Call for submissions: Festival St-Ambroise Fringe de Montréal

The call for submissions has been put out for 22nd edition of Le Festival St-Ambroise Fringe de Montréal (Montreal Fringe Festival).

You are invited to apply to be a part of the Plateau Mile-End's biggest summer block party. The FRINGE is a multidisciplinary arts festival of theatre, dance, comedy, music, spoken work, puppeteering and much more! Nearly one hundred companies will be selected by lottery to perform more than 700 shows in a dozen venues throughout the neighbourhood. Chosen companies will present shows from June 14th-24th, 2012.

Deadline to apply is November 14th at 6pm. The Lottery Party at MainLine Theatre and hosted by Kirsten Rasmussen and Cat Lemieux is later that night at 8pm.

http://www.montrealfringe.ca/en/content/fringe-2012

Montreal FRINGE A-Z English Application Forms

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St-Ambroise Montreal FRINGE Festival®

22^nd edition, June 14-24, 2012

Welcome to the St-Ambroise Montreal FRINGE! Please take a moment to read this before filling out the application form.

WHAT IS A FRINGE®?

The FRINGE Festival® is an international multidisciplinary arts party celebrating creativity without limits that includes theatre, music, comedy, dance, spoken word and more from over 500 performers. Over 60,000 patrons visited this bilingual festival in 2011, attending shows created by artists from all over the world.

The Canadian FRINGE Festivals® are built on four principles:

1) No Artistic Direction. Artists are selected by lottery.

2) No Censorship. Artists have complete freedom to present ANYTHING.

3) Accessibility to artists. Anyone can apply to the lottery and the fees are kept low.

4) Accessibility to audience. Ticket prices are kept low & 100% of the ticket price is returned to the artists.

For more detailed information, please visit the CAFF home page: www.fringefestivals.com

FRINGE A-Z. This application package is for artists wishing to participate in the FRINGE A-Z programming. If you wish to apply as an OFF Company, create site-specific work, organize a special event or have your act play our FRINGE Park, please email fringe@montrealfringe.ca for more information.

How the FRINGE A-Z works.

What FRINGE A-Z offers you.

·       We select 80-100 companies by lottery (out of a hat). 

·       We rent venues and hire technicians.

·       We create a schedule for you of 6-8 shows (depending on your venue).

·       We publicize the festival as a whole (program, posters, flyers, ads, website, special events, etc).

·       We run your box office in advance and at the shows.

What you do.

·       You apply and pay an application fee based on the length of your show.  

·       You send us your technical information.

·       You rehearse your show.

·       You publicize your show (we give you workshops and media lists to help you). 

·       You set your own ticket prices (up to a maximum of $10.00) and you keep 100% of that (we add service charges).

You get a technical rehearsal of up to 3 hours with your technician, a general lighting plot with a couple of specials, and limited storage space. You'll have 15 minutes to set up each performance, and 15 minutes to strike it. Sounds fun? Read on!

EARLY-BIRD SPECIAL! As of 8AM, SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 17, 2011, we will accept the first 8 applications (submitted in person) in each local quota that arrive in our hands that morning. We will also accept the first 5 emailed/web applications in the Canadian (outside Quebec) and international quotas that arrive in our inbox. The application fee must be paid in full to be accepted. If you are not among the first 8 or 5, you will be placed in the lottery.

THE LOTTERY. The Montreal FRINGE reserves the following quotas: 35% Quebec Anglophone; 35% Quebec Francophone; 15% Canadian (outside Quebec); 15% international companies. There are four separate lotteries, one for each quota. We will determine your category based on the address you provide.

The lottery will take place at 8 PM, MONDAY, NOVEMBER 14, 2011, at MainLine Theatre (3997 St-Laurent). Your application must be in our hands before 6 PM. Applications can be mailed, faxed, hand delivered, or emailed to MainLine Theatre. The lottery will determine the participating companies and the order of the 4 waiting lists.

