OUTBURST QUEER ARTS FESTIVAL 2019 Open Call

OUTBURST QUEER A R T S F E S T I V A L Belfast 7-16 November 2019

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MANIFEST the art your mother warned you about the things they'll never say on the news safe spaces for dangerous ideas queer histories they wallpapered over creative dynamite for self-imposed superinjunctions viral performance memes in public places the benevolent terrorism of tenderness the spirit of Stonewall, backwards and in heels unrepentant queer craic the things they bullied you for at school (and then some) instagram of the lost and forgotten workshops for audacious collaborative revenge megaphones for whisperers the internet of care sacred texts for new queer gods the untidy beauty of survival

OUTBURST

is Belfast's annual blast of new local and international queer art, performance, film and creative ideas. We're 13 and we know what teenage kicks are.

We commission, develop and programme queer arts events that are unexpected, shameless, illuminating, tender, smart and wildly entertaining, that have never been seen here before.

We love events that get us as LGBTQI+ people creating & sharing cunning plans, fantastic visions and glorious creative disruptions to change the world. We think it's a very a good way to pass the time.

The festival is a curated programme of brilliant new stuff we've seen and are dying to share and events that we and co-conspirators have developed or co-produced, with ideas that need to be seen and heard NOW. Our Open Call makes sure there's room for as many hidden treasures, bedroom genuiuses and insolent new creative upstarts as possible. We also love insolent old creative upstarts.

We accept submissions from anywhere but especially love work from and about this place in all its queer madness and beauty, or events and projects that local audiences in particular will get a real kick out of.

We love to share stories and ideas that go beyond the obvious narratives. That take queer art and LGBTQI+ stories into new and unexpected spaces and places in this city, that gather us to burst open feelings and thoughts and assumptions, regardless of sexuality or gender.

Leave eveyone dazzled by the ordinary and discombubulated by possibility.

Keep us up all night with your passion and humour and make us miss work in the morning.

Outburst is accessible new art for everyone. We programme theatre, performance, film, music, visual art, writing, sharing spaces and in-festival projects with queer, lesbian, gay, bi, pan, trans, non binary, intersex themes and intersectional inspirations. Most work we programme is by artists who identify as queer/LGBTQI. Non queer artists are welcome to submit work with strong queer insight and authentic queer/LGBTQI involvement in making and delivering the work.

SUBMIT Email: submissions@outburstarts.com If you'd prefer to send hard copy materials, pop them in the post to : SUBMISSIONS 2019, OUTBURST, 1st Floor, 18-22 Hill Street, BELFAST BT1 2LA, Northern Ireland.

You should include the following (maximum word count added, short n' sweet) 1. Contact name, address, phone number and email address 2. An outline of your event 500 words or less 3. How the event responds to this Open Call 150 words or less 4. What kind of audience you want to reach and why people will not want to miss this 100 words or less 5. A full budget breakdown of your event costs, including any funding you have already secured or applied for yourself. Please include your costs or needs for the following where appropriate: performance fees; accommodation; travel; props; set transportation; tech rider; any other essential event items.

6. Details, if any, of previous performances, screenings etc. of your proposed work, including any reviews.

Let us know if you're planning other performances/ scratch sharings/ screening dates before/ around Outburst.

7. Support materials such as your website, social network pages or other digital links.

8. Any scripts, images, books, screeners or videos relating to your event are also very helpful to us in building up a full picture of your show or event. For theatre shows and films we will need to see the full work.

9. Details of artists, performers and/or writers involved in your event, including all relevant CVs. A group or company CV is fine where that's more appropriate.

If you don’t have or don't know some of these things don't panic, just send us what you have and we can chat to you if we need to know more. The more info you can give us, the better idea we have about your proposal.

The deadline for receipt of submissions is Friday 31st MAY 2019. Midnight or whenever is grand. We're not your boss or HMRC. All programming is subject to funding and Brexit not f*cking everything up.

Outburst curates the programme to keep things fresh and relevant for audiences each year. It’s not always possible to have detailed discussions about your idea but we’ll do our best to answer any questions.

The Q&A section on the next page might help with any issues, so check that out first before getting in touch.

You'll get an automatic "Submission Received" message when you send your proposal, if you don't then give us a shout. Due to the number of submissions we tend to get for Outburst, we’ll generally only get in touch to chat if your work is the right fit for the programme.

