Sydney Fringe Festival Report

FESTIVAL REPORT 2023

“THEY DON’T MAKE TVS BIG ENOUGH TO COMPETE WITH SYDNEY FRINGE”

AUDIENCE MEMBER 2023

Sydney F ringe ack nowledg by the all e odial ow ners of th s and is guided meet on e land th . We pay a our resp 29 clans ects to th t we of the Eo e ra elders pa st and pr Nation and recog esent, as nise First Nat well as a ions Peo ll the ple of Au stralia.

FESTIVAL REPORT 2023 An Utterly Unbelievable Fringe

2

Message from the CEO

7

Venues

8

Partnerships & Activations

10

Audiences

18

Media Coverage and Digital Reach

22

Artists

24

Programming

32

Sector Sustainability

37

Events

38

Accessibility & Inclusion

42

First Nations

46

Impact

48

Awards

52

The Team

55

Our Partners

56

AN UTTERLY UNBELIEVABLE FRINGE!

GODZ, Spiegeltent Festival Gardens, Photography: Sarah Findlay

2

SYDNEY FRINGE FESTIVAL

This year marked the fourteenth addition of the Sydney Fringe Festival and the tenth under the current CEO/Festival Director Kerri Glasscock. After three disruptive years, 2023 marked a return to normalcy; it was characterised by an enhanced commitment to refining business practices and strategic growth. This shift was facilitated by applying the lessons learned from successfully executed pilot projects and the increased investments secured in previous years.

The COVID years provided us time to test out new commercial drivers and build strategic partnerships enabling the festival to return strongly in 2023 with a refreshed brand, expanding festival gardens and revitalised festival hubs across the city. Audiences embraced the festival with a 43% increase in ticket sales year on year.

This year’s festival hosted 391 events in 80 venues, providing Sydney audiences with 1861 performance sessions of theatre, cabaret, live art-making, exhibitions, workshops, talks, live music, comedy, concerts, parties, activations and more.

Engagement by artists remained strong, with 2119 participating (however this is still a reduction on pre-covid levels of engagement). Registration fees were reinstated for the first time since the pandemic, these had been waived via additional government subsidy in 2022. Artists were supported by the festival via reduced/subsidised venue hire and subsidy to as many areas as possible removing as much financial risk to participate as possible.

Our curated and headline program, The Touring Hub, returned, showcasing award award-winning interstate and international productions. We introduced a diverse range of new public events and programs made possible via corporate partnerships. Notably, our export program Made in Sydney secured NSW Government support for three Sydney productions during the 23/24 seasons. This facilitated their participation in Sydney Fringe and subsequent tour to Adelaide Fringe in February 2024.

Our Spiegeltent Festival Garden, which was trialed in 2022 returned with an expanded program and a new home at the Entertainment Quarter Moore Park.

This program provided a new avenue for broader audience development, and the ability to program large scale cabarets, musicals and circus works. Sideshow (also initiated in 2022) returned in partnership with the NSW Government via PMNSW with a curated program of small scale immersive and interactive works in The Rocks precinct. A new activation in Darling Quarter saw a 180 seat tent Hello Darling installed to host a family friendly festival garden by day and adult programming in the evenings.

Our popular festival hubs returned with the

Cabaret Club at Castlereagh Boutique Hotel expanding to two venues and supporting 29 productions. Young artists were again supported in our Emerging Artist Sharehouse in Erskineville Town Hall, and new to 2023, a Music Hub was created in Marrickville Town Hall, and Dance Hub at the Neilson Studio, Sydney Dance Company.

We continued our focus to remove barriers and increase participation by more artists from priority engagement areas. The successful Limitless Hub returned providing a fully subsidised and supported performance and exhibition space for d/Deaf and disabled artists. Additional funding for this program was secured from the City of Sydney. The program was exceptionally received with many of the productions again receiving award nominations.

We also continued our commitment to First Nations artists with our year-round First Nations Coordinator providing support to First Nations artists through their Fringe journey and working with community on our weaving project presented by Wiradjuri Wave.

Our audiences returned with ticketed festival attendance increasing by 43% and total attendance of the festival increasing by 29%, reaching a total festival attendance of 98,345. Audiences were united in their intentions, with over 50% of audiences attending Sydney Fringe to have unique experiences, support emerging artists, or see work they wouldn’t otherwise see. Continuing to solidify Sydney Fringe’s place in the event calendar as a leading presenter of new work and unique experiences.

Most importantly, 94% of audiences indicated an intention to return to the festival in 2024.

2023 FESTIVAL REPORT

3

As the festival grows in scale and capacity, larger partnerships and the need for new commercial business drivers that, in-turn, support our not-forprofit activity (open access program, sector support/ education and venue activation projects) become more vital. Sydney Fringe is leading the way within the cultural sector in successfully employing alternative funding models to support operations. The key to unlocking alternative funding resides in our unique position to act as the cornerstone entity and as a cultural entrepreneur, which provides a competitive advantage over purely commercial presenters and narrow genre-based institutions. As a not-for-profit organisation, any commercial revenue streams achieved by the organisation are reinvested to support the independent arts sector, our core purpose. These partnerships have been a major part of the 2023 festival and demonstrated in Sydney Fringe Sideshow, Hello Darling and Spiegeltent Festival Garden.

Our global relationships were strengthened via our award partnerships with San Diego International Fringe (USA), NZ Fringe and Hollywood Fringe (USA). More artists were given the ability to tour their work nationally via the continued award partnerships with Adelaide Fringe, Melbourne Fringe and Fringe World (WA).

4

SYDNEY FRINGE FESTIVAL

Participation by artists from outside of Sydney increased by 22% demonstrating the increased brand and reputational reach of Sydney Fringe Festival on the touring circuit, and the positive impact the new larger infrastructure projects such as Hello Darling, The Vault and Spiegeltent have on the ability to secure touring works of scale.

The Sydney Fringe continued to find new ways for Sydney’s producers to carve out sustainable careers, continuing our detailed year-round Producer Workshop Series to upskill local producers, and partnering with Creative Business Plus to deliver a series of significant in-festival workshops for participating artists/producers.

The organisation continued to champion access in all forms with 28 free public events that attracted 17,234 attendees and 98 free sessions available at visual arts exhibitions. Pay-What-You-Want ticketing for the Sideshow program was continued, enabling people to see incredible award-winning performances for as little as $5, and Deadly Tix provided discounted ticketing to First Nations audiences with 361 tickets utilised.

OUTSIDE OF THE FESTIVAL Sydney Fringe continues to raise it's advocacy voice and profile as a regular media commentator on the issues facing our sector and a trusted advisor to our Government Partners.

In 2023, we worked with leading think tank, Committee for Sydney, to investigate what 'Everyday Culture' means and championed a number of ideas to make Sydney a home of art for everyone.

We continued to work with our public sector partners to drive regulatory and policy reform contributing as one of twelve sector advisors to the Australian Government in the creation of their National Cultural Policy REVIVE; and one of the five members of the NSW Government’s Ministerial Advisory Panel for their Cultural Policy consultation - A New Look at Culture.

We undertook significant sector led research for the New Sydney Waterfront Co, aiming to identify opportunities and barriers for the transformation of the significant harbourside CBD precinct to be transformed as a major event site with year-round, ‘always on’ activity.

Visit sydney.org.au/policy-library/everyday-culture to learn more

Spiegeltent Festival Gardens, Photography: Belinda Rolland

2023 FESTIVAL REPORT

5

In 2022, after two years of pandemic induced interruptions, we worked to consolidate our sector, industry and Government partnerships, delivering not only the first festival since 2019 but an out of season February mini-festival. These projects were vital strategic opportunities that strengthened our footprint, remit and strategic path forward in a period of crisis. This work has informed our operations and has been furthered in 2023 resulting in the delivery of our most impactful festival to date.

Festivals and events are always saying “this was our biggest festival ever”, or, “our most successful one to date”. To justify funding, resources and attention there is a need to always grow, to increase impact and deliver exponentially more each year. In a world in which the arts, cultural and creative industry sector is required to demonstrate it's worth first and foremost via economic impact, the need to demonstrate growth is imperative.

The Sydney Fringe approached 2023 with a view not to grow but rather to deepen our business practice and delivery. To extend our reach within community, strengthen our partnerships, improve our existing program delivery, focus on our core values and reinforce our place within the Sydney events landscape as a vital contributor.

MESSAGE FROM THE CEO AND FESTIVAL DIRECTOR 2023 has been a turning point and, hopefully, a tipping point steering the festival into its next phase of development. Yes, we are city significant but we want to be State significant.

Our independent artists deserve to have a high profile moment once a year where, not only Sydney, but the rest of Australia and the world celebrate their incredible stories. For the first time in our fourteen year history, it feels like we are on our way to achieving this.

The result of this new approach was a more considered, better presented, impactful and well received festival. For many years The Sydney Fringe has been sector significant. Our artists know the value of our festival to the sector, but 2023 saw the event become city significant, with broader audiences embracing the festival for the first time. The result was a lift in program quality and substantial increase in revenue and support from both the private and public sector. This enabled the festival to deliver more significant activations, engage more artists in employment and drive increased footfall to the city and financial revenue generation to the sector.

Most importantly, it felt for the first time that the city beyond our immediate community fell in love with Fringe. The Spiegeltent Festival Garden and other large scale activations caught people’s imaginations and encouraged them to have their first Fringe experience.

Our festival hubs were full with local, open-access shows seeing a two-fold YOY increase in ticket sales, our key events were a smashing success and media got right behind the festival; with 94% of surveyed audience members said they intended to come back next year.

Kerri Glasscock CEO & Festival Director Sydney Fringe

2023 FESTIVAL REPORT

7

VENUES

CIRCUS • The Show, Hello Darling, Photography: Clare Hawley

This year Sydney Fringe continued to develop its internationally unique approach of matching all Fringe events to venues.

The Fringe team worked with artists to ensure they achieved greater audience numbers and a greater chance of success by matching their event to the right venue. The matching process ensures that venue operators are satisfied with their venue’s Fringe program and that the existing identity of the venue is maintained, this is vital in a City that has a sensitive and tenuous venue landscape. We also worked to deepen our connectivity within communities, expanding venue hub footprints and building new venue partnerships in and around festival hub locations.

A number of key partnerships, both returning, and new within the CBD provided a large portion of venue pop-up/temporary infrastructure. The Cabaret Club at Castlereagh Boutique Hotel doubled in size, a new partnerships with Sydney Dance Company saw the creation of our first Dance Hub, a return partnerships within The Rocks precinct housed the Sydney Fringe Sideshow program and our long-term partnership with Darling Quarter was amplified via new partners New Sydney Waterfront Co to create a family focused festival garden,titled Hello Darling.

8

SYDNEY FRINGE FESTIVAL

In 2023, a total of 80 venues from across Greater Sydney were used to deliver the four main programs of the Sydney Fringe Festival: Partnership Events, Curated/Open Access Events, Sydney Fringe Comedy, and a Visual Art programs.

We created 9 festival hubs across various venues including the Factory Theatre, Castlereagh Boutique Hotel, Spiegeltent Festival Gardens, Erskineville Town Hall, PACT Centre for Emerging Artists, 107 Redfern Performance Space and Gallery, ARA Darling Quarter Theatre, the Neilson Studio at Sydney Dance Company, and Marrickville Town Hall Old Library. A highlight was the takeover of the Marrickville Town Hall Basement for a new Music Hub program as well as for hosting our Creative Plus Business Artists Development Masterclass and Drag Story Time.

Of the new venues within the 2023 Festival we also welcomed three tent spaces; the Hello Darling tent in Darling Quarter, The Vault at the Spiegeltent Festival Gardens and the Sydney Spiegeltent.

Venue statistics

80

29

Venues participated in this years festival

Non-traditional or pop-up performance spaces

16%

of venues in Inner West LGA

20% The largest challenge currently facing the Sydney Fringe Festival and the independent sector in Sydney, is still the lack of appropriate and affordable small–medium sized culturally focused venues.

This has been impacted further by a number of closures through the pandemic period, but the recently announced Vibrancy Reforms by the NSW Government has further paved the way for exempt development for low risk arts and cultural activity in retail spaces and increased use of underutilised spaces. Sydney Fringe has campaigned for this change for close to a decade and is looking forward to driving the demonstration of this use in the future.

of venues in other LGA inc Western Sydney

Event statistics

63%

41%

of events located in COS LGA

of events located in Inner West LGA

2023 FESTIVAL REPORT

9

PARTNERSHIPS & ACTIVATIONS ically up 2023 Saw the organisation rad

scale its partner driven activa

tions

Fringe Ignite, The Rocks, Photography: David Li

FRINGE IGNITE In its tenth year and in collaboration with PMNSW and the NSW Government, Fringe Ignite took over the Rocks on Saturday, 2nd September, from 4 pm to 10 pm for a free opening night party.

The event engaged 80 artists across four stages, presenting a diverse range of Fringe offerings, including comedy, cabaret, drag, contemporary music, and Q&A sessions with artists. The headline act, Rogue Traders, graced the mainstage at 9pm. By engaging local businesses and activating popular public spaces, the program attracted diverse audiences.

The primary objective of this event was to offer a festival first night experience for both Fringe artists and audiences, encouraging patrons to explore the area and creating a media and press focal point leading up to Sideshow’s opening. An estimated 6,000 people, including tourists, Rocks Market attendees, individuals already in the Rocks precinct, and dedicated Fringe audiences and participants, experienced Fringe Ignite.

10

SYDNEY FRINGE FESTIVAL

SPIEGELTENT FESTIVAL GARDEN Entertainment Quarter, Moore Park In a new partnership with the Entertainment Quarter, Moore Park, and our existing partnership with Runaway Collective, a new location for our ever-growing festival garden was established in the Eastern Suburbs at Moore Park.

The Spiegeltent Festival Garden featured two venues a 600 seat Spiegeltent and 300 seat circus dome (The Vault). 261 performances were presented, and 32,033 audiences attended.

SYDNEY FRINGE SIDESHOW Sydney Fringe Sideshow brought together leading independent artists in collaboration, performances and site-specific activations.

Bringing life to the historic Rocks Precinct. 6—8 Atherden Street was taken over and activated with a pop-up theatre, gallery and piano bar.

37 George Street was activated as a home to immersive and interactive productions and Bay 43 was utilised to showcase headline touring works from around the world.

HELLO DARLING A pop-up 180 seat tent and festival garden was was installed at Darling Quarter, right across the road from our Fringe Kids program at ARA Darling Quarter Theatre.

Hello Darling provided a family-friendly festival garden by day and an adults only playground by night. With 37 performances presented across the ten-day activation.

2023 FESTIVAL REPORT

11

CABARET CLUB Sydney Fringe Festival at the Cabaret Club returned for a second year to the Castlereagh Boutique Hotel taking over two spaces within the venue. The intimate Reagh Bar and the larger Club Room. The Cabaret Club hosted everything from comedy and stand up, to improvised musicals, classic cabarets and a variety of spectacular drag performances.

MUSIC HUB Introduced in 2023, made possible with the support of the Inner West Council and the NSW Government, the inaugural Music Hub came to life in the basement of Marrickville Town Hall. This unique space featured 27 artists, spanning a diverse range of genres, performing in an intimate listening environment.

DANCE HUB This year, for the first time, Sydney Fringe partnered with the Sydney Dance Company to present a Dance Hub. This exciting new hub featured two acclaimed choreographers, Lewis Major Projects and Pauline Quinteros, both seasoned Fringe artists, the collaboration resulted in a three-day takeover of the Neilson Studio. The program included a unique performance experience, Lien: One-to-One, an intimate dance piece tailored for a sole audience member and performer.

12

SYDNEY FRINGE FESTIVAL

ART OCCUPATION Art Occupation, presented in collaboration with Sydney Place, saw a collective of artists transform the laneways surrounding Sydney Place into a dynamic living artwork. The monthlong celebration commenced with a Block Party featuring some of Sydney's finest performers, an AI dream bar, art vending machines, and live mural works. This activation offered an inspiring and immersive experience, seamlessly blending Sydney Place's corporate community with the cultural vibrancy of Sydney Fringe.

FEAST Led by Chinese-Australian writer, comedian and food enthusiast Jennifer Wong, Feast brought together six of Sydney’s funniest, food-loving comedians, including Happy Farron, Harry Jun, Patrick Golamco, Shirley Le, Suraj Kolarkar, and Suren Jayemanne for a sumptuous night of storytelling, laughter and Filipino cuisine. Supported

by Georges River Council and presented at Hurstville Entertainment Centre.

FRINGEVILLE For one night only Fringeville took over Hurstville Plaza to give the fine folk of South West Sydney a feast of Fringe. Supported by Georges River Council, Fringeville returned in 2023 and increased community engagement enabling a number of local arts and cultural collectives to take part alongside vibrant Fringe artists. 52 artists participated in Fringeville, with 42 from CALD backgrounds.

2023 FESTIVAL REPORT

13

FRINGE KIDS

In the first week of the NSW school holidays, Fringe kids returned to ARA Darling Quarter Theatre to deliver our Fringe Kids program with 5 awesome shows. With 2011 tickets sold during the week, the program delighted kids and families alike, with comedy, circus, music and whacky theatre. A highlight, Wilbur the Optical Whale, presented by Indelability Arts, used alternative storytelling and interactive media with integrated Auslan, circus and spoken word. This heart-warming production delivered strong messages around inclusivity and anti-bullying. Performances were relaxed allowing audiences to engage on their own terms in a calm ‘underwater’ setting.

CABOX Supported by Darling Quarter, for one day we showcased an explosion of creative cardboard possibilities during this engaging and free day of fun. Kids had the opportunity to construct recyclable creations and participate in an exciting cardboard kids parade. With just under 800 attendees, the event sparked the imaginations of our young participants.

FAMILY MOVIE NIGHT Marrickville Metro supported the presentation of a family friendly focused evening with the presentation of a free outdoor film screening, roaming performances and a tween targeted live band.

14

SYDNEY FRINGE FESTIVAL

“A FLU RRY OF UNEXP ECTED DELIG HTS” - AUDI

ENC E

ME MB

ER

ACOUSTIC RITUAL In its fourth year, Acoustic Ritual took over the George Place foyer every Thursday in September for free morning concerts between 8—9:30am.

The event engaged 14 artists across 4 weeks, showcasing some extraordinary independent musicians, curated by Cameron Undy from Venue 505. An estimated 1200 people joined us, including residents and guests of George Place, and dedicated Fringe audiences. Program: Sarah Belkner + Ricky Nifo & Al Goodman, Alice Terry + Pat Powell & Clayton Doley, Hinano Fujisaki + Virna Sanzone, Magdalena Mira & Gavin Ahearn + Leah Flannagan.

EMERGING ARTIST SHARE HOUSE In its tenth year, the Emerging Artists Share House occupied Erskineville Town Hall for four weeks, featuring programming across four spaces. With support from the City of Sydney 4 cost-effective performance venues with seating capacities, ranging from 25 to 60, were provided to emerging producers/artists in their first 5 years of creative careers and newcomers to the Sydney art scene. 7 of the productions were award nominees and 3 took home awards.

36 shows were programmed, 706 tickets were sold, with a total capacity utilisation of 47%.

2023 FESTIVAL REPORT

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SYDNEY FRINGE AT PARRAMATTA For a second year our partnership with Parramatta City Council and Riverside Theatres enabled us to create a festival hub program in Parramatta. With a two-week season taking place in the Lennox Theatre and Rafferty Room. The program featured emerging and established artists plus a popup season of the smash hit Lola’s Piano Bar.

BEST SERVED LOUD In partnership with Young Henrys and the Parramatta City Council we activated The Albion Hotel for one night only with an epic lineup of some of the best western Sydney artists. Curated by One Day the event featured live music performances and DJ sets. Program included Becca Hatch, Vv Pete, Isaac Puerile and Solly.

CARIBE CARNAVAL Our long-term partner Kensington Street supported the official closing event Caribe Carnaval. For one night only Chippendale’s Kensington St was transformed with the sounds and sights of the Carribean.

Created in partnership with El Gran Mono the event featured over 40 performers with live music, DJs, dancers and cultural performers taking over the street.

16

SYDNEY FRINGE FESTIVAL

AUDIENCES

18

SYDNEY FRINGE FESTIVAL

98,345 Total audience

47%

Every year Sydney Fringe engages a diverse mix of audience demographics and market categories, from culturally engaged arts enthusiasts to business professionals who, typically, have little involvement in the arts. With a continuous rise in new audience members and shifting demographics, Fringe continues to embrace diversity and expand its audience profiles, whilst welcoming back swathes of happy customers every year.

2023 Ticketed data by age 18—25 6% 26—35 24% 36—45 28% 46—55 19% 56—65 15% Over 66 8%

94%

Audiences that attended the 2022 Festival

76,429 2022 69,427 2019

65,209 2018

Audiences that plan to attend Sydney Fringe in 2024

How did audiences hear about the Sydney Fringe Festival?

42.8% Word of Mouth 35.7% Social Media 16%

Print Media

22.7% The internet

Why did you go to the Sydney Fringe Festival?* 51.1%

To have unique experiences

50.6% To support emerging artists 49%

Just for fun

44.3% To see work you wouldn’t see otherwise

How did audiences get to Fringe venues?

47%

Car

74%

Public Transport

23.6% Walk and Cycle

2023 Ticketed audiences 63.3% Female 33.7% Male 1.5%

Gender alternative identity

1.5%

Rather not say

2023 FESTIVAL REPORT

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Postcode data Suburb

2023

2022

% change

Mosman / Neutral Bay / Manly / The Beaches

6.40%

9.00%

–2.60%

North Shore

6.99%

5.20%

1.79%

Northwest Sydney

5.36%

3.00%

2.36%

Ryde / Epping / Thornleigh / Hunter's Hill / Surrounds

0.97%

0.59%

0.38%

Alexandria / Waterloo / Zetland / Botany / Mascot / Surrounds

5.82%

1.20%

4.62%

South Sydney

7.50%

3.80%

3.20%

Bondi / Bronte / Woolhara / Surrounds

5.33%

3.00%

2.33%

Coogee / Maroubra / Surrounds

3.00%

1.00%

1.96%

Darlinghurst / Paddington

3.70%

3.60%

–0.10%

Edgecliff / Double Bay / Rose Bay / Surrounds

1.26%

3.00%

–1.47%

Elizabeth Bay / Potts Point / Woolloomooloo / Surrounds

1.87%

1.00%

0.81%

Ashfield / Strathfield / Concord / Surrounds

4.42%

1.07%

3.36%

Enmore / Newtown / Marrickville / Dulwich Hill

5.60%

10.70%

–5.10%

St Peters / Tempe / Sydenham / Surrounds

0.94%

2.00%

–1.31%

Stanmore / Lewisham / Petersham / Camperdown

2.01%

3.50%

–1.49%

Western Suburbs

11.53%

9.00%

2.53%

Erskineville

1.48%

2.00%

–0.52%

Randwick / Kingsford / Kensington / Surrounds

4.53%

3.00%

1.53%

Glebe / Annandale / Forest Lodge / Surrounds

1.99%

1.80%

0.19%

Surry Hills / Redfern

1.61%

2.37%

-0.76%

Sydney CBD

2.65%

7.70%

-5.05%

Rozelle / Leichhardt / Lilyfield / Balmain

4.53%

3.00%

1.53%

Broadway / Ultimo / Pyrmont

1.06%

1.00%

0.06%

Chippendale / Darlington

0.65%

0.00%

0.65%

Other (includes Greater NSW, Wollongong, Newcastle, Central Coast)

5.60%

9.50%

–3.90%

Interstate

3.12%

2.00%

1.00%

International

0.50%

1.00%

–0.50%

North

South

East

West

CBD

Other

20

SYDNEY FRINGE FESTIVAL

Broader precinct F

D E

A

B

C

(% of total audience)

A 22.10% City of Sydney B 17.20% Inner West C 51.60% Greater Sydney D 5.60% Rest of NSW E 3.10% Interstate F 0.4% Overseas

$66.90 e Average order valu

2 .5

rcha Average tickets pu

sed per person

73%

drank in a Of audiences ate or t or Fringe bar nearby establishmen 2023 FESTIVAL REPORT

21

MEDIA COVER AGE

The Sydney Fringe Festival received support from both mainstream and independent media channels this year. This backing amplified the festival's messaging across Sydney, reaching a diverse array of cultures and groups. Sporting a fresh look and initiating the first phases of a rejuvenated brand, we saw significant elevation in our online presence. The incorporation of compelling branding, furthered by an impactful publicity drive, resulted in our marketing and publicity efforts achieving their broadest and most engaged audience to date. This year’s headline programs and festival gardens played a crucial role, contributing to an inceased overall marketing budget.

PR Media value

$2,584,818 $198,200

Media value

2,368,934 22

SYDNEY FRINGE FESTIVAL

Media reach

$709,889

Outdoor value

48,930,621

Outdoor reach

66,322,858 Total marketing reach

40k Guides distributed 431 Digital Guide reads 1,277 App downloads

Facebook followers

DIGITAL AND SOCIAL MEDIA

20,189

The festival’s digital and social influence grows annually through new channels and fresh content platforms. Our content pillars showcase the remarkable shows, diversity and inclusion, artist development resources, and vibrant Fringe stories. Our channels spotlight key events and connect our artist community with new audiences.

11,200

Sydney Fringe stands as a prominent advocate for the independent arts scene. We will continue to expand our digital footprint to boost the online presence and enrich Sydney's arts scene.

Video views

1,600,000

Instagram followers

416,680 Sessions

709,700

+31.25%

414,280

10,600 Tik Tok followers

+25%

Returning visitors

90,456

+1019%

Twitter followers

New visitors +26%

+29.2%

69,164

Page views

Unique users

+8.40%

+9.30%

864

+595%

Email subscribers

42,842

+28%

ART IST S

24

SYDNEY FRINGE FESTIVAL

2,181 47%

Artists new to Sydney Fringe

Reasons why artists participated in The Sydney Fringe

Artists engaged across the Festival

219

Average hours each team invested into a project (collectively)

Performance experience

51% Expose work to a new audience 28% To develop new work 8% Just for the fun of it

A

C

7% Make money 3% Testing ground before taking work to other festivals

B

3% To gain access to new artistic networks Performance experience of majority of artists in each event

Artist origin

●

76% NSW

● 14% Interstate ● 10% International

A 33% Emerging Artists (1—5 years) B 30% Mid-Career Artists (5—10 years) C 37% Established Artists (10+ years)

2023 FESTIVAL REPORT

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ARTIST DEVELOPMENT ARTIST PASSES The now fully established Artist Pass Program saw 881 artist passes collected and utilised by Fringe artists in 2023 with all festival venues honoring the pass. This enabled all artists to access the entire festival program free of charge. This contributed to an increased word of mouth footprint for the productions, and provided vital avenues for information exchange and artist networking. The Artist Pass program provided over $22,025 in tickets free of charge to participating artists in 2023. In 2023 the organisation digitized the pass to enable attendance to be tracked however only Fringe managed venues were able to participate in year one - we expect meaningful data to be collated for 2024.

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SYDNEY FRINGE FESTIVAL

“Sydney Fringe ran consistent workshops in all elem ents of producing a show; budgeting, risk assessments, m arketing and selling tickets. Free education for an emerging artis t like myself was invaluab le because I would not otherw ise have the funds to get this kn owledge.”

—A nita Lovell, Betwee n the Curtains and 110% Av erage

PRE-FESTIVAL MASTERCLASS SERIES The Sydney Fringe delivered seven prefestival masterclasses between the 9 May and 24 August 2023, presented as 1-hour online seminars with key information around topics relevant to presenting independent artists and producers. These masterclasses were provided free of charge to registered artists/producers and provide a vital overview of the producing process for emerging artists.

The series was conducted by Sydney Fringe staff members and featured guest speakers from the disability sector, professional technical operators, and theatre professionals.

Each masterclass was delivered via Zoom and subsequently recorded as a resource available to all participating artists.

Total Attendance at Pre-Festival Masterclasses: 230 artists/producers (20% increase in engagement YOY).

Masterclass 1: Phase 1 and beyond Key Ideas: Eventotron, Fringe Benefits, Access, Inclusivity, Artist Registrations Speaker: Alice Terry (Programs Manager) Registrations/Attendees: 40

Masterclass 2: Budgets Key Ideas: Expenses, Revenue, Contingency, Artist Fees, Tax And Legal Obligations, Ticketing, Venue Hire, Fundraising Strategies, In-Kind Speaker: Alice Terry (Programs Manager) and Clayton Hamilton (Ticketing Manager) Registrations/Attendees: 9

Masterclass 3: Getting Through Phase 2 Key Ideas: Venue Hire, Festival Guide, Marketing Collateral, Writing Copy, Images, Social Media, Instagram, Tik Tok, Content Creation, Speaker: Alice Terry (Programs Manager) and Sarah Findlay (Marketing Manager) Registrations/Attendees: 31

Masterclass 4: Access Access Access Key Ideas: Physical Access, Auslan Interpretation, Open And Closed Captioning, Audio Description, Relaxed Performances, Economic Disadvantage, Social Exclusion, Inclusive Events.

Speakers: Alice Terry (Programs Manager), Jo Simpson (Access Coordinator), Madeleine Stewart (Limitless Producer). Guest Speakers: Sam Kissajukian (Fringe Artist), Chevoy Sweeney, Dan Graham (Sydney Fringe Access Panelist), Xhris (Performance Artist).

Registrations/attendees: 16

Masterclass 5: Make It Key Ideas: Bare-Bones Performance, Lighting Design, Set Design, Sound Design, Equipment For LowFi Spaces, Immersive Performance, Site-Specific Performance, Risk Management, Public Liabilty Speakers: Alice Terry (Programs Manager), Rowan Brunt (Programs Coordinator), Erica Brennan (First Nations Coordinator), Lisa Freshwater (Senior Producer), Patrick Howard (Arts On Tour- Program Manager Touring), Rob Hinder (Independent Lighting and Sound Designer/Operator) Registrations/Attendees: 47

Masterclass 6 Sell It: Marketing, Publicity & Social Media Key Ideas: Target Audience, Promotional Assets, Content Warnings, Access, Social Media, Marketing, Publicity, Local Engagement, Campaign Speakers: Sarah Findlay (Sydney Fringe Marketing Manager) and Alice Terry (Programs Producer) Registrations/attendees: 28

Masterclass 7: Bums On Seats Key Ideas: Short Form Marketing, Social Media, Collaboratiom, Press, Discount Strategies, Audience Engagement, Ticketing Speakers: Sarah Findlay (Marketing Manager) and Alice Terry (Programs Producer) Registrations/attendees: 59 2023 FESTIVAL REPORT

27

“One of the biggest impacts of The Sydney Fringe Festival is its endless encouragement. As emerging artists, we often grapple with self-doubt and uncertainty. The festival provides not only a platform for our work but also confidence that pushes us to keep creating, pushing our boundaries, and evolving as artists.

The Sydney Fringe offers emerging artists like ourselves a support system that helps with exposure, financial aid, networking, knowledge expansion, and encouragement. This festival is not merely an event; it is a catalyst for grow th and innovation in the artistic community.”

— Sarah Bergman and Kris Cetnic “The Fringe Festival has not only changed the trajectory of my play but has also set me on a path of incredible promise and possibility as a writer and theatre maker.

I am beyond grateful for this opportunity and all the doors it has opened for me.

The Fringe Festival is a true testament to the magic that can happen when creativity and opportunity converge, and I can’t wait to see where this exciting journey takes me next.”

— Karolina Ristevski “Through the 2023 Sydney Fringe festival I was able to achieve multiple milestones in my career, when I presented my show “Dragon Hearts”. During the engagement I achieved my first solo performance work, my first show at Riverside Theatres, and through the Deadly Fringe program, I was able to play the show at Melbourne Fringe, another milestone.

The benefits of this have already been evident. I was offered further work as a writer and director, I attracted new audiences, and I was awarded the Emerging Artist Award for the 2023 Sydney Fringe Festival.”

— Bria McCarthy, Dragon Hearts 28

SYDNEY FRINGE FESTIVAL

FRINGELAB: IN-FESTIVAL PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT WORKSHOPS For a second year we teamed up with Creative Plus Business to present a series of free in-festival professional development opportunities for artists.

Workshop #1: Social Media For Creatives: A ‘Creative Plus Business’ Workshop (20) Workshop #2: Being Well: A ‘Creative Plus Business’ Workshop (14) Workshop #3: Understanding Branding: A ‘Creative Plus Business’ Workshop (17) Total Attendance at In-Festival Workshops: 51 artists/producers These work shops included insights into the following topics:

#1 Social Media For Creatives Social media is a complex and challenging marketing tool for a lot of creatives, who find it hard to balance between constantly talking about themselves and ignoring the platforms entirely! Social Media for Creatives is a friendly and up-to-date workshop that covers the basics of how to kickstart marketing using social media, with a focus on the main tools at your disposal and the strategy behind the socials.

Participants will also find out more about: • Understanding your Brand across the different social media channels • Finding and building your ‘tribe;’ • Choosing the right platform to engage with clients, customers, fan, friends and more • Tips and tricks on staying up to date in an ever-changing social media world.

#2 Being Well Working in the creative industries is both strenuous and rewarding. How can you maintain relative balance between flourishing and falling, particularly when your output is built with emotion? Being Well explores ways that creative professionals can purposely bring wellbeing practice into their everyday lives. Led by a creative industries specialist and wellbeing guru, this interactive workshop is an appraisal of your wellness agenda, so you can remain creative for the long term.

• Physical, mental and emotional aspects of wellbeing • How business tips can help with wellbeing • Creative practice processes in the modern world, including managing blocks • Understanding imposter syndrome, selfcritical thoughts and self-sabotage.

• Creating a sustainable arts practice in a modern world

#3 Understanding Branding Branding is vital for creative professionals and arts organisations, but often so hard to get right. In this practical and entertaining workshop, participants will come to understand branding as the realisation of a ‘personality’, with fun exercises to start perfecting a personal and professional brand.

• The basic concepts of branding, and why it’s important.

• Personal and professional branding, and how it applies to creative practitioners • The ingredients to making a compelling brand • Practical steps to help participants bring their branding A-Game

“The workshops an d networking opportunities offere d were invaluable fo r artists like myself. Th e chance to connec t with fellow creatives , exchange ideas, an d gain insights from in dustry professiona ls was an enriching ex perience that I will carr y with me long after the festival’s conclu sion.

I must commend th e organisers for thei r meticulous attentio n to detail. Ever y as pect of the festival, from the seamless logist ics to the thoughtfully curated program, contributed to an un forgettable experie nce.

In closing, I want to express my deepes t thanks to the entire Sydney Fringe Fest ival team. Your hard wor k and dedication ha ve not only created an ex traordinar y even t but have also nurtured a community of artis ts that will continue to flourish and inspire .”

— Timothy Jackson aka Timberlina

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CONTINUING CAREER DEVELOPMENT AWARDS/ TOURING PROGRAM Sydney Fringe continues to build strong connections both across Australia and the globe to provide Sydney Fringe artists with supported touring pathways (see Awards section of the report for further information).

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SYDNEY FRINGE FESTIVAL

MADE IN SYDNEY For the third year The Sydney Fringe supported three unique locally made performance works to feature as part of the Made in Sydney contemporary performance program. Additional support secured by the NSW Government for this program enabled the productions to present in both Sydney and Adelaide. For the first time the Made In Sydney program was presented at PACT Centre for Emerging Artists in Erskineville alongside the Touring Hub Program. This year showed record interest in the program with 41 applications by artists submitted via the EOI process (100% increase YOY).

The productions selected were: Plenty of Fish in the Sea

by Clockfire Theatre Co A darkly humorous and physically adventurous contemporary fable about finding the perfect catch. Plenty of Fish in the Sea was awarded Best Theatre and The Festival Director’s Award.

Betty is a Butcher by Sirens Theatre Co Betty’s voyage across the existential high seas of destiny and desire is both dark adult drama and very funny. A one person show featuring Thomas Campbell.

Blacklisted by Almitra Malalvala A heart warming autobiographical tale of borders and belonging, featuring music inspired by South East Asian classical, jazz, blues and rock.

SYDNEY FRINGE SIDESHOW Building on the success of the inaugural program in 2022, Sydney Fringe Sideshow returned to The Rocks precinct for the duration of the festival.

Supported by the NSW Government via PMNSW the project provides mid-career artists with unique headline opportunities for multi-art form, immersive and interactive works in found spaces and popup venues throughout the historic precinct.

This is a vital career pathway for independent artists who are working their way through the touring circuit and increasing their capacity and ability to take their work beyond their home town. (See Sydney Fringe Sideshow section for further information).

The performances were held between 5—9 September with Plenty of Fish in the Sea winning several festival awards including the Festival Director’s Award. All three productions will be supported to tour to Adelaide Fringe Festival in 2024.

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PROGR AMMING

Jazz or a Bucket of Blood, 107 Projects, Photography: Clare Hawley

In 2023, the Sydney Fringe Festival worked to strengthen the support provided to participating artists, and to improve the audience experience in festival managed venues, hubs and events. 391 events were featured as part of the 2023 program.

They were housed in 80 venues which included 9 festival hubs managed by Sydney Fringe. The festival hub program continues to expand, providing local and visiting artists with subsidised support to present their work in a low-cost environment.

125 productions were housed in the festival hubs, 746 individual performance sessions.

Additionally, 41 Fringe partner venues housed 253 events, 896 performance sessions.

OPEN ACCESS The open access platform remains at the centre of Sydney Fringe’s identity — removing curatorial barriers (in a city evermore dominated by them) and creating opportunities for all arts practitioners to present their work at the festival.

The Sydney Fringe Festival remains one of the only platforms annually that enables artists to secure a season for their work, in appropriate and most importantly affordable venues. It is also the highest profile independent arts event available to take part in, and the single largest income generation opportunity for the independent sector each year. As a noncurated festival The Sydney Fringe provides ALL artists the opportunity to present work.

The organisation provides support structures for artists of all levels of experience, all genres and all demographics. With tailored programs to further remove barriers for artists in key priority areas, such as First Nations, d/Deaf and disabled artists, emerging artists and CALD (culturally and linguistically diverse) artists.

The festival strives to provide equitable access for all. This is completely unique to Sydney Fringe within the Sydney arts ecosystem.

While the festival continues to provide supportive spaces for emerging artists and firsttime performers, we also increasingly create space in hubs, and work with partners across the arts and corporate sectors to encourage professional artists to test out new work, take a risk, and collaborate on new projects.

These efforts mean that the Fringe’s program continues to diversify in terms of style and content and attracts new artists each year.

As we do year-after-year, open access events were matched and divided into Fringe managed hubs, non-managed venues or Fringe partner venues. There were 9 Fringe managed hubs with a total of 19 spaces which housed 125 events and 746 sessions. Correspondingly, there were 41 fringe partner venues which housed another 253 events and 896 sessions.

“I was incredibly to uched and humbled by the support, care an d concern of the en tire Fringe team and fe el very privledged to have taken part. A well ru n, well communicat ed family of artists and arts workers who are supporting art.

