prize5-9, Exercise 3: Making the Fringe fairer

Model answer (one possible idea: a cap or standard on venue fees and a shared accommodation scheme; check the details):

Idea: set clearer, published terms for venue fees and box-office shares, and expand a scheme that offers lower-cost accommodation to performers.

Argument for: it would reduce the cost of taking part and lower the risk of losses, so that more people from varied backgrounds could afford to perform. Published terms make it easier to compare venues and to challenge unfair deals.

Objection: venues are private businesses with their own costs, and caps could lead them to cut the number of shows or raise other charges. Accommodation schemes need funding and enough rooms, and the city's housing pressures would remain. It is also hard to enforce rules on an open-access festival without turning it into a regulated one.

Fair view: the idea is plausible but needs evidence on venue costs and on what similar schemes have achieved before it can be judged.