Photo by Kate Edwards.