Orange drops Fringe sponsorship

Edinburgh's Assembly Rooms has lost a vital £150,000 sponsorship deal for this year's Fringe.

The venue says the withdrawal of support from mobile phone giant Orange could affect the quality of its future programmes.

And it is bound to put pressure on ticket prices, which already hit £15 for the most expensive shows at last year's fringe. The venue sold more than 160,000 tickets in 2003, effectively meaning Orange was subsidising each one by £1.

A spokeswoman told The Scotsman: "We have not known this position for ten years and the repercussions have yet to be fully realised, but it will definitely have implications. It is imperative we get sponsorship, we depend on it.

"At this stage we don't know what's going to happen, but cutting back on big acts is the first thing you could assume might happen. "

Orange's sponsorship manager Pip MacLennan said: "We have decided to adjust our focus at the Festival this year, but we wish the Assembly Rooms much success in finding a suitable sponsor."

Published: 4 Feb 2004