Amsterdam Fringe Festival Submissions

From September 3-13 the fourth edition of the Amesterdam Fringe Festival will again raise the rooftops in Amsterdam. An adventurous mix of theatrical anarchy and creative explosions, where events will be held in clubs and theaters, as well as on the streets and in living rooms. The application for the Amsterdam Fringe can be found here. Criteria for applications for the Fringe 2009 can be found on the website.

Dublin Fringe Festival's Call for Submissions

The 15th Dublin Fringe Festival is now inviting submissions for the September festival. This year, they want to present works which confronts, embraces and defies this period of remarkable change and challenges. From celebrating the fresh re-emergence of DIY culture, reclaiming more of Dublin's empty spaces, experimenting with theatre and performance and delving into experiential arts on a grand and minute scale, to encountering home grown and international arts on the street and in even more unexpected places, the Fringe's 2009 program won't shy away from exploration of where we are and how we got here; as a city, nation and international community of makers, doers, seers and thinkers.

Dublin Fringe Festival has long served as a spring-board for fresh new Irish and international artistic voices, as well as a home for risk-taking and cutting edge performance from more established artists. This year they are looking for artists across all disciplines to imagine Dublin with a new vision for the time we live in; to be brave, bold and uncompromising in their engagement with the cultural, social and physical landscape of the city and to once again invigorate, investigate, challenge, defy, excite and inspire its audience.

The Fringe will once again present a series of pre-application talks open to all interested parties on Tuesday 17 February. Topics that will be covered include: Online application process, supporting material requirements, financial deals offered by the festival and fundraising. Closing Deadline for applications is Friday 3 April at 6pm. More information and the link to our online application system can be found here or on their blog.

Edinburgh Staff At Fault for Ticketing Failure

An independent report blames the board and senior staff of the Edinburgh Fringe Festival for the monumental failure of its new ticketing system last year. The investigation started when the £385,000 computerized system crashed on the first day of sales in June. The system was eventually abandoned after several repair attempts. This cost the Fringe £300,000 and forced its funders to throw in £250,000 in emergency funds. Ticket sales dropped 10% from the previous year and led to the resignation of the festival’s director, Jon Morgan. Read a full account here.

Edinburgh Fringe Gets A Bailout

It’s nice to know that in some countries, such as Scotland, it isn’t only the financial and auto industries getting bailed out, but theatre festivals as well. The funding package for the Edinburgh Fringe Festival includes a loan of £125,000 from the city council and a one-off grant of £65,000 from the Scottish Arts Council. The Scottish Government will also provide an advance of £60,000 on future funding. Read the full BBC report here.

Edinburgh Fringe Director Resigns

The director of the Edinburgh Festival Fringe has announced his resignation. Jon Morgan, who has been in the role just over a year, leaves the job only days after it was revealed ticket sales for the festival dropped 10% this year. The Fringe was hit by several problems, including the failure of a new computerized ticketing system. Mr. Morgan, 46, insisted he had been considering the move for "some time" and that his decision had nothing to do with this year's difficulties. He said he wanted to return to working more closely with the artists. He added that he had not wanted to disrupt this year's program by announcing his resignation before the festival began.

The director said: "I feel privileged to have worked for the Fringe. It is the greatest arts festival on the planet and plays an important role in developing and showcasing new performing talent on a world stage. However, the role of Fringe director has taken me away from my first love of producing and presenting exciting performances to audiences and my intention is to return to that more direct relationship with artists and audiences."

Edinburgh Ticket Sales Down

Ticket sales at this year's Edinburgh International Fringe Festival were down by almost 10% - the first fall in eight years. Bad weather, the poor global economy, competition from the Olympics and problems at the Fringe box office were all cited as factors in the downturn. The Fringe sold more than 1.5 million tickets for the third year running but that was down from 1.7 million in 2007.

Fringe director Jon Morgan said he was delighted with the overall figures in what he had been a "difficult year". He also pointed to the increasing number of free fringe events which are not included in the final tally. Now the Fringe is over, an inquiry will begin into the box office problems which left many shows overbooked or described as sold out when they were not.

Mr Morgan said: "At the start of the festival many were worried about the loss of venues, impact of the Olympics and the economy. In a difficult year, with record rainfall and problems with ticketing, fringe-goers have come out in force and enjoyed the festival." Fringe 2008 featured 31,320 performances of 2,088 shows in 247 venues. An estimated 18,792 performers took to the stage. A total of 350 shows were absolutely free, an increase of 46 on 2007.

Edinburgh Roundup

As the Olympics come to a close, so do the annual Edinburgh International and Fringe Festivals. Click here to read the NYTimes Charles Isherwood’s round-up of the youthful offerings. Here’s also a link to the ‘Total Fringe Award’ winners.