Waiting List. If you wind up on your quota's waiting list, don't despair. We immediately accept only the minimum number of groups we know we can program – once we start making the schedule, we can usually fit in a few more groups. As well, some groups inevitably drop out before the festival.

YOUR COMPANY. To ensure equitable access to the festival, the Montreal FRINGE will only accept one show per company. If you send more than one application, only one will be accepted. You may not change the name of your company after we receive the application form. It is strictly forbidden to sell or give away your slot to another company. That isn't fair to the groups who have gone through the application process and are on the waiting list. Please don't do it.

RUNNING TIME. Fees are based on the length of your show (see Page 2 of the application form for breakdown). Please round your performance time up to the nearest fifteen minutes. If your show runs 50 minutes, you'll need a 60 minute time slot. We don't expect you to have this exact information this far in advance; however, estimate high rather than low. It is IMPOSSIBLE to add more time to your slot, but easy to reduce it (we'll even refund you the difference in your application fee). If your running time changes, please contact us IMMEDIATELY. The maximum running time is 90 minutes. At the same time, try to be realistic; we've had groups tell us their shows were 30-60 minutes longer than they actually were, which meant fewer groups were able to participate. The deadline to change your running time is January 20^th.

Companies which require an extension of the 15 minute set-up or strike time should increase their running time. Please call us before filling out the application form if you are considering this option.

FEES. Admin Fee + Application (Running Time) Fee = Fees.

Please note that while we require a payment method, we do not require your full application fee upfront when you apply. We will only cash the non-refundable admin fee of $50.00 + $2.50 GST + $3.94 QST = $56.44. Once your company is accepted at the lottery on November 14th, we will cash-in your application fee.

Payment Methods

** Cheque or Money Order – We require 2 cheques or money orders – one for the admin fee, and the other for for the application fee. Cheques or money orders need to be in Canadian funds and must be made payable to MainLine Theatre. **Credit Card – please fill out Page 2 of your application.  A valid VISA or MasterCard number with expiry date and CSV must accompany your signed application form to be entered in the lottery.

***If the cheque bounces or your credit card is refused, you lose your place. Again, the fee is in Canadian dollars: please check with your bank to convert from your home currency.

Is the application fee refundable?

- If you're accepted and withdraw before January 20^th you get your money back (less the admin fee).

- If you're accepted and withdraw after January 20^th the entire fee is non-refundable.

- If you're on the waiting list, you can withdraw at any time, but the admin fee is non-refundable.

"OFF" shows. Some shows are just too wild for our regular venues. Past “OFF” shows have taken place in an outdoor African village built on the McGill campus, a classroom, in a backyard zoo or over a live game of pool . If you have a site-specific performance in mind, please contact artistes@montrealfringe.ca to discuss your options and proposal. As an "OFF" show, you will be responsible for renting your venue and hiring your technical and front-of-house staff (we will include you in the program and sell the advance tickets). Bear in mind that our venues are within walking distance of the FRINGE Park, and must be approved by the Fire Department. Companies on the waiting list have used this option to be part of the festival.

Ottawa & London FRINGE Festivals. The Montreal FRINGE overlaps with the Ottawa (June 14-24) and London Fringes (June 6-17). Any company planning to attend Ottawa or London should contact us before submitting an application.

Call us with questions at 514.849.FEST – our office hours are 2-6pm Monday to Friday. You can also e-mail us at artistes@montrealfringe.ca, or fax us at 514.849.5529.

Finally, the FRINGE is really a lot of fun and pretty laid back when it rolls around. We want to make sure from the beginning that there are no misunderstandings. We don't have a lot of rules, but those we do have are there only to make things as fair as possible for everyone. 98 per cent of our participants have a great time; the other 2 percent didn't read this letter. Please hang on to it: most of the questions you will have later on are probably answered here. Happy FRINGING!

Montreal FRINGE A-Z English Application Forms