“We’re looking for credible and
captivating proposals that promise to showcase high quality production
values, complimented by cutting edge, innovative and bold experimentation,”
says
National Arts Festival’s artistic director Ismail Mahomed.
Artists have until Friday, 8 May to submit
proposals that fall into six thematic categories identified for structuring
the
Fringe programme.
“The categories give artists some
guidelines around how they might position their work within the Fringe
programme. They are deliberately broad – but they demonstrate that the
programme we hope to present will be a mix of established, proven work; new
experimental work; work from both seasoned and emerging artists; and work
that grapples with contemporary social issues in South Africa. There’s also room
for work that is staged simply 'for art’s sake',” said Mahomed.
The Fringe will once again be
supported and hosted by the City of Cape Town. "The City is extremely
pleased to be in partnership with the
National Arts Festival," said
the City’s mayoral committee member for tourism, events and economic
development, councillor Garreth Bloor.
Cape Town, as a
cultural capital, is a fitting host and we are proud to have the festival’s
hub at the City Hall which is one of our strategic assets. The City Hall has
become a key venue for local and international event organisers who are
increasingly choosing it for a diverse range of cultural events, music shows
and conferences. There are lessons to be learnt from the inaugural
Fringe Festival held last year and we look forward to another well supported
and successful event this year," said
Bloor.
Additional support for the
Fringe has
been forthcoming from long-standing sponsors of the arts, Standard Bank, and
M-Net.
Artists wishing to download the
Cape
Town Fringe application form and the detailed call for proposals can do so on the
Cape Town Fringe website.
In addition to the public call, the
Cape Town Fringe has invited members of the artistic community to take part
in an open engagement session with organisers on Monday, 13 April.
“Last year we staged the inaugural
edition of the Fringe and embarked on a steep learning curve. While we have
some ideas for the Fringe in 2015, we’d like to invite the artistic community
to engage with us, to bring their ideas to the table and to contribute to the
shape, flavor and direction of the Fringe this year and into the future,” said festival CEO Tony Lankester. The engagement session will cover areas
such as marketing, programming and scheduling, venue choices and audience
development.
Artists wishing to attend the
engagement session are invited to email organisers at
[email protected]. If
they represent an organisation or group of artists, they are asked to
indicate which organisation they represent. Organisers will also be
proactively inviting key organisations and institutions directly.