Putting together your application
You’ll be asked a lot of questions as part of your Festival Hub EOI. In order to program the Hub we need to know a lot about you, your show and your technical and logistical needs. You won’t always have the answers if your work is still at the concept stage, but please provide as much detail as you can manage. The more info we have at this stage, the better we can find you the most appropriate space for your work.
It’s also important to be as flexible as you can in your options (obviously the more flexible you are, the more potential programming spots are available to you) but at the same time, please be clear where your line is. We need to program and lock in 80-100 shows in a very brief period – and to do this we need to know what your ideal programming spots are so we can try to give one to you; but we also want to know what’s in the middle (i.e. what’s not ideal, but you would still accept!) in case we can’t offer your top choices, and – very importantly – we also need to know what you’ll say no to, so we don’t waste your time or ours with an offer that doesn’t suit you or your show.
About the EOI process
A few tips for you before we get into the granular detail of how to apply to the Festival Hub:
- Please do your research. Read all the resources about the Festival Hub on the Resource Hub. If it’s been a while since you presented work at Fringe make sure you familiarise yourself with how our Festival works. In particular our Event Registration Zone provides a great primer, while our Pre-Festival Prep Zone and Business + Money Zone go a bit deeper. Then of course, you can reach out and talk to someone who has been programmed in the Festival Hub before or have a chat to Fringe staff, so there is no need to guess! The more we know about your show and your artistic practice, the more we will be able to assist!
- We encourage everyone to research other venues as alternatives; not everyone ends up getting programmed at the Festival Hub, and we want to make sure your work finds a great home.
- Once we start programming, we tend to move quickly. The main contact person for your show must be contactable during business hours. If we can’t get in touch with you to chat about a potential spot in the Hub the offer may lapse and be passed on to someone else (we’ll try more than once though, don’t worry! Just make sure you check your emails and/or answer your phone!)
- Successful applications will be required to sign a venue hire agreement with Melbourne Fringe and must complete their registration on Eventotron no later than 5pm on 21 June – that means making final decisions on your show image, blurb, ticket prices and other key details by this date.
- If you have any questions after reading this document (and it’s not already answered in the resources linked above), you can get in touch for a quick chat by calling the Fringe Office on (03) 9660 9600 (or via the National Relay Service of course!). You can also email us ([email protected]) if you prefer the written word, or if you would like to organise a longer chat (for more complex questions or detailed advice we prefer you to email us first to organise a time we can call and give you our undivided attention).
Programming Vision
To present a unique space and a program of works that engenders discovery and adventure for both audiences and artists; embraces diversity; supports experimentation; and fosters connection and celebration while also ensuring programmed work is financially viable for the presenting artists.
New Work, Innovative Ideas, Diverse Voices
- We’re committed to finding space in the Festival Hub program for new ideas, under-represented art-forms, and work that’s experimental and on the edge of current practice.
- We consider innovation in artform alongside quality of work; we will look both at the event being proposed and at the artists’ existing body of work in making our programming decisions.
- Preference will be given to work that will have its Victorian premiere at the 2024 Melbourne Fringe Festival. Revised staging of recent work will also be considered, providing there is a clear rationale for a Festival Hub season (e.g. if it has undergone significant development or if there is clearly demonstrated untapped audience potential).
- We have a commitment to diversity in all its forms: in creative diversity, by celebrating different styles and genres across our performance spaces; in diversity of content, by embracing the engagement of new ideas that need a public platform; and in diversity of voice, through a commitment to supporting voices not suitably represented on mainstages, including artists who are First Nations, People of Colour, culturally and linguistically diverse, LGBTQIA+, Deaf, Disabled, and/or artists that are committed to creating culturally and socially safe spaces.
- Event concepts that demonstrate a commitment to accessibility will be highly favoured, particularly where accessibility is integrated as part of the work.
Suitability for the Space