CALL FOR PROPOSALS
FRINGEMI FESTIVAL 2025
VII edition
30-05 /08-06 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 with the audience.
FringeMI, born in 2019 as NoLo Fringe Festival with the coordination of Bardha Mimòs ETS, in a few years became a city festival, with the co-organization of companies and associations from the various Milanese neighborhoods, and in 2022 it changed its name to FringeMI. The Festival has involved, in its five editions, more than 200 companies, with 650 performances in more than 100 different stages, a total audience of almost 30.000 people and growing attention from the press and institutions, becoming one of the most important independent theatre festivals in Milan.
Some of the goals of the Festival are; the invasion of the neighborhoods with quality multidisciplinary performances; offering of a showcase to the 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.
FringeMI Festival is divided into three sections.
- 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 perform at 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.
- Fringe Extra, consisting of shows that will have, except in special cases, a maximum of one or two performances, carried out usually in different places than the stages of the Official Program.
- 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 seventh edition of the FringeMI Festival will be held in Milan from 30 May to 8 June 2025.
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, whatever kind of show it is, 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 from the same artist/company.
Those who wish to participate in the Official Program, expected from the 3rd to the 7th of June, must guarantee their presence for all 5 days of the program, no exceptions.
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 and small in size
♦️ with assembly and dismantling times not exceeding 15 minutes
Performance must be carried out in compliance with current safety regulations.
progress
The shows selected for the Official Program, repeated on the same venue for 5 consecutive days (June 3 to 7), will have a ticket 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 usually 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 attention especially to 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://forms.gle/E64de4ByqU4qdV6K7
It is required to indicate whether it is an absolute debut, a national premiere or a Milan premiere. With the terms “absolute debut”, we also speak of a proposal that, even if it is complete and well defined, remains in progress.
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, with no exception.
In the case of an absolute debut, in the absence of a video of the show, artist/company can send the link to a short video presentation of the project by the artist/ company, which makes the direction understand the artistic lines. In case of a show not held in italian, with video without subtitles, also a link with the project text is required.
The deadline for applications is midnight on December 22, 2024. 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.
The completion of the registration form implies the total acceptance and without exception of all the information given in this call.
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.
Special attention will be given to proposals from “under 35” artist/company, so who have not already reached the age of 36 on 12/11/2024, date of issue of this call. In the case of companies, this requirement must persist for at least 80% of the components.
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 2025.
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.
COMPENSATION
Companies and artists of the Official Program will be paid 70% of the total revenue of their show, VAT excluded, with a guaranteed minimum of 1000 € total (VAT included). The eventual SIAE expenses (text and music) will be covered by the organization, while the signatory of the contract with the organization of the Festival 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 €, with possible discounts and agreements related to the promotion of the sale of tickets and free admission for press, operators and partners.
Companies and artists of the Fringe Extra will be paid a fee agreed on a case-by-case basis with the organization, based on the type of show proposed, the space in which it is held and whether admission is free or with a ticket.
TECHNIQUE
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 & 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 8, 2025, 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 perform at 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.
LIBERATORY
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 following the “pass- the- hat” model in outdoor places, with the collaboration of the Municipality of Milan which provides the proven Openstage 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. The selection will consider performances of any kind.
To participate in the selection you must be registered for the free Openstage app, available on Google Play or App Store. For more information, please consult http://www.theopenstage.it.
The performance of the street artist will take place outdoors and without technical support from the organization, normally before 10 p.m. to enjoy natural light. It is also necessary that the nature of the show be lean and easy to adapt.
The venues for the street performance will be chosen by the organization, after discussion with selected companies, and it will be possible to carry out site visits.
Proposals, preferably including videos with links to a web platform such as Drive, Dropbox or similar, must be received by 31/1/2025 at the latest at busker@fringemi.com
FringeMI Festival will also promote the Busker section, covering each artist/company on the program in the same way. The selected companies are also invited to carry out independent promotional actions related to their own show, as they can and in any way they wish, before and during the Festival, also in agreement with the Communication Direction of the Festival.