The 21st Macao City Fringe Festival, organised by the Cultural Affairs Bureau (IC, from the Portuguese acronym), will be held in January next year. The call for proposals for programmes and performance venues is now open, and all local artistic and cultural associations, curators, producers, independent artists, higher education students, and those interested in artistic creation are welcome to submit their proposals. Proposals for all forms of performing arts programmes and artistic activities will be accepted, and applicants are encouraged to show an innovative and bold spirit to break the barriers of traditional venues and to create works that highlight the characteristics and the cultural connotations of the city. All those responsible for local venues are also invited to submit proposals for performance venues so as to provide exhibition or performance spaces for the Fringe Festival. The submission deadline is 5 p.m. on 9 July 2021.
In order to cultivate more local talent in performing arts and production, the 21st Macao City Fringe Festival has added a new programme category entitled ‘New Spark of Programmes Showcase’, with local higher education students being the target participants. The maximum budget for the production of the selected programmes is MOP 20,000, and the selected groups will also be participating in a programme preparation workshop and will receive technical advice and equipment support. It is hoped that the event will help the industry to discover potential new talent, while providing practical opportunities for higher education students interested in artistic creation.
This year’s Fringe Festival will continue to collect proposals for independent programmes and “Crème de la Fringe” Curate Project. For “Crème de la Fringe” Curate Project, applicants are required to curate a ‘mini-festival’ associated with a specific neighbourhood or community, or a specific theme for their projects (including no less than three programmes and two outreach activities; the maximum budget for the entire project is MOP 500,000). Each selected group will be arranged to participate in a festival curatorship workshop in order to gain a deeper understanding of curatorship principles, implementation strategies, and the main aspects of organising a festival. Local and cross-regional productions of the 21st Macao City Fringe Festival with great potential may have the chance to be presented at the 33rd Macao Arts Festival. The Fringe Festival will also continue to invite industry professionals and art critics from other regions to attend the performances, thereby promoting interaction and exchange between local and foreign art practitioners while fostering the internationalisation of Macao works.
The regulations, application forms for programme proposals, and the Fringe venue registration form can be downloaded on IC’s website at www.icm.gov.mo. Applicants may submit the completed application forms and relevant documents in person at the Cultural Affairs Bureau Building located at Tap Siac Square during office hours, or by post or email to fringe@icm.gov.mo, with the following indicated on the envelope or the subject: ‘Attn: Division of Performing Arts, Cultural Affairs Bureau, Call for Proposals of Programmes for 21st Macao City Fringe Festival’. Applicants who propose performance venues may also submit the completed Fringe venue registration form by email to fringe@icm.gov.mo. For enquiries, please contact Mr. Lam (tel. no.: 8399 6877; email: KamHonL@icm.gov.mo ), or Ms. U (tel. no. 8399 6660; email : mcu@icm.gov.mo ), during office hours.
