Saint John’s summer fringe festival is now accepting submissions for its seventh annual event planned for August 19-24.
Matt Carter
The Fundy Fringe Festival is getting ready to animate uptown Saint John this summer between August 19-24 with another 20 act lineup stocked full of out-of-the-ordinary performances.
Applications for the 2019 event will be accepted now until March 1. In true fringe style, all performers will be selected by lottery. The festival is open to all local, national and international performers and performing arts companies.
“The lottery process is just as simple as it seems,” said Festival Director Sarah Rankin. “All artists are divided into categories based on their location and the company names literally go into three different hats. Because we want to first and foremost support our home grown talent, we have 50% of our 20 available slots secured for them. The other 50% is divided into national (30%) and international (20%). Alongside of this, we hold one local slot and one national slot for our Diversity lottery. It’s important for us that artists representing the social or cultural minority be showcased and for us to ensure our lineup shows the diversity of New Brunswick and Canada.”
Now entering its seventh year, the Fundy Fringe Festival is dedicated to supporting independent artists and creating affordable spaces for artists and the community to engage in one of a kind experiences.
“What differentiates us from the typical festival is that we don’t do headliners,” said Rankin. “All artists are treated and provided opportunities as equals. All are offered the same number of performances in a variety of times over the week. It’s important that everyone has a chance to grow and achieve success regardless of experience or financial means.
“What keeps it fresh is that you’ll never see the same thing year to year,” she said. “The artists are constantly pushing boundaries and evolving, and new artists are discovering not only the fringe movement but their own talents each year. Growth is not necessarily an issue of size, but of quality of experience. We’re constantly looking for how we can improve the experience of our patrons, volunteers and artists. Last year, we hosted a dinner through Sankara and had free tea and coffee from Catapult Café. This year, we’re providing a workshop series that works through the production of a show from start to finish, including grant writing, budgets, promoting and dramaturgy.”
The lottery winners will be announced at a public event March 2 at the BMO Theatre in Saint John.
For complete details on this year’s application, please visit fundyfringefestival.com
