Morgan will take over for Paul Gudgin, who announced in January that he is stepping down from the post he's had since 1999 to pursue outside festival and event-related projects in the U.K. and internationally.

Morgan is currently the executive producer of Contact, a Manchester, U.K. theatre for young people, which he joined in 2003. He has also worked as an advisor to the Scottish Arts Council on drama and dance touring and on the establishment of the new National Theatre of Scotland (NTS). He worked for the British Council, and for seven years served as general manager at the TAG Theatre Company, Scotland's touring company for young people.

Morgan told The Scotsman that he hopes to take Fringe acts on tours of Scotland to boost "access" to the Festival. He also told the paper, "I think the Fringe can be more active in making sure there's a good mix of artists appearing. We can be more pro-active. For instance, you could get more dance and maybe more family shows as well."

The Edinburgh Festival Fringe, held each year in August, is touted as the world's largest arts festival. In 2006 it sold 1.5 million tickets to over 1,800 shows.

For more information about the Edinburgh Festival Fringe, visit www.edfringe.com.