NAF FRINGE REGISTRATION

Registration for productions wanting to take part in the 2011 edition of the National Arts Festival Fringe is now open.

“Artists who want to be part of the 2011 Fringe have until the end of January to get their forms in to us, and we’re on hand before then to help with any questions they may have,” Fringe Manager Kate Axe Davies said.

The 2010 Fringe, held over 15 days, was one of the biggest ever – with 434 productions and exhibitions taking part, giving 2092 performances. Over and above that, there were dozens of free performances at the Festival’s popular Sundowner shows, as part of the ArtReach programme and on free stages around the City.

“We hope that 2011 will see similar levels of enthusiasm and passion from South Africa’s artists and performers and we look forward to welcoming them from every Province, and also to welcome a strong programme of international productions,” Axe Davies said.

As registration opens, Festival organisers have also announced that the 2011 Festival will see the addition of an extra day – and will run from June 30 to July 10, 2011.

“By adding on the extra Sunday, we run the Festival over two full weekends, giving day visitors and those who can only attend over weekends greater choice when planning their visit,” Festival CEO Tony Lankester said.

The extra day –July 10– will feature a Festival innovation in 2011: the launch of the “50% Fringe”. All Fringe performances staged on that day will sell tickets at a 50% discount on their usual price. “We know that, by the end of that day, audiences will have a clear idea of what they want to see, which were the most talked about productions and which drew the highest accolades from the critics. The 50% Fringe will give those coming for the second weekend a chance to fill their day with some of these top quality productions, and give performers the opportunity to end the Festival on a ‘high’, hopefully attracting a capacity crowd,” Axe-Davies said.

Participation in the 50% Fringe day is voluntary for productions, but those productions deciding to stay on for the extra day will benefit from some added marketing from the Festival as organisers work to get the concept embedded in the minds of audiences. “It’s going to be an interesting experiment,” Lankester said, “But it will also open wide the doors of our theatres to a whole new audience who might have been deterred by higher ticket prices.”

A further innovation in 2011 will be the launch of the “Free Fringe” – where some productions will stage their work for free, with audiences being asked to make a donation at the end of the performance based on how much they enjoyed it. “It’s a great opportunity for performers to get their work seen and spoken about – creating that all-important “Festival buzz” around their work. And hopefully we’ll see audiences going to see work they ordinarily might have passed over,” said Axe-Davies.

Registration forms and the Info Booklets can be requested on 046 603 1103 or by e-mail: fringe@nationalartsfestival.co.za Online submissions can be made at www.nationalartsfestival.co.za/fringe

The National Arts Festival is sponsored by Standard Bank, The Eastern Cape Government, The National Arts Council, The National Lottery Distribution Trust Fund, The Sunday Independent and M Net.