FRINGEMI FESTIVAL 2024

6th EDITION
31-05 /09-06 2024
CALL for artist / COMPANIES

GENERAL INFORMATION

The FringeMI Festival is a multidisciplinary live performance festival that takes place in non-theatrical spaces in the city of Milan. It is structured according to a “Fringe” formula, i.e. without a specific theme, without a real artistic direction, with a variety of tones, styles and languages, freedom of expression, use of unconventional spaces and closeness with the audience.

FringeMI, born in 2019 as NoLo Fringe Festival, in a few years became a city festival, with the coordination of Bardha Mimòs ETS and the co-organization of companies and associations from the various Milanese neighborhoods, and in 2022 it changed its name to FringeMI. 

In its five editions, the Festival has involved more than 150 companies, with 450 performances in more than 70 different stages, a total audience of almost 20,000 people and growing attention from the press and institutions, becoming one of the most important independent theatre festivals in Milan.

Invasion of the neighborhoods with quality multidisciplinary performances; offering of a showcase to the professional theater companies that participate in them; the engine of development for new audiences; the creation of opportunities for conviviality and social inclusion; the providing of a positive impact to the activities of the area. These are some of the goals of the Festival, and to cut it short and  simply: urban regeneration, economic impact, cultural innovation.

FringeMI Festival is divided into three sections. 

1. Official Program, consisting of shows that are repeated for 5 consecutive evenings, each one in the same venue. The winning show in this category will be decreed by the public and will have the opportunity to be on the 2024/2025 season of the Teatro Elfo Puccini in Milan (which is one of the most important Italian theatres) , with times and methods to be decided independently between the winning artist/company and the artistic direction of the Teatro Elfo Puccini.
2. Fringe Extra, consisting of shows that will have, except in special cases, a maximum of one or two performances, carried out in places other than the stages of the Official Program.
3. Busker, a schedule of street theatre, music and juggling, in various open-air venues in the neighbourhoods where the festival takes place.

The shows of the first two sections will be selected through this call.

For the Busker section, please refer to the final part of the call.

The sixth edition of the FringeMI Festival will be held in Milan from 31 May to 9 June 2024. 

PARTICIPATION REQUIREMENTS

Professional artists or professional companies of any nationality can participate in the selection, who can be hired according to current legislation, with shows of any genre and in any language, published or unpublished. 

Participation in the selection involves the payment of a registration fee of € 15. The methods of payment of this fee are described in the application form.

Each artist/company can submit only one application. No other applications will be considered, from the same artist/company, beyond the first one arrived in chronological order. 

Those who wish to participate in the Official Program must guarantee their presence for all 5 days of the program (June 4 – 8). 

The FringeMI program will feature shows with the following requirements:

. in final form 

. lasting between 45 and 70 minutes (with the exception of shows and dance performances, which can last a minimum of 25 minutes)

. technically simple, suitable for non-theatrical spaces (e.g. pubs, libraries, bars, restaurants, outdoor spaces, etc.) and small in size

. with assembly and dismantling times not exceeding 15 minutes

The performance must be carried out in compliance with current safety and COVID-19 regulations.

EXECUTIONS

The shows selected for the Official Program, repeated on the same venue for 5 consecutive days (June 4 to 8), will have free admission, and a start time to be established, but presumably between 7.30 pm and 10.30 pm. The shows selected for the Fringe Extra will have one or at most two performances, generally on Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays, with free or paid admission, on a stage different from those of the official program.

HOW TO PARTICIPATE

The application for participation in the Festival requires the completion of an online form, which we kindly ask you to read and fill out carefully in all its parts, paying the utmost care especially in the description of the technical sheet: the organization will rely on the information received both for the choice of the shows and to manage subsequent communications. 

The form can be viewed by clicking on this link: https://bit.ly/3sbCozF

It is required to indicate whether it is an absolute debut, a national premiere or a Milanese premiere.  

It is also necessary to indicate the link to the full video of the proposed show, through the usual platform (Vimeo, Youtube, Drive, etc). The video is mandatory for admission to the selection, and videos transmitted in other ways, such as direct sending via email or WeTransfer or similar, will not be accepted.

Exceptionally, and only in case of an absolute debut without an existing video of a complete rehearsal, the proposal can participate to the selection  sending the artistic project and a video presentation of the artist/company; in case of interest, the Festival management will then discuss the project with the artist/company.  

The deadline for applications is midnight on December 18, 2023. Any subsequent submission, even if deriving from problems or issues not directly attributable to the person who’s making it, will not be taken into consideration.

