How To Take Part
If you're keen to come on board in 2012, then start dreaming now! Here's a handy flowchart to get you started.
Registering your show is just one step in producing a show for the Melbourne Fringe Festival. We have put together a flowchart to give you an idea of the whole process. Scroll down to the text below for more details.
How to take part in the Melbourne Fringe Festival
In a nutshell, anyone can be in the Melbourne Fringe Festival – we are what’s called an open access festival. So if you follow the registration process, meet the deadlines and pay the registration fee then you’re in!
Melbourne Fringe shows are inspiring, entertaining, shocking, surprising, challenging, provoking and occasionally disgusting. All of the above and none of the above.
The best way to stay in touch with what’s happening is to sign up to our email newsletter. We send it out once a month, and will let you know all about deadlines, the registration process, applying to be part of the Fringe Hub and so much more. During the Festival, it goes out more often and is choc-a-block with all things Fringe.
For those of you just itching to get started on your show for 2012 – and we do recommend you start thinking about it sooner rather than later – here is a rough guide to the process:
1. Confirm a Venue
Venue option A:
You can apply to be programmed into a venue at the Festival Hub in North Melbourne. Applications for next year will open in April.
Venue option B:
Source your own venue. Melbourne Fringe has collated a list of potential venues, which is a great place to start. This list will be updated in the early part of 2012. Of course you can source a venue anywhere; it does not have to be from this list. Don't hesitate to contact Melbourne Fringe for advice on which venues to approach for your event.
Please note that the relationship with the venue is between the artist/producer and the venue, not Melbourne Fringe. We highly recommend that you get confirmation of your agreement from your venue in writing. There are many resources available to artists searching for a suitable venue - one useful website is Creative Spaces.
2. Register online
Registrations for next year's Melbourne Fringe Festival will open in May.
3. Sign on the dotted line
Once all the registration details are complete, you'll need to visit the Melbourne Fringe office (special arrangements can be made if you are not based in Melbourne) so that you can sign the Participants' Agreement.
4. Cough up the cash
Your registration fee covers a whole lot of administrative, ticketing and marketing costs - as well as the valuable ongoing support and advice that make doing a Melbourne Fringe show an absolute dream for you, and a fantastic experience for your audience. Find out what you get for your registration fee on the Artist Resources page.
Still got questions?
Don’t forget to check out the other areas in the For Artists section of this website, and if you can’t find the answer you’re looking for then get in touch with us:
info at melbournefringe.com.au or give us a call on +61 3 9660 9600.
Wanna take part but you’re not an artist, director or producer?
That’s OK. There are still heaps of ways that you can be involved:
Volunteer - If you'd like to get your foot in the door and gain invaluable ‘on-the-ground' experience, then volunteering could be for you.
Internships – Melbourne Fringe provides several opportunities every year for interns to become a part of the Festival team. Internships are unpaid and are in a range of different areas. Please note, we do not accept unsolicited applications for interns.
Jobs – Each year our team swells from a measly 6 core staff to a whopping 40+ people. Make sure you sign up for our email newsletter The Fix if you want to be kept informed about when jobs are advertised. Please note, we do not accept unsolicited applications for jobs.
Fringe Dweller – If you want to stay in the know about all things Melbourne Fringe, and you like the idea of freebies, prizes, special events, competitions and a whole lot more, then you should definitely become a Fringe Dweller.
Partners – Melbourne Fringe couldn’t do it all without our amazing partners. Partners provide in-kind support in the form of services and goods for free, and they provide us with financial support. If you’re interested in participating in this way then we’d love to talk to you.
Venues – Our artists are always looking for new, interesting and unusual places to perform. If you manage a venue or a space and want to get in on some Melbourne Fringe Festival action, then we’d be keen to hear more.
