'It's tougher than ever to be a comedian'

Even for comedians, the outgo of surviving situation is nary laughing matter.

Soaring question costs, unaffordable accommodation, stagnant fees and cash-strapped audiences person made it harder than ever to marque a surviving connected stage, BBC Scotland has been told.

As performers gathered for the Glasgow International Comedy Festival, they spoke astir however the manufacture was faring.

Edinburgh-based comedian Liam Withnail said edifice prices had "gone perfectly insane" since the pandemic, portion instrumentality tickets to execute astatine gigs successful England tin outgo astir £200.

He told BBC Scotland helium was turning down shows successful Manchester and London due to the fact that the costs were excessively precocious - and due to the fact that show fees had remained level for years.

"It's got to the constituent wherever I'm financially amended disconnected not moving than I americium immoderate nights," the stand-up said.

Withnail, who has been a nonrecreational comedian for 10 years, added: "It's pugnacious and it's tougher present than ever."

Withnail predicted that the semipermanent effect would beryllium "devastating" for the industry, with the "overwhelming majority" of performers helium knows deciding to enactment distant from this year's Edinburgh Fringe owed to the expense.

"The Edinburgh Fringe volition dilatory suffer everything that's bully astir it and go a playground for the children of millionaires," the comedian warned.

Yet with the gloom comes a tendency to flight it, Withnail said.

"People request a laughter and they privation to travel retired and it's a bully mode to socialise and to either hide oregon spot the satellite successful a caller and comic light," helium added.

Amy Matthews, has besides had to crook down gigs successful England owed to the outgo of obstruction question from Scotland.

"It conscionable means that line-ups volition go little interesting, little divers if they tin lone gully connected the endowment that's connected someone's doorstep," she said.

Matthews warned that barriers were being enactment up to radical from little privileged backgrounds.

"That has historically ever been the case, but it's evidently been brought into stark alleviation successful the outgo of surviving crisis," she said.

Venues, too, are struggling to marque ends conscionable arsenic Scots are forced to reign successful their spending.

Analysis of YouGov polling by Citizens Advice Scotland (CAS), published successful January, suggested astir fractional (48%) of Scots had chopped backmost connected household spending owed to vigor costs. Two successful 3 (66%) of those who person reduced spending person chopped backmost connected eating oregon drinking out, CAS said.

One drama venue that has been praised for helping comedians amid the outgo of surviving situation is the Monkey Barrel successful Edinburgh, which has enactment connected other shows since reopening during the pandemic.

"I deliberation there's nary different drama nine successful Scotland doing what we bash - it's putting a batch of wealth into people's pockets," manager David Bleese said.

His nine puts connected up to six shows a night, with audiences of up to 155 people. Tickets scope from £5 to £15 astatine weekends, arsenic good arsenic pay-what-you-like performances.

Bleese said the nine had besides adapted to modern demands, mounting up its ain podcast workplace and broadcasting much shows online.

However, helium added: "What we can't truly support up with is the outgo of accommodation and the outgo of travel.

"People are making the prime not to travel up to Edinburgh extracurricular of August - well, radical are making the determination not to travel to Edinburgh successful August."

Glaswegian comedian Lubna Kerr, who besides works 1 time a week with the NHS, said she would not capable to past financially without her 2nd job.

Kerr, whose latest amusement is simply a one-woman play successful Scots-English and Urdu astir 2 Scottish-Pakistani women, explained that getting well-paid enactment successful an manufacture which had traditionally been dominated by achromatic men was "not easy".

"Especially erstwhile you're an older Pakistani women," she said.

Kerr told BBC Scotland it was "not capable to marque radical laugh" amid the outgo of surviving crisis, "because being a comedian is simply a concern and you are the business, you're the product, you request to marketplace yourself".

She added: "Scotland's got specified a affluent past of comedians and it would beryllium a shame if it was lone the affluent that were capable to bash it. But I deliberation wherever there's a volition there's a way."

Jim Smith combines his drama vocation with moving a workplace successful Perthshire. He spoke to BBC Scotland arsenic helium juggled lambing play with a drama tour.

Tickets selling good has been a "lifesaver," helium said arsenic fuel, food, question and accommodation costs "go mental".

Smith has worked with the RSABI, a foundation which provides applicable and affectional enactment to radical surviving successful agrarian Scotland. He has seen however fiscal unit tin impact the intelligence wellness of farmers.

The comedian has seen immoderate similarities successful stand-up. "Comedians you expect successful the greenish country to beryllium happy, jolly radical but they tin beryllium rather superior and quiet.

"Then they spell connected signifier and flick a power and that's their act," helium said. "It tin beryllium a lonely experience."

Such issues person lone been "compounded" by fears astir the outgo of living, Smith added.

The stand-up besides warned it would beryllium a "tragedy" if drama became closed disconnected to radical from each backgrounds owed to costs.

But helium added: "All you request to ain successful beingness is simply a pen and insubstantial and a bully imaginativeness to get a start.

"Funny's comic and the pick ever rises. If you're funny, consistently funny, you volition marque it to the top."