Southeastern Theatre Conference

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Fringe Festival

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2023 Fringe Festival Shows

Admission is free for convention attendees! Tickets are available for the general public. Click each show title for tickets.

Best of the Fringe Award

Download the SETC Convention App for a full convention schedule!

2023 Submissions

Submissions for the 2023 Fringe Festival opened July 18, 2022. Performances will be held March 2–4 in Lexington, KY, during the SETC Annual Convention. To submit your production for consideration, read the important details on this page, then click the red “Submit Now” button.

About the Festival

The SETC Fringe Festival is a non-competitive performance festival that takes place each year during the annual SETC Convention. The Festival seeks to provide and nurture an artistic community and outlet for SETC members and constituents to learn, experiment, and present their theatrical works. The primary goal of the Fringe Festival is to provide a theatrical experience for the SETC Convention attendees as well as a forum for works that may not easily fit in the parameters of other venues. Shows range from college/university theatre to professional theatre performances to one-person shows to experimental theatre to theatre for youth productions to state festival ‘runner-up’ performances. We invite all convention attendees to attend the Fringe Festival performances at no additional cost.

Fringe Festival Timeline

Festival Submissions Open:
July 18, 2022

Submission Deadline:
September 29, 2022

Acceptance Notifications:
November 1, 2022

Fringe Festival:
March 1–5, 2023

Fees

Convention registration and SETC membership is required for all individuals participating in your Fringe Festival production. Convention registration opens on Oct. 13, 2022

Submit Now


Questions?

Dawn Larsen
llarsen@fmarion.edu

Abigail Mowbray
abigail@setc.org

Who Selects Productions?

SETC Vice President of Services Neno Russell and SETC Fringe Festival Chair Dawn Larsen lead the selection process for performances to produce a program that is varied in type, origin, intention, audience and geography. Shows are selected on a juried basis. All accepted or declined shows will be notified via email. If your show is selected, you will receive a time slot for your production with further instructions. Each approved applicant will receive one 60-minute time slot to perform. In the unlikely event that a show is chosen after the December 15th early-bird registration deadline, the cast and crew of shows chosen after this deadline would still be eligible to receive the early-bird pricing.

Important Details for Fringe Festival Participants

General

Run Time: Each Fringe Festival production is limited to a maximum runtime of 60 minutes.

Audience: Your audience size could range from 20 to 100 people. If your production contains content that may not be suitable for all audience members, please note this on your application and on your flyers at the convention site.

Applications: All applications must be submitted via the online application by October 29, 2022.

Responsibilities

SETC Responsibilities: SETC is ONLY responsible for presenting the show, which means we will provide you with a venue, time slot and assist with publicity.

Festival Participant Responsibilities: It is the responsibility of the artist or producing company to secure appropriate rights and royalty contracts, travel accommodations, staff, crew, run rehearsals, etc. If chosen, the artist or production group is responsible for paying all applicable fees by the early bird deadline (December 15, 2022) for registration. Fees include cost for SETC’s convention attendance and membership for every company member. SETC is a membership organization. For more info on registration and the convention please visit https://convention.setc.org.

Publicity

SETC will assist you with publicity by publishing your promotional materials on its website and through social media outlets and publications.

We encourage you to create flyers/postcards to promote your show. Posters and flyers can only be put up in approved locations and with blue painter’s tape. Any marketing pieces distributed at the Convention must be approved. To get approval for distribution or assistance with publicity please contact Festival Manager, Abigail Mowbray at Abigail@setc.org.

Technical/Production

Minimal Technical Assistance: Please keep your technical requirements to a minimum. The venue is typically a ballroom that is equipped with general stage lighting, a sound system, a 20’ x 16’ riser stage, back drape, and theatre seating. Performers are not mic’d unless the group brings their own equipment.

Production Manager: A production manager will be onsite to assist you, but you will be responsible for the initial set-up and for providing your own technician should you need to run sound or lighting cues.

Rehearsals in performance space: Due to time constraints on the space, no rehearsal time in the performance space is scheduled for Fringe Festival performances. Prior to the convention, you will receive a schedule from the production manager outlining available times to be in the space for general acclamation.

Load-In/Load-Out: Typically, 30 minutes are allocated to the end of one production prior to the beginning of the next. This 30-minute window is a shared time for you to load your show on stage while the previous show strikes. There are no exceptions to this policy.

Storage: There will be minimal storage backstage space. Prior to your performance, you will be provided storage on a temporary basis. Space is shared with other performing groups. Please do not plan for long-term storage of props and equipment.

Shared spaces: In addition to your show, there will be other festival shows and events in the same space throughout the day. Please be conscious of time and space. The maximum runtime for a show is 60 minutes with an additional setup of 15 minutes and a strike of 15 minutes.

2022 Fringe Productions

 

GUIDELINES

The 2021 SETC Fringe Festival will take place during our Virtual Convention March 3 – 7, 2021. Performances span over two days (Thursday, March 4 & Friday, March 5, 2021) showcasing a wide variety of work from SETC members. Shows range from college/university theatre to professional theatre performances to one-person shows to experimental theatre to theatre for youth productions to state festival ‘runner-up’ performances.

Pre-recorded Performances: All performances will be pre-recorded. If your Fringe Festival application is accepted, you will receive information about how to upload your performance.

Run Time: Each Fringe Festival production is limited to a maximum runtime of 60 minutes.

Selection Process: Shows are selected on a juried basis. All accepted or declined shows will be notified via email. If your show is selected, you will receive a time slot for your pre-recorded production with further instructions. Each approved applicant will receive one 60-minute time slot to perform. In the unlikely event that a show is chosen after the January 21st early-bird registration deadline, the cast and crew of shows chosen after this deadline would still be eligible to receive the early-bird pricing.

RESPONSIBILITIES:

SETC Responsibilities:

  • SETC is only responsible for presenting the show, which means we will provide you with a time slot and publicity.
  • Once you are accepted, we require that you provide us with imagery and content to help us promote your performance.

Fringe Festival Participant Responsibilities:

  • It is the responsibility of the artist or producing company to secure your own rights.
  • If chosen, the artist or production group is responsible for paying all applicable fees by the early bird deadline (January 21, 2021) for registration.
  • Fees include cost for SETC’s convention attendance and membership for every company member. SETC is a membership organization.
  • If your production contains content that may not be suitable for all audience members, please note this in your application and within your show description.

How can I view the festival performances?

Each convention participant will receive a link to log in to the convention platform. Once in, look for the “Festivals” tab. A drop-down menu will appear with options to connect to all the available festivals via galleries. You will be able to watch the shows via the festival gallery pages from Wednesday, March 3, until Wednesday, March 31.

How do the galleries work?

The galleries contain on-demand videos entered in the festivals. Once you select a festival, you can choose a pre-recorded show to watch by clicking on the name of a producing organization. A new page will open with the recording of the selected organization’s production.

Fringe Festival Submission Timeline

August 1, 2021
Festival Submissions Open
October 1, 2021
Submission Deadline
November 1. 2021
Acceptance Notifications
March 10–12, 2022
Fringe Festival