The Fringe Working-Class Producers Mentorship is a programme of year-round support for working-class producers based in Scotland, to support the planning and prep work required to present a show at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe.
The programme is run by the Fringe Society, the organisation which provides support to artists, venues, audiences and all those involved in the Fringe. The programme offers mentorship, advice and support for up to five working-class creatives who are aiming to bring a show to the Fringe in 2023 and whose primary role is that of the producer or self-producing artist.
Who is it for?
This programme is open to Scotland-based creatives who identify as working class. You should be able to demonstrate the following criteria and clearly identify in your application how this programme will benefit your plan to present a show at the Fringe.
Essential criteria
Applicants must:
- hold the primary role of producer for the project they plan to present at the Fringe in 2023
- identify as working class
- be based in Scotland year-round
- be over the age of 18 (there is no upper age limit)
- be available to be in Edinburgh during the induction period in the final week of the Fringe (22 – 26 August 2022).
Further guidance
Applicants should:
- not have presented work at the Fringe in the past
- be aiming to bring work to the Fringe in August 2023
- be new to producing or be in the early stages of their producing career.
What's included?
August 2022
-
Three-day introductory programme at the Fringe in August including:
- a £100 ticket voucher to assist participants to see a wider breadth of work and venues at the Fringe than their budget would allow
- a travel and accommodation bursary of £250 to attend the Fringe from within Scotland (negotiable dependent on applicant’s travel requirements)
- £50 daily spending stipend
- workshops and discussions tailored to the group’s needs
- access to Fringe Central and all services and resources within, including the Fringe Central Events Programme
- networking opportunities and events with artists, producers, venues and industry.
Access adjustments
To make the programme more accessible to those who have additional support needs, a limited budget is available to cover the cost of a Personal Assistant or other access adjustments, should they be needed.
If you require access adjustments or support to enable your participation in this programme, please specify this with your application so that we may ensure we include these in our planning processes.
September 2022 – August 2023
-
Monthly structured support sessions with Fringe Society staff, producers, venues and other professionals, taking you through every step in the run up to bringing a show to the Fringe in August 2023.
This will include:
- goal setting
- budgeting and fundraising
- finding a venue
- contracts and legalities
- registering a show
- finding accommodation
- producing
- marketing
- networking
- professional development and touring.
- Travel and accommodation covered for in-person sessions.
- Workshops with industry experts.
- Regular check-ins during your Fringe run.
Please note: This programme is not intended to cover the costs of your planned Fringe run in 2023 but will give you the information and knowledge you need to plan and fundraise for your show.
How to apply
To apply, applicants must answer the following questions to the best of their ability:
1. Why do you want to bring a show to the Edinburgh Festival Fringe?
2. What benefit will this programme bring to your Fringe-planning journey?
3. What barriers will this programme help you overcome?
Measuring socio-economic diversity
To help us measure the socio-economic background of applicants and to ensure we are prioritising working-class producers for this opportunity we have a couple of questions we would like you to answer in your application. These questions are supplied by the Social Mobility Commission – you can find more information at socialmobilityworks.org.
4. What was the occupation of your main household earner when you were about aged 14?
a. Modern professional & traditional professional occupations such as: teacher, nurse, physiotherapist, social worker, musician, police officer (sergeant or above), software designer, accountant, solicitor, medical practitioner, scientist, civil / mechanical engineer.
b. Senior, middle or junior managers or administrators such as: finance manager, chief executive, large business owner, office manager, retail manager, bank manager, restaurant manager, warehouse manager.
c. Clerical and intermediate occupations such as: secretary, personal assistant, call centre agent, clerical worker, nursery nurse.
d. Technical and craft occupations such as: motor mechanic, plumber, printer, electrician, gardener, train driver.
e. Routine, semi-routine manual and service occupations such as: postal worker, machine operative, security guard, caretaker, farm worker, catering assistant, sales assistant, HGV driver, cleaner, porter, packer, labourer, waiter/waitress, bar staff.
f. Long-term unemployed (claimed Jobseeker’s Allowance or earlier unemployment benefit for more than a year).
g. Small business owners who employed less than 25 people such as: corner shop owners, small plumbing companies, retail shop owner, single restaurant or cafe owner, taxi owner, garage owner.
h. Other such as: retired, this question does not apply to me, I don’t know.
i. I prefer not to say.
5. If you finished school after 1980, were you eligible for free school meals at any point during your school years?
a. Yes
b. No
c. Not applicable (finished school before 1980 or went to school overseas)
d. I don’t know
e. I prefer not to say
Please email [email protected] with answers attached in Word or PDF format by 10:00 BST on Thursday 05 May 2022. Please make sure to include "Working Class Producers application" in your email subject.
We welcome applicants who wish to submit an application in an alternative format (eg video application, voice recording, etc). Please contact [email protected] to discuss options.
Participant selection
Participants will be selected by a panel made up of Fringe Society staff members and independent panellists. In keeping with the Fringe’s open-access ethos, the Fringe Society welcomes applications from those producing shows in any genre.
The Fringe Society is committed to a policy of equal opportunities and intend for the programme to reflect the diversity of Scotland’s society. We work on the understanding that the term "working class" is inclusive of and intersects with additional elements of diversity and identity. This includes gender and gender identity, ethnically and culturally diverse backgrounds, visible and non-visible disability or illness, parenting and caring responsibilities, alongside other under-represented demographics in the arts sector.
Contact
If you have any questions about an existing application or the programme in general, the Artist Development Service is open year-round and can be contacted on [email protected] or 0131 226 0020.