Stanhope: Only one ticket to Fringe show

EDINBURGH, Scotland, June 2 (UPI) -- U.S. comedian Doug Stanhope said he will sell only one ticket to his performance at Scotland's Edinburgh Festival Fringe to protest actions by comedy promoters.

Stanhope, 40, said the single $14,457 ticket to his "one night only" show will go on sale next week, but he does not expect anyone to buy it, The Scotsman reported Monday.

The comedian said his stunt is a protest against four major comedy promoters involved in the festival who have split from the fringe and began advertising their own event. The Gilded Balloon, the Pleasance, the Underbelly and the Assembly have teamed to create the Edinburgh Comedy Festival to run parallel to the Fringe.

"The big agents in the Edinburgh Comedy Festival are ... trying to monopolize a festival which is for everyone and (they) could easily take a much smaller stake," said Stanhope. "My advice to this year's kids would be to play the big finger in the face of these agents. Anyone can do their job -- why not just put an advert in a newspaper yourself and turn up?"

Stanhope, whose 2006 performances at the Fringe sold out, said the hefty price tag of the single ticket to his show represents the average amount of money comedians lose to play at the Fringe.