It’s one of the most vibrant events for the most isolated capital city in the world - but this year, Perth’s annual Fringe festival feels “cold and alienating”, artists are being financially "exploited", and performers are facing abuse daily, according to a veteran Fringe performer and campaigner for artists’ rights.

Tiffany Barton, a performer who has shown at every FRINGE WORLD in Perth, says there’s been an inexplicable spike in performers being harassed on their way to and from venues.

“On Australia Day I witnessed a guy being kicked by about 7 guys while he was lying on the ground,” Tiffany told Hack.

“A friend of mine was told no wonder girls get raped, because she was wearing a pretty costume.

A guy who was dressed in drag was told, ‘people like you should have your heads cut off’, by someone who wanted to start a physical fight.”

Skip Twitter Tweet FireFox NVDA users - To access the following content, press 'M' to enter the iFrame. More and more stories coming out of Fringe World of female performers being terribly sexually harassed in Northbridge. — Sami Shah (@samishah) February 1, 2016

Another performer, 19-year-old Jamie, told Hack she experienced two forms of harassment in one night while going to and from FRINGE WORLD. “I was running in this really short dress, and this guy immediately decided to grab my arse,” Jamie says; another man felt her up on a train ride home. When Jamie told the second guy off, transit guards told her to calm down and then “watched me like a hawk.”

“I was pretty livid about that.”

Skip Instagram Post FireFox NVDA users - To access the following content, press 'M' to enter the iFrame. A photo posted by FRINGE WORLD Festival (@fringeworldperth) on Feb 2, 2016 at 10:37pm PST

Elly Squire, who performs as Clara Cupcakes at FRINGE WORLD, told Hack she was harassed on her way home - after a man she struck up a conversation with suddenly “grabbed me in a really tight hug, and started kissing me all over my face.”

Tiffany Barton says FRINGE WORLD has always had a welcoming community atmosphere, but that something has changed this year.

Tiffany says Northbridge, the area where many Fringe shows are held, has “problems” with violence generally. Jamie also says “it’s not just Fringe” that has experienced this kind of behaviour. Another performer, Charlie D.barkle - whose partner was verbally abused on the way to a show - says these “loutish” incidents have generally been on the rise for years; he calls it the “decade of the drongo”. Charlie admits that there's now an “air of danger” that artists haven’t felt in previous years.

Tiffany Barton says recent incidents aren’t just typical of a normal Saturday night in Perth.

Artists are getting specifically targeted because they stand out, they look different, they look flamboyant.”

Fringe responds

All of the performers who spoke with Hack were pleased with how FRINGE WORLD responded to the increased reports of abuse and harassment in Northbridge.

FRINGE WORLD have struck a deal with Uber to offer a discount on rides for artists to get home safely, and a spokesperson for the festival said they’ve directly spoken with the artists who have experienced harassment or abuse.

“We’ve provided additional information to artists about late night pedestrian safety tips and we’re in direct communication with the Perth Police Station who have assured additional patrons on Fridays and Saturday nights starting this weekend,” a FRINGE WORLD spokesperson said.

They also said any disrespectful behaviour in areas controlled by Fringe “will not be tolerated”.

The 'last straw' as artists hit poverty line

Reports of abuse and harassment come at a difficult time for FRINGE WORLD artists. Tiffany Barton says hearing stories from her friends felt like the last straw - as artists are already struggling to make ends meet after covering performance costs.

FRINGE WORLD has grown massively since last year: there's around 350 more shows in 2016 than there was in 2015. “We are all essentially competing for the same audience,” says Shep Huntly, a producer and performer at the festival.

FRINGE WORLD has also become more expensive for artists. Two years ago, the festival doubled its registration fees (from $150 to $300) and increased their cut of ticket sales at Fringe venues (from 30% to 32%). For a performer like Tiffany, the costs mean walking away from the festival with little to show for it.

Tiffany breaks down the costs of her show: a third of sales go to the festival’s cut and registration fees; about a third is typically spent on advertising, flyers and costumes; the remainder is split between the artists or workers, who are “lucky to walk away with petrol money,” Tiffany says. She actually lost money from her show last year.

Increased fees and competition are making the festival financially unsustainable for artists while benefiting everyone else, Tiffany says.

But not all artists are singing the same tune as Tiffany. Renee Pilkington, an artist at FRINGE WORLD, says performers need to "do their numbers" before putting a show together. "A lot of people I’ve seen in the community having [financial] issues are young performers or teens who haven't necessarily done their research," Renee told Hack. She says that FRINGE WORLD's registration fee is a "phenomenal" deal compared to other Fringe festivals around the world. "It's actually really cheap," Renee says.

Another performer, Kathryn Osborne, said she valued the "roll-on benefits" of increased exposure and support to artists. "About five years ago when Perth Fringe didn’t exist - there was no opportunities for artists."

In a statement given to Hack about the increased registration costs for artists, FRINGE WORLD said, "As the scale, reach and impact of Fringe World has grown, so too have the overheads involved in putting the festival on. Any fee increases are carefully considered by the Festival to ensure we give the most affordable service to artists possible. A $300 registration fee is one of the cheapest registration of any Fringe in the world."

As a Not For Profit, each and every dollar that comes into the festival gets invested back into the local WA cultural ecology and scene."

FRINGE WORLD's CEO Marcus Canning told Hack, "If people’s budget and box office projections for their show cannot handle a $300 fee, then we would encourage them to consider the financial risk involved in putting on a show at Fringe in the first place."

Tiffany Barton isn't convinced.

“A picture is emerging for me of a festival that is massively beneficial for the City of Perth because it's boosting our economy - it’s bringing in $71 million this year," Tiffany says.

"Fringe World gets to look great, the Mayor gets to look great, the Tourism Minister gets to look great. Meanwhile, artists are getting exploited.

“I feel like it’s become a big exercise in corporate greed.”