How to Participate in 2009

Welcome to the thirteenth anniversary of the Philly Fringe! Our mission is to provide an opportunity for artists to produce and present their art in an exciting festival atmosphere.

The Philly Fringe is open to any artist who has a piece of work to present and can find a venue. We do not invite anyone to perform, nor do we produce Fringe shows. In the tradition of the Edinburgh Festival Fringe, we ask that you challenge yourself to be an artistic pioneer by taking your work to new levels of artistic innovation and presentation.

Self-producing an event for the Fringe enables you to reach new audiences, choose your own venue, set your own schedule, and have artistic, financial, and organizational control over your performance. While you produce your work, we help you with marketing and box office support. Fringe artists pay a small, non-refundable festival participation fee, and nominal marketing and box office fees.

CALL FOR ARITSTS! - Jan. 26th - April 3rd 2009

Show us what you got! Bring your show to the 2009 Philly Fringe-the festival that mobilizes the local arts community and turns Philly into a center for creative minds of all kinds.

Whether you're producing your own play, pop-opera, poetry slam, or giant puppet parade, the Philly Fringe wants you! Each year, we feature thousands of homegrown artists performing in theaters, nightclubs, city parks, and churches, giving Philly a blast of creative energy, and thrilling audiences year after year. Come join the ranks of the risk-taking artists who have made the Festival a success since 1997.

GETTING STARTED

Before you decide to participate in the Philly Fringe, think about whether you are ready to present your work to a Fringe audience. You might consider some of the following questions:
•  Do you have a concrete idea for your work?
•  Do you have a committed group of performers for your project?
•  Can you provide staffing for all other aspects of your production, such as technical direction, publicity, etc.?
•  Are you prepared to find and secure a venue for your work?
•  Are you prepared to meet all Festival deadlines and pay all fees that are required for Festival participation?

Click here to fill out the Artist Participation form.

RETURNING YOUR ARTIST PARTICIPATION FORM AND FEE

The first step in becoming part of the Philly Fringe is to fill out and send us an Artist Participation Form, along with your non-refundable $75 participation fee. Artist Participation Forms will be available starting Jan 26th and due on April 3rd, 2009. Forms must be returned with a one-time, non-refundable $75 participation fee.

On the Artist Participation Form, we will ask basic questions regarding the discipline, title, running time, number of performers and marketing preferences for your work. We will ask about your plans for a venue (though these do not need to be finalized until June 12th), and for a brief description of your work. We ask that only one member of your group or company be responsible for all contact and interactions with the Fringe staff. This person will be in charge of completing all necessary forms and agreements and returning these on or before Festival deadlines.

THE FRINGE MANUAL

Once you have returned an Artist Participation Form, we will send you the Fringe Manual via an email attachment. (If you have trouble downloading the manual, please contact us and we will send one snail mail.) Working from our own experiences and artists' feedback, we have developed the Fringe Manual to address every element of the Fringe process from start to finish. The Fringe Manual offers information on everything from securing a venue, to preparing a press packet. The manual also includes an Artists' Resources section where you'll find names and contact information for local rehearsal spaces, costumers, technical equipment rental services, photographers, and more.

FINDING YOUR VENUE

For a list of 2009 venue suggestions, click here. Aside from the challenges that come with creating and producing your own work, finding a venue may be your most difficult task. Please be aware that we will not find or assign you a venue or location. You are responsible for finding your own venue. Our only requirement is that your venue or show location be within the city of Philadelphia. Look for a venue that will allow you to reach your audience and meet your artistic and financial needs. If you plan to use a public space, be prepared to investigate whether this will require a permit. You will need to set up all financial arrangements with your venue. If you are a venue interested in being added in our 2009 venue list, please fill out this questionnaire and return to [Insert Name], Fringe Coordinator.

COMPLETING AND RETURNING YOUR ARTIST AGREEMENT

In mid-May, we will send you an Artist Agreement via email. At that time, you will need to fill in your venue and ticket information and finalize your schedule. The Artist Agreement will ask you specific questions regarding the location, contact information and wheelchair accessibility of your venue; the title, running time and ticket price for your show; and all of your marketing preferences. You will also be asked for a signature of indemnification. The Artist Agreement is the final word concerning the details of your show, so be sure that all info submitted is correct. You must have your Artist Agreement completed and returned, and the remainder of your artist fees paid no later than June 12th.

PROMOTING YOUR EVENT

All artists must have a description of their event in the Festival Guide. This guide description or blurb should be no longer than 50 words, at a cost of $100. If you wish to include a photo or graphic image with your description, the total cost will be $200. We strongly encourage you to submit an image with your guide description. With so many events to choose from, festival go-ers may be more attracted to your show if they are offered a strong visual representation of your work. Your guide description must be submitted by May 15th and your image (if desired) must be sent to us no later than June 5th.

Preparing a Press Packet
The Philly Fringe has a long tradition of press coverage from local newspapers and magazines including Philadelphia Weekly, Philadelphia City Paper, The Philadelphia Inquirer and Philadelphia Magazine. We strongly encourage that you prepare photos and information about your event for local press. Please return these materials no later than June 5th (along with Guide Image). While we may promote certain Fringe events to local press, we also encourage all Fringe artists to promote their events to local media independently. We will provide access to Festival logos and press lists for your use.

Box Office
Fringe artists set their own ticket prices. Prices should be set in increments of $5.00. In the past, Artists have set their ticket prices within the $10 - $15 range, but feel free to set yours higher or lower based on your running time and needs. We begin to sell tickets in mid-August. The Festival must print all tickets that we sell so that we have uniformity with all participants. Artists keep 100% of profits from all tickets sold at their venue. Before setting the ticket price for your event, please be sure to familiarize yourself with Festival discounts as we will ask you to honor them.

Box Office Fees
Ticketed - All tickets to your show sold at our Box Office or from our website will be subject to a 10% fee deducted from your sales to cover a portion of our administrative costs.

Signage
We strongly encourage you to have visible outdoor signage for the convenience of your audience. You may provide this on your own, or rent a sandwich board sign from the Festival for $35.

Insurance
All participants must provide proof of general liability insurance that lists the Philly Fringe as an additional insured. You may obtain this insurance though your own carrier, or through the Fringe insurer, Domenick & Associates (215-629-5701), who has insured Fringe artists for years. Costs will range from $90-$168, depending on the number of shows you plan to perform. A simple-to-use insurance form will be included with your Artist Agreement.

Rights, Royalties and Unions
All artists are responsible for securing the rights and licenses to their own shows. There is a special code for members of Actors' Equity who wish to participate. Questions may be directed to the Festival office (215-413-9006) or Philadelphia Artists' Equity Association via their Hotline (215-602-2234) or by email at phlliaisoncommittee@yahoo.com

DEADLINES

April 3
Artist Participation Form and Fee

May 15
Guide description

June 5
Guide photograph
Press Release and Press Photos

June 12
Artist Agreement
Marketing and Box Office Fees
Optional Sandwich Board Fee

August 3
Insurance Deadline
Artist Rush List due

FEES

Mandatory Fees
Non-refundable Participation Fee ($75)
Marketing Fee: $100 for 50-word description; $200 for 50-word description and photo.
Box Office Ticketed events: All tickets to your show sold at our Box Office or from our website will be subject to a 10% fee deducted from your sales to cover a portion of our administrative costs.

Optional Fees
General Liability Insurance from Domenick & Associates, 215-629-5701: $90-$168, depending on number of performances.
If you elect not to purchase insurance through Domenick & Associates, you must provide proof of general liability insurance that lists the Philly Fringe as an additional insured.
Sandwich Board ($35)