CALL FOR PROPOSALS
22nd may – 6th june 2026
FRINGEMI FESTIVAL 2026
Milan – VIII Edition
Call for proposals open until 23 November 2025
ARTISTIC CALL
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 to the audience.
The festival, born in 2019 as NoLo Fringe Festival and managed by Bardha Mimòs ETS, in a few years has become a city festival, divided into zones each organized by a different entity, working there and able to take care of it, and in 2022 it changed its name to FringeMI.
The FringeMI shows are chosen by as many organizing bodies as there are neighborhoods in which it takes place. Bardha Mimòs ETS promotes, organizes, coordinates and manages the entire project, as well as being the organizing body in charge for its neighborhood. The Festival during these years has involved more than 250 companies, with almost 1000 peformances in more than 100 different stages, a total audience of 40,000 people and growing attention from the press and institutions, becoming one of the most important independent theater festivals in Milan.
Some of the goals of the Festival are: the invasion of the neighborhoods of Milan with quality multidisciplinary shows; offering a showcase and a possibility of development to the theater companies that participate; providing possibilities for the circulation of shows thanks to the FringeMI Network; the engine of the development for a new audience; creating opportunities for conviviality and social inclusion; giving a positive impact to the activities of each neighborhood.
FringeMI Festival encourages the participation of artists from different backgrounds, promotes the inclusion of different genres, languages and cultures and enhances projects that foster accessibility and representation of marginalized communities.
FringeMI Festival is divided into three sections:
- 1. Official Program, consisting of shows with paid admission, which are repeated for 5 consecutive evenings, from 2 to 6 June 2026, with a starting time that is always the same and presumably between 19.30 and 22.00.
- 2. Extra, consisting of shows with free or paid admission, with one or at most two performances generally between 23 and 31 May 2026, held in spaces normally different from those of the Official Program.
- 3. Busker, a schedule of street theatre, music and juggling, in various outdoor venues in the districts where the festival takes place.
Those who respond to this call can be selected for the first two sections.
For the Busker section, please refer to the final part of the call.
The VIII edition of the FringeMI Festival will be held in Milan from May 22 to June 6, 2026.
PARTICIPATION REQUIREMENTS
Professional artists or professional companies of any nationality can participate in the selection, with shows of any kind and in any language, published or unpublished.
Participation in the selection entails the payment of an application fee of €15. The terms of payment of this fee are described in the application.
Each artist/company may propose only one application. No other applications other than the first one arrived in chronological order by the same artist/company will be considered.
Those who wish to participate in the Official Program, scheduled for June 2-6, 2025, must guarantee their presence for all 5 days, none excluded.
The proposed shows must meet 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 and small spaces
♦️with assembly and disassembly times of no more than 20 minutes
The performance must take place in compliance with current safety regulations.
HOW TO PARTICIPATE
The application for participation in the Festival requires the compilation of an online form, which we kindly ask you to read and fill in carefully in all its part, paying attention especially in the description of the technical sheet: the organization will rely on the informations receive from the form both for the choice of the shows and to manage subsequent communications.
This is the form for the call for proposal: https://ii807ormwaj.typeform.com/to/eSd7yjfq
The form is visible clicking the link.
It is required to indicate whether the artist or company is “under 35”, and whether it is an absolute debut or a national premiere.
By “absolute debut” we mean proposals that, although already quite defined in terms of dramaturgy, artistic cast or direction and ready for the festival dates, are currently still in the planning phase.
Proposals must be accompanied by the full video of the show, indicating the link to a platform such as Vimeo, Youtube, Drive, and so on. Applications whose videos are sent in a non-compliant manner, such as email attachments or temporary services (for example WeTransfer), will not be considered, and the registration fee paid will remain acquired and will not be refunded.
In the case of absolute debut, a link is required, as mentioned above, to a short video presentation of the project by the artist/company, which makes it possible to understand its artistic lines; a link to a video (if any) of the partial or total rehearsals of the show is also welcome
In the case of shows in a non-Italian language, the video must have Italian subtitles; otherwise, a link to the text of the show is also mandatory.
The deadline for applications is midnight on Sunday 23 November 2025 Any subsequent submission, even for a few minutes and if deriving from problems or issues not directly attributable to the person making it, will not be taken into consideration.
The filling of the registration form implies total acceptance, without any exception, of everything indicated in this announcement.
SELECTION CRITERIA
The organizing bodies of the Festival will make a selection of the applications received according to criteria of artistic value and technical-logistical feasibility in the available spaces.
Special attention will be given to proposals from “Under 35” artists and companies, i.e. people who have not already turned 35 on 15/10/2025 (in the case of companies, this requirement must persist for at least 80% of the members) and to shows proposed as national premieres..
