Dunedin Fringe Festival 2023: Support Our Artists!

Dunedin Fringe “is a breeding ground for new talent, a workshop for existing talent and an experimental safe space for all artists … for southern artists who want a platform to reach a wider audience, the Fringe is a lifeline.”

– Simon Kingsley Holmes, Comedian

Dunedin Fringe Festival is an annual 11 day multidisciplinary arts festival that’s open to anyone who wants to participate. The festival features innovative, diverse, and inclusive visual and performance art, and is a critical forum for creative experimentation and an incubator for local talent.

Like many other amazing arts organisations across the motu, Dunedin Fringe Arts Trust was declined Creative New Zealand Annual Arts Grant funding in September 2022. That decision left a $150,000 hole in our budget, including funds for Fringe Artist Grants and performance fees, and threatened the viability of the 2023 festival.

After consulting with our community of artists and supporting venues, we chose to go ahead. At its heart, the decision was made with our artists in mind – after three incredibly tough years, we just couldn’t provide another blow to their creative hopes and dreams.

Now we need your help!  

We’re running this Boosted campaign to raise funds for:

Fringe Artist Grants: 75 cents in every dollar given will support grants made directly to artists to help them develop and present work for the Dunedin Fringe Festival. These grants are often the difference between artists being able to pay themselves or not; between a show breaking even or running at a loss. The grants are a low barrier way to get much needed resources into the hands of creative talent.

Fringe contract staff: 25 cents in every dollar given will go towards paying the contractors who make the Dunedin Fringe Festival possible. Often artists in their own right, they bring their unique talents to the festival and support others to realise their creative vision. These roles help keep arts workers in the Ōtepoti community employed and engaged in the creative sector.

Dunedin Fringe Arts Trust has applied for a smaller Round 2 Creative New Zealand Arts Grant to support Fringe Artist Grants and other festival costs, and will be notified of the decision on 9 December. With many other declined Annual Arts Grant applicants joining the usual applicants, the pool is more competitive than in the past. As such, there’s a high chance our application may be declined again. If our CNZ application is successful, the grant funds will be added to the Boosted funds, making a larger pool of funds available to support Fringe artists.

The Dunedin Fringe Arts Trust has a vision for a city that is ignited by creativity; a city where all people embrace art, culture and creativity into their daily lives; a city that celebrates its artists as they help us empathise, understand our identities and the perspectives of others, and imagine new solutions to the pressing issues of our times.  

The Dunedin Fringe Festival plays a vital role in supporting the artists who can make that vision a reality. We hope you can support our Dunedin Fringe artists and festival workers with a donation, or share this campaign amongst your networks.  

“The Fringe Festival adds substantial colour and flair to Dunedin and provides an important platform for emerging artists. It makes the performing arts accessible to local audiences, providing experiences that would be difficult to have without a Fringe Festival. It also brings together artists, audiences and volunteers and allows them to network, which fosters a sense of connection and coherence in our creative community.”

– Sandra Muller, Fringe Artist

Thank you for believing in the power of Fringe!

Photo credit: Kerry Hodge