SELECTION CRITERIA

The Festival management will make a selection of the applications received according to criteria of artistic value and technical-logistical feasibility in the available venues.

In consideration of the particular historical period we are experiencing, the management hopes to receive artistic proposals that touch, directly or indirectly, on the themes of the UN’s 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development (https://unric.org/it/agenda-2030/). However, there is no obligation to present shows that touch on these themes.

The selection will take place by mid-February 2024.

The selected artist/company will be contacted by phone or e-mail to define the details of the participation as well as to sign a contract. The contract must be signed and returned no later than ten days after receipt.

The result will also be communicated to the artist/company not selected. The organization reserves the right not to give any explanation on the reasons for the exclusion of the shows.

PAYMENTS

The artist/company selected for the  Official Program will be paid, for the 5 evenings of the show, a fixed fee of € 1,000 total  (VAT and any other taxes included). Any SIAE expenses (text and music) will be paid by the organization. The ex-ENPALS operating expenses will be paid by the signatory of the contract with the organization of the Festival.  

The artist/company has the possibility, at the end of the shows, to request a completely independent economic offer from the public, which will be added to the fixed cachet mentioned above, relieving the organization of any responsibility in this regard.  The artist/company selected for the Fringe Extra will be paid a fee agreed with the organization.

TECHNICAL REQUIREMENTS

Given the particular nature of the Festival, the shows must have a simplified technical sheet. 

The fact that the shows are flexible and adaptable to unconventional locations is an essential aspect, and will have a big influence in the selection phase. In the event that the video transmitted has a more complex technique than the one you intend to present, please clearly specify, in the appropriate section of the form, what is the technical equipment proposed for the FringeMI Festival.  It is also necessary to specify in the online form the scenographic elements of the show, which will be paid for by the company.

After the selection, each artist/company will agree on the technical data sheet of the show (including the sets) with the technical direction of the festival, based on the nature of the space assigned and the technical needs of the show as reported in the registration form. 

The FringeMI Festival guarantees the presence of a minimum technical equipment in each venue, suitable for the show, consistent with what is described in the form and what has been agreed with the technical management.  The artist/company can integrate the technical set-up of the assigned space, in agreement with the technical direction of the Festival and without additional costs to the Festival, in a completely autonomous way and with its own material, in compliance with safety regulations.

Each artist/company will be able to carry out a technical inspection of the space in the weeks prior to the start of the Festival, by agreements with the technical direction of the Festival and the venue. 

In any case, the stage space will be available before the start of the performances, for pre-assembly and rehearsals, and the timing and organization of which will be defined in agreement with the technical direction.   

The FringeMI guarantees the presence of a technician at each stage who helps the artist/company in assembling the show. It should be noted, however, that each company must have its own technical referent, who follows the assembly, disassembly and, above all, execution of the show for the entire period of the performances. If this is not possible, the Festival may do its best to find a technician on site for the preparation and execution of the show, but it is understood that the fee due for the employment of this figure will be paid by the artist/company.

HOSPITALITY AND TRAVEL

Every travel and food expenses have to be paid by the artist/company. The direction of the Festival can help, indicating affiliated structures, with economic costs.

COMMUNICATION

The FringeMI Festival is in charge of the promotion of the festival online and offline, with coverage of the same entity for each artist/company in the schedule. The selected companies are also invited to carry out their own promotional actions related to their show, through their own methods and in any way they wish, before and during the Festival, also in agreement with the Festival’s Communication Department.

AWARDS

The winning show of the Official Program will be proclaimed during the final day of June 9, 2024, based on a weighted average of the votes that the public will make at the end of each show.  The winning show of the FringeMI Festival will enter the 2024/2025 season of the Teatro Elfo Puccini in Milan (www.elfo.org) in a slot agreed with the theater itself.
Thanks to the collaboration with the online magazine Stratagemmi, there is also a Critics’ Award, designated by an editorial staff of young critics trained ad hoc.

WAIVER

It is the right of the FringeMI Festival to combine the event with television, radio, photographic and telematic broadcasting operations. Each participant authorizes, by joining the competition, the recording, broadcasting and any form of dissemination of images and audiovisual material concerning their performance, without any limitation of space and/or time and without having anything to claim either from FringeMI Festival or from any public or private broadcasters or collaborators.

BUSKER

We intend to include in this section street artists who perform in outdoor places, with the collaboration of the Municipality of Milan which provides the proven Stradarte platform.
The goal is to create a varied schedule, in order to create a visible impact through street art defined in the broadest possible sense, without stopping at music, clowning and juggling. Proposals must be received no later than 31/1/2024 at the email address direzione@fringemi.com.