The management also hopes to receive artistic proposals that touch, directly or indirectly, on the issues of the UN 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development (https://unric.org/it/agenda-2030/). However, it’s not mandatory to present performances that touch on these themes.
The selection will take place by mid-January 2026.
The festival director will contact, by phone or e-mail, artists and companies selected by the organizing bodies, to define the details of participation as well as to sign a contract. The result will also be communicated to the unselected artist/company. No explanation will be given for the lack of selection.
COMPENSATION
Companies and artists of the Official Program will be paid a fee equal to 70% + VAT of the total revenue (VAT excluded) of the 5 days of performance. In the event that 70% + VAT does not reach the sum of €1000, a guaranteed minimum of €1000 total (including VAT) will be paid.
Any SIAE expenses (text and music) will be covered by the organization, while the signatory of the contract has to present the so-called EX-ENPALS certifications (or a non-Italian equivalent certification, like “A1 Model”) .
The price of a full ticket is €10 (including pre-sale fees), with possible reductions and conventions related to the promotion of ticket sales and free admissions for the press, operators and partners.
The companies and artists of the FringeMi Extra will be paid a fee agreed on a case-by-case basis with the organizing body, based on the type of show proposed, the space in which it is proposed and whether admission is free or paid.
TECHNIQUE
Given the particular nature of the Festival, the shows must have a simple technical sheet.
In each venue the presence of a minimum technical equipment is guaranteed, suitable for the guest show and based on the description in the form.
The artist/company, in agreement with the organizing body, can integrate the agreed technical set-up with material at its own expense, ensuring compliance with safety regulations.
It will be possible to carry out a technical inspection of the venue in the weeks before the start of the Festival, in agreement with the organizing body and the venue itself.
The venue will be available for pre-assembly activities or rehearsals on the day immediately preceding the debut, with timing and organization to be defined in agreement with the organizing body.
FringeMI guarantees the presence of a contact person at each venue, to support the assembly of the show. However, each company must have its own technician, who follows the assembly, disassembly and execution of the show for the entire period of the performances. If this is not possible, the organizing body can do its best to find a technician on site for the preparation and execution of the show, and the fee for it will be paid by the artist/company.
HOSPITALITY AND TRAVEL
Travel, board and lodging expenses for participation in the Festival are in charge of the artist/company.
The Festival management will do its best to indicate affiliated or affordable facilities.
COMMUNICATION
FringeMI Festival deals with the promotion of the festival online and offline, with coverage of identical entity for each artist/company in the schedule.
The selected companies are also invited to carry out independent promotional actions relating to their show, through their own means and in any way they wish, before and during the Festival, also in agreement with the Communication Department of the Festival.
AWARDS
The FringeMI Festival awards, intended for shows in the Official Program, will be announced during a final party scheduled for June 6, 2026 after the last performances.
The prize for the winner of the FringeMI Festival, consisting of hospitality at the il Theatre Elfo Puccini in Milano according to methods agreed directly with the theater, will be awarded on the basis of the weighted average of the daily votes of the public.
The Critics’ Award, consisting of a plaque or similar prize, will be given to a show chosen by an editorial staff of young critics and critics, composed and trained thanks to the collaboration with the online magazine Stratagemmi (www.stratagemmi.it)
The Prize for the best show presented as a “National Premiere” and the Prize for the best show presented by an Under 35 company, consisting of 2000 € each, (paid on the basis of adequate tax documentation and usable by the winners as they prefer) will be decided by a jury of programmers and theatre operators participating in the festival as members of FringeMI Network, network that helps the circulation of FringeMI shows.
RELEASE
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 artists and street performers who perform in hat in outdoor venues, with the collaboration of the City of Milan, which provides the proven Openstage platform. The goal is to create a varied schedule, in order to have a visible impact through street art defined in the broadest possible sense, without stopping at music, clowning and juggling. The selection, by the way, will consider performances of any kind.
To participate, you must be registered with the free Openstage app, available on Google Play or App Store. For info, consult the www.theopenstage.it website.
The performance of the street artist will take place outdoor, without technical support from the organization and before 10.00 pm to take advantage of natural light. The show has to be streamlined and easy to adapt.
The places designated for the street performance will be chosen by the organization, after a discussion with the selected companies, and it will be possible to carry out inspections.
Proposals, preferably including videos with links to a web platform such as Drive, Dropbox or similar, must be received no later than 31/1/2026 at the email address busker@fringemi.com.
Subsequently, you will be contacted by the management of the Busker section, to agree on every aspect of participation.
FringeMI Festival will also promote the Busker section, with coverage of identical entity for each artist/company on the schedule. The selected companies are moreover invited to carry out autonomous promotional actions related to their shows, through their own means and in any way they wish, before and during the Festival, also in agreement with the Festival’s Communication Direction.