Comedians gearing up for the Edinburgh Fringe 2025 are getting a lifeline from Brass Tacks Comedy - the little grassroots company that’s apparently decided to save everyone from the soul-crushing reality of failing on stage. In a move that’s either genuinely altruistic or a thinly veiled cry for attention, the Scotland-based, female-led outfit is giving away downloadable guides aimed at helping comedians not implode under the weight of their own hubris.
May just be the festival fairy godmother you never knew you needed
The freebies include a Fringe Survival Guide; a Budgeting Guide & Editable Template and a 'how-to' on actually structuring a comedy show (because shouting punchlines for an hour doesn’t technically count as a narrative arc).
“We know the Fringe can feel like a logistical nightmare wrapped in an existential crisis,” says Brass Tacks Founder Katie Palmer. Yes, and some might say that’s exactly why the rest of us gave up on it years ago. But Palmer’s staying the course, insisting that these guides will not only soothe the chaos but also provide the ‘emotional through-line’ your show desperately needs, since your material clearly isn’t cutting it.
If that’s not enough, Brass Tacks has also launched ‘Fresh Eyes’ sessions - £110 for a 2-hour feedback workshop in which Palmer and co. will watch your work and tell you where you’re going wrong. Comedian Grace Mulvey credits Palmer for shaping her 2024 Fringe show, which was apparently a hit with Rolling Stone. Mulvey describes the process as Palmer helping her ‘find the clear theme of the show’ – which is a nice way of saying she was rambling incoherently until someone stepped in.
All the downloads are free, because, according to Palmer, ‘no one teaches you this bit.’ True, but some would argue no one needs to, if you just sit in a darkened room and watch the pros for a few years.
Still, for every unseasoned comic in need of a sanity-saving intervention, Brass Tacks Comedy may just be the festival fairy godmother you never knew you needed. Or, at the very least, the one you can afford.
