2024 Artist Signup

2024 Independent Producer Performance Contract 

Welcome! We’re excited to have you as a participating producer in the 2024 Minnesota Fringe Festival. We’ve outlined the terms of our relationship below; as with all things Fringe, we operate in a transparent manner, so we want expectations to be clear.

Performances: 

Each producer registration includes up to eleven (11) performances running August 1-11, 2024. Additional performances can be added for $50 each, up to a maximum of 55 performances during the Festival. Performances can be of any length, but must start on the Fringe performance grid times. All final performance schedules must be approved by Fringe.

Money: 

The following rules govern various fees: 

• Registration Fee. Due upon application. Non-refundable. 
• Production Costs. Producers are responsible for all costs related to the production of their shows, including but not limited to: venue rental, necessary permits and insurance; company member stipends; sets, props and costumes; marketing materials such as postcards and programs; and playwright or other royalties. 
• Producers must provide proof of liability insurance for the venue being used with a minimum coverage of $1,000,000 per incident and $2,000,000 in the aggregate immediately after registration.

Marketing and press:

• Fringe provides marketing and press relations to promote attendance at the festival as a whole. Marketing of individual productions is the sole responsibility of the producer. 
• Fringe publishes an official website with schedules and information about all participating productions for the use of the public. Fringe is responsible for compiling and publishing basic performance information including production company name, venue, and performance schedule. Additional information including, but not limited to, show descriptions, cast and crew members, and images must be provided by producers by stated deadlines and must adhere to Fringe guidelines to be included. 
• In addition to their own images and copy, producers agree to reproduce essential festival information, as provided by Fringe, on all promotional materials. Failure to include all required information on promotional materials will disqualify that material from appearing on postcard tables in Fringe venues. 
• Fringe distributes information about the festival, including schedules, show descriptions and production images, to the press. Fringe does not guarantee that any production will receive media coverage. Producers’ contact information, including phone numbers and email addresses, is made available to members of the press. 
• Fringe organizes a series of showcases in which a producer may be invited to present a short excerpt of or description about their show specifically as a promotional tool. Although Fringe will accommodate as many producers as possible, Fringe cannot guarantee placement in any showcase. 

Box office and front-of-house: 

• Producers are responsible for providing front of house staff. 
• Fringe is responsible for selling all pre-show tickets and multi-show passes to as well as calculating gross sales of the festival digital sales. Fringe pays independent producers 70% of all digital ticket sales, allocated by show attendance and seat type, less any outstanding amounts producer may owe Fringe, by check sent no later than September 1, 2024. Checks will be made payable to the person or company identified on the required W9 tax form. 
• Producers are responsible for all of their own tax or other liabilities based on the box office payment. Fringe will send a 1099 form in January 2025 to all producers receiving $600 or more in box office payout. 
• Fringe reserves the right to distribute a reasonable number of complimentary festival admissions to festival participants and to promote the festival and its constituent shows. 
• The allowed seating capacity of your venue must be reported to Fringe and should be fixed. Fringe pre-sells tickets up to 100% capacity of this set amount.

Venue and technical information: 

• The producer will secure a venue prior to festival registration. A venue contract and/or proof of insurance will be submitted by the producer before the last day of the month in which the producer registered.
• The producer will be responsible for acquiring and managing all technical needs for rehearsals and performances. 
• Any food or beverage distributed to the audience during the production of a show must be pre-approved by Fringe staff and may be limited to prepackaged FDA approved consumables. 
• Producers may engage in merchandise sales. Sidewalk sales are prohibited by the city of Minneapolis.  

Rules: 

• Producers and all production cast and crew members must adhere to all city, state and federal laws and ordinances, as well as the rules, policies and procedures of Fringe, including those set out in the Independent Producers’ Handbook. 
• Producers accept all responsibility for honoring all applicable union, royalty, copyright, tax and immigration regulations and agree to acquire any necessary city or state permits at his/her own cost.  
• By July 1, 2024, all producers who are citizens or resident aliens of the United States must provide a W9 form; by July 1, 2024, all producers who are neither citizens nor resident aliens of the United States must provide the festival with copies of appropriate tax paperwork. 
• It is the responsibility of producers to communicate festival rules, policies and procedures to their productions’ cast and crew. Producers are liable for any actions their cast and crew undertake. 
• Fringe will accept no liability for performance cancellations as a result of natural phenomena or the actions of third parties or as a result of a performance venue suitability or lack thereof for any particular purpose. 
• Failure to abide by any of the terms of this agreement may result in removal from the festival at the sole discretion of Fringe. A producer who has been removed may not receive any refunds of any fees previously paid. In the event of removal, Fringe will not be liable to the producer or their cast or crew for damages of any kind, including but not limited to production expenses, lost revenue, or any other amounts.  
• Fringe reserves the right to exclude from any subsequent festival any producer who has ever been removed from Fringe for any reason. 

By clicking the box below, the Producer consents to the terms set out within this Agreement. No unilateral changes, alterations, modification or strike-outs to this Agreement will be accepted by Fringe. This agreement must be signed by the producer and received by Fringe no later than June 15, 2024. Failure to meet that deadline may result in loss of the opportunity to Independently Produce in the 2024 Minnesota Fringe Festival.