2021 Anywhere Festival applications open for performers and presenters

Anywhere Festival is a two and a half week festival of discovery from comedy in backyards, dance in hedge mazes, theatre in light houses, circus in driveways and music and immersive anywhere in between and beyond!

Anywhere Festival has been running in Brisbane for ten years, Sunshine Coast and Noosa for four years is also opening up applications for performances in Ipswich and the Moreton Bay region.

“Anywhere Festival is created with artists at the core, that’s why most performance spaces are provided rent free, why we limit the size of the festival so shows have the best chance of selling out and why we spend so much time assisting with the creative development of shows and finding the right locations.”

Anywhere Festival provides over $8k of support on average to every show in the festival, making it very popular with established and emerging artists who want to try new ideas or are looking for a cash cow amongst an often precarious performance circuit.

“This year we’re really excited to already have some incredible hub spaces that will also make it possible for interstate acts to be part of anywhere festival in a way that was difficult when the festival was solely about non traditional spaces.”

In 2021 Anywhere Festival is responding to covid, making it easier for artists to continue creating work even if restrictions change.

“This year we’ll be running an online program open worldwide that connects with international festivals so that local shows can reach an international audience.”

Expressions of Interest opened 16 November and close 6 December. All details at www.anywhere.is

KEY ANNOUNCEMENTS FOR PERFORMERS AND PRESENTERS WANTING TO EXPRESS INTEREST

• The 2021 Anywhere Festival is happening 6-23 May 2021.
• The 2021 Anywhere Festival is about discovering performances and place anywhere – backyards, driveways, lighthouses, alleys, heritage homes, hedge mazes, boats and Anywhere performance hubs.
• All genres of performance are extremely welcome from theatre to dance, comedy to immersive, filmed live performances to a circus, poetry to walking tours.
• Expressions of interest for show open 16 November and close 6 December.
• Expressions of Interest are open for performances in Brisbane, Sunshine Coast, Noosa, Ipswich, Moreton Bay
• Anywhere Festival will also run an online program that is open to performances from anywhere and be linked with international festivals and company programs.
• The core team of Anywhere Festival will be Paul Osuch (Artistic Director), Toni Wills(Creative Producer Noosa and Sunshine Coast) and Tim Monley (Digital Program Director) with further announcements to be made.
• Anywhere Festival makes it possible for independent artists to develop work during COVID restrictions with flexible non-traditional spaces, COVD Safe Plans, flexible timelines, digital delivery options, and plans for shows under different restriction levels.
• Anywhere Awards will take a big step up, for the first time each award sponsored by a major arts organization offering career development, mentorship, and other career development opportunities as prizes.
• Thanks to a successful Digital Adaptation Grant through Arts Queensland, Arts Queensland is able to make available equipment for performance makers to deliver digitally at very cheap or in rates.
• For the first time, a First Nations-led Workshop series focussing on storytelling and place in Sunshine Coast and Noosa.
• Performance makers can access rent free locations that have been negotiated by Anywhere, bring their own or work with us to approach a new venue.
• Anywhere will have a series of hubs providing basic black box spaces from venues that support independent artists – Sideshow West End, Arcana (Moorooka), University of Queensland, Elements Collective Cupo/Concept (Fortitude Valley) and Suncentral Maroochydore with other venues to be announced. Intrastate and interstate artist are encouraged to apply.
• Performance makers will be able to access Anywhere Festival new office and hot-desking space at the Judith Wright Centre
• New improved ticketing system for 2021
• Instead of an upfront contribution to confirm participation, you can request to pay in installments increase your box office percentage or in what is a revolutionary new idea for festivals. you can provide in-kind services to Anywhere Festival or mentor other performance makers at Anywhere Festival!
• Key dates include Expression of Interest deadline by 6 December, notification by 21 December, workshops over January and February, 1-21 February to lock in your show listing for the program, 22 March festival program reveal, 6-23 May festival and 29 May for the Anywhere Awards.
• Expressions of interest for show open 16 November and close 6 December. APPLY NOW