Imagine that you're a small theater company doing a technically simple play with four actors and not much scenery. Okay, the Seattle festival has finally decided to do something about this by moving the festival to September, starting next year. You come zooming down to Seattle. Your show is lean and sexy from three months of touring.
Audiences are good.
The percentage has been getting better every year, and you commend the Seattle festival for making a consistent effort to pay the artists better. Break it down and you can see why everyone wants to do self-written solo shows. Add traveling expenses, and the Seattle festival becomes economically unfeasible. Now imagine that you're a member of the Fringe Festival audience. You've heard of Edmonton and Montreal and how those festivals pull in amazing theater from all over the world.