Fringe Festival

It’s YOUR Festival

We at the Lichfield Festival have always known that the people of Lichfield are both beautiful and talented, and now we want you to prove it to everyone else. For the first time, the 30th Lichfield Festival will include a Fringe Festival, a free showcase for the talents of people in and around Lichfield and Staffordshire. From the 6th to the 17th July we want the streets, pubs, restaurants, bars, churches and shop windows of Lichfield to fizz, day and night, with your creative energies and talents.

Interested in taking part?

Well then, you’ve come to the right place! Applications are invited from:

Visual Artists
Musicians and Spoken Word Artists
Comedians
Writers.
Drama and Cabaret Artists

Be original, be inventive, be creative. Performances can last anything up to an hour and if successful you will be assigned the venue that best suits your act.

Please note that we are particularly keen to programme open-air events as well as events in bars and cafes during the daytime and late evening.

How to Apply

First, read the Guidance Notes for applicants (below), then simply download, fill in, save and return the application form (also below) to Festival Director Fiona Stuart, at fiona.stuart@lichfieldfestival.org by no later than Friday 6th April. Please be aware that we anticipate a high level of interest, and therefore while all applications will be considered, not all applications will be succesful.

Further information is available on the form itself, and you can read our Frequently Asked Questions below for further knowledge. If that doesn’t sate your appetite for info, then contact Festival Administrator Richard Bateman on 01543 306270 or email info@lichfieldfestival.org for more.

Guidance Notes for Applicants

Lichfield Festival Fringe Application Form

If You’re Successful…

All acts chosen for the Fringe will be listed in the main Festival Guide, which is seen by over 180,000 people across the region, as well as on our website. We will also create bespoke Festival-branded flyers for you and your act to reproduce and distribute as you wish.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the festival fringe?

The Festival Fringe is a new addition to the Lichfield Festival for 2011. Its aim is to give amateur and semi-professional performers from Lichfield and Staffordshire the chance to take part in the festival, and to bring the festival to the people of Lichfield in a new and exciting way.

When will it happen?

The fringe will be an integral part of the 30^th Lichfield Festival, and will run from the 6^th to the 17^th July 2011.

Where will it happen?

It could be anywhere! As far as possible we want the fringe to go to the people, rather than the other way round. We would like people to perform table-to-table in cafes, in large public spaces, in pubs, churches, on street corners, in shop windows – wherever your act would work, we will try to get it there.

What are you looking for?

Our minds are open to anything you might wish to put to us, though quirky off-the-wall ideas which are a bit different to the norm would be particularly welcome. If you have something to perform, apply.

We use loads of equipment, can we perform?

We are happy to receive applications from those needing a large amount of technical equipment, but it will be the responsibility of the applicants to bring their own equipment and take full responsibility for it thereafter. The Lichfield Festival will not provide technical support for fringe acts and will not be liable for any damage that may occur to equipment while you are performing. In general we would say the lower-tech the better. Given the nature of the likely performance spaces it is acoustic and non-amplified acts that we mainly envisage the fringe catering for.

How long can we perform for?

Any time up to an hour.

Will we get paid?

There will be no fees for performers at the Festival Fringe and no charges for public access to fringe events. We will however take collections at performances, the money from which will got to the Festival’s chosen charity for 2011.