Gilded Balloon defends decision to sign Amanda Knox Fringe show

Gilded Balloon, which is presenting Ms Knox’s solo show at its newly reopened flagship Teviot venue during this year’s Edinburgh Festival Fringe, pointed to the Fringe’s commitment to “freedom of expression” and said the venue was “a platform for a wide range of voices”.

Ms Knox was convicted and later acquitted of the murder of Ms Kercher, a 21-year-old Leeds University student, was found dead on the floor of her room in Perugia, Italy, in November 2007, after being stabbed and sexually assaulted.

News of her show has already sparked anger from the family of Ms Kercher, who called Ms Knox’s comedy appearance an “offensive and deplorable” insult to their relative’s memory.

Karen and Katy Koren artistic directors of The Gilded Balloon said: “The Edinburgh Festival Fringe is an open-access festival.

“As a Fringe venue, we provide a platform for a wide range of voices, in line with the Fringe’s long-standing commitment to freedom of expression (within the confines of the law) and ensure our audiences can make informed choices.

Ms Knox, now 38, began her comedy career last year. Her routine, Cartwheel, is believed to be a a reference to the exercises she reportedly did while waiting to be questioned at the police station following her roommate’s death. Her previous routine featured jokes about the investigation and trial.

However, Gilded Balloon said the show Ms Knox will bring to the Fringe explores “themes of motherhood”.

The Korens added: “Artists and companies choose to participate at our venue and take on the financial and creative responsibility for their work. We do not curate the content of individual performances.

“This particular show is a one-woman piece exploring themes of motherhood, presented independently by the artist.”

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Ms Knox, her roommate at the time, was sentenced alongside her then-boyfriend Raffaele Sollecito to 26 years in prison following the initial murder trail in 2009.

In 2011, the conviction was overturned and Ms Knox was released, but the acquittal was overturned and a retrial ordered. Both Ms Knox and her former boyfriend were acquitted definitively in 2015.

Another man, Rudy Guede, was convicted of the killing in 2008.

Ms Knox is now married and has two children. She has a podcast called Hard Knox and has been the subject of several documentaries.

Teviot, where Ms Knox’s show is being staged, is Gilded Balloon’s flagship venue. It recently reopened as a student union following a two and a half year closure during a major refurbishment.

First opened in 1889, the building was designed by architects Sydney Mitchell and Ralph Scott and, in what is widely thought to be a global first, created specifically as a place for students to gather. In the years since, Teviot has remained an iconic feature of student life, establishing itself as a year-round events host and venue during the Edinburgh Festival Fringe.