Mental health at the Fringe is no laughing matter

Art can be one of the most powerful forces when it comes to healing and mental health. And there’s no better stage for it than the world’s largest arts festival – the Fringe. 

But what happens when you head back out onto those crowded Edinburgh streets?

Crowded streets, packed days and busy nights can be draining enough. And when you’re running a show, pressure mounts even higher. Whether you’re staring down a balance sheet, getting up on four hours sleep to hand out flyers in the rain, performing to a room of empty seats, or spiralling out about how your work’s received, performing at the Fringe comes with a mountain of anxieties, triggers and stresses.

A double-edged sword

An estimated one in five plays at the Fringe this year will be focused on mental health issues, and almost as many on abuse and trauma. It’s an incredible space to open up vital conversations, to express something true and vital and be genuinely heard – but it may not be simple. 

You might be expressing your rawest feelings to strangers night after night, reliving painful moments but, once the curtain falls, many performers will find themselves stepping straight back into the 24/7 barrage of the festival without taking the time or space to process how they’re feeling.

Small wonder, then, that while the Edinburgh Fringe remains a highlight of the year’s performance calendar, it can be a double-edged sword. However valuable art is for mental health, it’s not sustainable when it comes packaged with burnout, stress and overwhelm.

Health in Mind

I work for a Scottish charity, Health in Mind, whose guiding mission is to ensure everyone has access to support for their mental health and wellbeing, how and when they need it. 

For the second year running, we’re working with the Edinburgh Fringe Society to help artists get the support they need to look after themselves through the upheaval and excitement of the festival.

At a time when artists are facing more pressure than ever, we can’t afford to lose the space that the Fringe offers artists and audiences alike to express themselves and build community. But to reap the huge benefits that arts festivals like the Fringe give us as a society, we need to genuinely value the wellbeing of everyone making it happen.

So, what does it look like to look after your wellbeing and mental health in the chaos of a Fringe run?

Making space for yourself

Sometimes, it’s about making sure you give your body what it needs. If you’re feeling off, take a second, breathe and drink some water. When was the last time you ate? Have you had more than a couple of hours of sleep? What tools or strategies could you use to keep yourself well? There can be so much pressure to keep moving at a breakneck pace, but if you ignore your body’s needs, you’ll feel it.

Through Edinburgh’s mental health partnership, Thrive, we’ve set up an online hub for the Fringe at ithriveedinburgh.org.uk/festivals. There, you’ll find tools and resources for understanding, preparing for, and managing the strains on your mental health and wellbeing. It can be especially hard to deal with things going wrong in an unfamiliar city, so our Thriving At The Festivals site will also help you find specialist support and services in Edinburgh. 

It’s also important to make space to recover. You can’t keep running on empty, and when you’re rushing from busy venues to heaving Mile to crowded flat and back again, it can be hard to find a moment to yourself. 

You have to make that moment. Edinburgh is home to so many fantastic, accessible green spaces to enjoy, as well as a plethora of free museums and galleries. Get out of the rush, even if just for an hour or two. 

Artists’ Hub

This year, the Fringe Artists’ Hub will include quiet space if you need to get away, and you can find community events and groups there that can help you take a step back from the pressures of performance. 

If you’re struggling, you can always talk to someone. When everyone else around you is going through similar stresses, it’s easy to feel like you’ve got to keep it all bottled up and put on a brave face, but that’s not good for you or for your team. Check in on yourself, check in on your teammates, and reach out to loved ones. 

If you don’t know who to talk to (or you just need a fresh pair of ears), talk to us. We’re here to offer any artists or crew bringing a show to the Fringe space for a confidential one-to-one chat about your mental health and wellbeing. We’ll be there every day of the festival, seven days a week, to help you find ways to make things easier.

So, when you’re performing at the Fringe, if you find the stress is getting to you or you just need to talk, call us on 0777 659 4315 or email. We’ll be at the Fringe Artists’ Hub at the Grassmarket Project on Candlemaker Row throughout the month.

Bryony Nisbet is a Fringe Development Worker at Health in Mind.
 ithriveedinburgh.org.uk/festivals
@iThriveEdin | @BryonyNisbet
| Health in Mind Scotland