We’re happy to offer feedback on proposals if you ask and we’ll get back to you as soon as we can.

For news and updates, join us on

Outburst Arts

@OutburstArts

outburstqueerarts

questions?

What kind of support can Outburst offer for my event at the festival?

Outburst can cover an artist/performance fee, travel and accommodation costs, venue hire, marketing, tech costs and other essentials. We don’t cover development or rehearsal costs unless your event is co-produced or developed by Outburst. Larger scale productions may need to contribute partnership funding from other sources. Let’s chat.

How many performances/shows should I budget for?

Generally we programme just one perfomance of a show or event through the open call. Sometimes we'll consider several performances for plays, or if your production is designed for a small audience capacity per show. Whatever works is good.

I’m writing a funding application. Can I get a letter of support from Outburst?

Do say you are submitting to the open call but we can only provide letters of support for work we're co-producing or have already confirmed for the programme.

I'm just starting out with making work and haven’t produced something before. Can I still send you an idea?

Absolutely. We always make space at Outburst for new work or in-development productions. If this is new for you, start with something short and do-able. We're here to help and there are also other initiatives like Queertopia that offer year-round performance spaces for new queer artists to try things out in front of a small supportive queer audiences.

Q: Can I send you a script?

A: We love to read new work, though we programme mostly ready-to-stage productions through this Open Call.

We do have a work-in-progress strand called BREWING. This is for new work from Northern Ireland based writers and companies only. If you would like to discuss developing something in partnership with a theatre company for Outburst over the coming year or two, we can look at possibilities for your script.

Q: When will I hear if my proposal is shortlisted?

A: While we try our best to get back to everyone, we’re a small team and receive a lot of proposals, so we can’t guarantee we’ll get the chance to chat to you about your work unless it’s shortlisted. You should get a confirmation once we have received your submission, so if you don’t hear from us at all please get in touch.

You should hear back by the end of July at very latest if your proposal is right for this year.

Q: I want to submit a propasal but it's still being developed. I won't be able to share a video of it with you or invite you to see it until after the open call deadline. Can I still send it in?

A: Yes. We know that developing work takes time and care and totally understand this. If you're a new artist to us, we do still need to get a sense of what the work will be like, so let us know when submitting when your work is likely to be ready.

Q: We are a venue/community organisation/ non-LGBTQI group/youth group/agency that would love to do something for Outburst but not quite sure what. Can you help?

A: Absolutely. We love to create new partnerships that bring great events to new audiences. We do lots of “matchmaking” between organisations and artists or events that can bring Outburst to your area or group.

Drop us a line at hello@outburstarts.com instead of to the submissions address and we can chat.

Q: I don’t have an event to submit but I’d love to get involved in Outburst in other ways.

Is there anything I can do other than perform?

A: Yes. For starters, our amazing volunteers are a big part of the team before and during the festival. Some volunteers lend their time and specific skills throughout the year. Drop a line to kathy@outburstarts.com with some info about yourself. We also invite those with organisational skills and experience to apply to join our governing Board of Directors. Contact us for an info pack on Board Membership and details of our next board recruitment opportunities.

Q: Do you accept film submissions?

A: We do. We programme new queer feature films and docs. While we don't have a shorts programme, we do sometimes programme shorts before features. We can also screen work as part of other events, particularly if the content is engaging and relevant around specific queer issues or topics we're exploring in the wider programme.

Please send a screening link or DVD along with the rest of the submission details.

Q: Can I submit something for 2020 or beyond?

A: Yes. Though be aware that our objectives and themes around programming can change from year to year.

Q: It all sounds a bit avant garde and artsy. Do you progarmme more mainstream or commercial LGBTQ+ work?

A: If it's got heart and soul and hasn't been seen here before we will consider any work that fits the bill.

Outburst's main programming aims are to share work that is not usually seen here, to encourage creativity and aspiration in queer art and to give artists space to develop daring new ideas. So as long as it's fresh and relevant and not likely to be programmed elsewhere, bring it on.

Outburst Arts and our projects are supported by several funders, agencies and sponsors throughout the year, including Arts Council of Northern Ireland, Paul Hamlyn Foundation, British Council, Belfast City Council, Department for Communities and PHA. Outburst Arts Festival is a limited company NI603571 and a Northern Ireland Charity, number NIC102016.

Main funders and partners