We had a ball.”

— Lewis Major, Lien: One-to-One and Unfolding

“I got to develop m y script and learned more about what is needed when going into the production. It gi ves people a chance to explore their wor k and see what wor ks infront of a new audi ence and what does n’t.”

— Varuna, Dalo Chip s and Imli Chutney

CURATED PROGRAM Our curated program continues to grow and transform with the scale of activations, key events and programs expanding for another year. In 2023, in addition to scouring the country, and the globe, for standout, ground-breaking productions from other Fringe festivals, our Festival Director curated a series of major events from all corners of the Sydney arts sector.

The curated program plays a crucial role, providing paid employment for artists and arts workers while enriching the local community with unique experiences of works rarely seen in Sydney. By expanding reach, media coverage, and audiences, the program demonstrably fosters engagement with the open access program. This is evidenced by its doubling of ticketing revenue YOY (2023), indicating a clear trajectory for future success.

It also provides local and emerging artists an opportunity to experience the work of their contemporaries from further afield, and network with the mid-career and leading artists of their local industry. 2023 saw more partners brought into direct relationships with artists in this program to support their work with space, time and money.

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TOURING HUB Running between 12—23 September at PACT in Erskineville, the Touring Hub was home to 5 productions, and played a large part in the successful precinct building within Erskineville.

The Touring Hub featured a headline program of awardwinning works from across Australia and around the world. Providing subsidised space for touring artists to affordably present work at Sydney Fringe. And ensuring that Sydney audiences have access to the best independent Fringe work from across the globe.

THE MOTHER (POLAND)

Week 1 • The Mother (Poland) • Jon Bennett: Playing with Men (US via SA) • Jon Bennett vs Jason Donovan in Dumb Trivia (US via SA) Week 2 • LOVE/LOVE/LOVE/LOVE/LOVE (NZ Fringe Touring Award recipient and awarded Highly Commended Best in Dance) • Colin Ebsworth: Me, My Cult & I Additionally, a number of Touring Hub productions were delivered in alternative venues this year to accommodate special venue requirements. These included:

JON BENNETT: PLAYING WITH MEN (US VIA SA)

OVE/LOVE/LOVE/ L LOVE/LOVE (NZ)

ON BENNETT VS J JASON DONOVAN IN DUMB TRIVIA (US VIA SA)

COLIN EBSWORTH: ME, MY CULT & I

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SYDNEY FRINGE FESTIVAL

• Lien: One - to - One • Unfolding • Pocket Sized Circus • Two Fingers Up

SPIEGELTENT FESTIVAL GARDEN

THE MARVELLOUS ELEPHANT MAN THE MUSICAL KABOOM!

In a new partnership with the Entertainment Quarter, Moore Park and our existing partnership with Runaway Collective a new location for our ever growing festival garden was established.

The Spiegeltent Festival Garden featured two venues, a 600 seat Spiegeltent (The Magic Mirrors Spiegeltent) and 300 seat circus dome (The Vault). 261 performances were presented and 32,033 audiences attended.

GODZ

ADULTS ONLY MAGIC SHOW

MOIST

WONDERFULLY TERRIBLE THINGS

JUSTIN’S BIG BALLOON SHOW

GARRY STARR GREECE LIGHTENING PREHYSTERICAL

DINOSAUR TIME MACHINE

MONSKI MOUSE’S BABY DISCO DANCE HALL

TITANIC: THE MOVIE, THE PLAY

CIRCUS • THE SHOW

SOMETHING WICKED CRÈME DE LA CRÈME- HEAD FIRST ACROBATS

A POCKET SIZED CIRCUS

SYDNEY FRINGE SIDESHOW The Sydney Fringe Sideshow brought together leading independent artists in collaboration, performances and site-specific activations.

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SYDNEY FRINGE FESTIVAL

LILIES AND DUST JON BENNETT: FIRE IN THE METH LAB

IN/FINITE SOL. LOLA’S PIANO BAR

THEORETICA TATTLE TALES: IMMERSIVE TAROT STORYTELLING

MEET : CUTE

WAYBARRA GIDIYARA @ THE ROCKS

JON BENNETT: HOW I LEARNT TO HUG

JOURNEY TO THE KINGDOM OF HYPNOS

THERE’S SOMETHING ABOUT BOTTOM

TWO FINGERS UP

SAM KISSAJUKIAN: TRAPPED IN A PAINTING

SAM KISSAJUKIAN’S: 300 PAINTINGS

RADIOHEAD UNCOVERED: HOW TO DISAPPEAR COMPLETELY

Bringing life to the historic Rocks Precinct, 6-8 Atherden Street was taken over and activated with a pop-up theatre, gallery and piano bar. 3 George Street was activated as a home to immersive and interactive productions and Bay 43 was utilised to house headline touring works from around the world. In these spaces, 411 performances were presented to 4099 visitors.

SECTOR SUSTAINABILITY

Fringeville, Hurstville Plaza, Photography: Zoe Hyland

The Sydney Fringe Festival encourages local artists, audiences and visitors to re-engage with their local community, highlighting and amplifying existing cultural pockets within the city.

The Sydney Fringe Festival showcases smallmedium sized established venues, encourages patronage to neighboring cultural and ancillary businesses, activates unused and public spaces, and utilizes existing infrastructure and facilities to create an organic event that has grown from the ground up and sits firmly within the local community. This festival has been created by Sydney’s big thinkers, creative entrepreneurs and the next generation of culture makers.

A strong focus of the Sydney Fringe is to develop a broader understanding of, and contribute to, a sustainable sector for the independent artists of Sydney. This is more important than ever in a post-pandemic context.

In 2023 The Sydney Fringe has contributed to the following: • Member of the NSW Arts Minster’s Advisory Panel for cultural policy development • