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Calls for Artists: Next Stage

APPLICATIONS for THE 2024 NEXT STAGE THEATRE FESTIVAL

2024 Next Stage Theatre Festival will take place in October, 2024. Applications will open January 25, 2023 - March 8, 2023.

You can access a PDF version of our Application Guide here and a Step-by-Step guide to applying here. 

ABOUT THE 2024 NEXT STAGE FESTIVAL 

The 2024 Next Stage Theatre Festival will present a curated program of independent theatre and performing artists chosen by the Next Stage Selection Committee. The 17th annual festival will take place in late October 2024, and be presented at Buddies in Bad Times Theatre, in the heart of downtown Toronto.

The 2024 Next Stage Festival will be accepting submissions from Canadian and International indie artists/companies.

The selection committee commits to reserving at least 50% of production spots for artists who are Indigenous, Black, or Persons of Colour. In late 2020 The Toronto Fringe underwent an EDI Audit conducted by Where You Are Consulting. Implementing this 50% minimum guarantee is a step to directly address some of the imbalances and gaps that exist in the demographics reflected on Fringe and Canada’s stages.


WHO ARE NEXT STAGE ARTISTS 

FUNDING FOR YOUR PRODUCTION

All selected companies will have the opportunity to apply for two rounds of grant cycles for OAC and TAC.  We highly recommend that selected companies use this extended timeline to their advantage. The selection committee timeline is planned to be able to send offers to applicants by the end of June 2023 at the latest. We advise you to not wait until then to begin to prepare a grant application, and collect required materials in the meantime.

OAC DEADLINES (applicant must be resident of Ontario)

Theatre Projects: https://www.arts.on.ca/grants/theatre-projects

Dance Projects: https://www.arts.on.ca/grants/dance-projects 

Media Artists Creation Projects: https://www.arts.on.ca/grants/media-artists-creation-projects


Find out more about grants offered by OAC here: https://www.arts.on.ca/grants/activity/creating-and-presenting 

TAC DEADLINES (Applicant must be resident of Toronto)

Theatre Projects: https://torontoartscouncil.org/grant-programs/tac-grants/theatre/project-grants 

Dance Projects: https://torontoartscouncil.org/grant-programs/tac-grants/dance/project-grants 

Find out about more grants offered by TAC here: https://torontoartscouncil.org/grant-programs/discover-tac-grants/tac-grants  

 

HOW TO APPLY  

Next Stage is a curated festival, programmed by a selection committee. Applications can be submitted via the festival portal, at eventotron.com. In addition to completing the application form, you will also need to provide:

In order to help you prepare, should you be selected to participate in Next Stage 2024, the questions we ask on the form have been crafted to be similar to those that are required for OAC and TAC project grant applications.

To begin your application: 

Cost to apply: there is a $20 reading fee to apply. If this fee is a barrier, please reach out to us. 

Application deadlines: Monday March 6, 2023

Note: the final deadline to apply is Wednesday March 8, 2023 by 11:59PM EDT. We are suggesting Monday March 6th as a deadline to help conceptualize a buffer for those who may benefit from assistance with planning. 

The primary applicant (referred to as the Main Admin Contact) can submit more than one application for different projects in either series. A $20 reading fee can be applied to every individual project application. Applicants will not be selected for more than one slot in the festival if they are successful.

For a step by step guide to the application process is available here.

If you require any accessibility accommodations in order to submit your application, please contact Suzanne Wilkie at suzanne@fringetoronto.com or 416-966-1062 ext. 228, and we will assist you. 

ADJUDICATION PROCESS 

A 5-member committee will review all applications and select the series of productions. The full committee will be listed on this page soon.

The committee is comprised of selected practicing artists and/or arts professionals that are recognized as artistic leaders by our sector, with a view to be representative of Toronto’s arts community and striving to contribute to fostering the ongoing diversity of the independent performing arts sector.

Submissions will be assessed for:

Round 1: All submissions in each series will be divided into 5 groups randomly, with each submission read by at least two committee members in round 1. Each committee member will be assigned a group of submissions to review and score in the assessment categories before meeting to discuss all applications. This discussion session allows each member to propose the submissions they have scored highest that will advance to the second round. Discussing the applications as a group gives a more rounded understanding of the work and provides the opportunity to reconsider their initial scores.

Round 2: All submissions in this round will be read by all five committee members and independently evaluated before meeting to discuss them all together. The committee will select productions that strongly align with the festival’s criteria, and which form a series that is diverse in creators, genres and artistic vision. In this stage, we are considering the work as it will be situated within the entire festival, and striving to showcase the depth and breadth of work in the sector and representing as many genres, disciplines, subject matters, and creative voices as possible. Historically the festival has programmed at least one musical, one dance piece, as well as theatre, solo storytelling, improv, comedy, and everything in between.  

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