Fundy Fringe Fest
Submissions for this year’s Fundy Fringe Festival are now open.
The eighth annual summer theatre festival draws local, national and international artists together for five days of creativity.
The festival runs August 18th to 22nd and brings the fringes of the art world to the forefront, with theatre, dance, film, music and more.
Festival Director Sarah Rankin says the festival is lottery-based, meaning everyone has a chance to be picked.
“You could apply with every single detail, best laid out plans, and you could also apply with really nothing and that’s totally fine. You can just put your name in that hat, put TBA in the fields, and you have just as great a chance,” she said.
“I’ve had people apply four, five years in a row and just never got in and just finally it happened. It is literally the luck of the draw when it comes to this festival because that’s what we’re doing, we’re drawing names out of a hat.”
As for what they’re looking for in a typical application, Rankin says it’s good to have an idea of what you’ll need.
“We look for the basic information about the genre of the show, how long it might be, any special tech requirements that they’re going to need because that will determine what venue we put them in, if they have any accessibility needs,” she said.
Sarah Rankin has been the festival director for 6+ years. (Danielle McCreadie)
There are 20 slots available for the festival, consisting of 10 regional acts, eight national acts, and two international acts.
“Our artists get to perform once a day if they wish and take back all their ticket sales, which is fantastic,” said Rankin.
Rankin says one act regionally and one act nationally will be reserved for artists who identify as a minority, LGBTQ+ or disabled.
“If there’s one way that we can start to break down some of those barriers, it’s by holding ground for those that have been excluded up to this point,” she said.
Rankin says because the festival isn’t curated, it’s different every year.
“The artists really set the vibe and the feel, which is fantastic because it really is grassroots, it really is the artists manifesting the festival for themselves rather than being dictated what they can and can’t do,” she said.
One thing they want to try to do differently this year is to grow their “family content,” and change people’s perceptions of Fringe plays.
“We have had shows with nudity, we have had shows that have dealt with very controversial subjects before, and so we want to make sure that even families with small children or people that may not enjoy the more controversial or the more challenging contents have something that they can participate in as well,” she said.
Last year was the festival’s first time holding kids-oriented classes and workshops, and it’s something she hopes to continue to grow.
“We’re not going to be around forever. We have to make sure that the kids grow up with a creative spirit and an innovative spirit,” she said.
Rankin says the local slots are open to all New Brunswickers.
“The theatre community in New Brunswick is very much interlaced with each other,” she said.
There is a one-time application fee of $25. Selected participants will be charged a $250 fee to cover production fees and promotional listings.
A link to applications can be found online. The deadline to submit is March 6th, and acts will be drawn March 7th.
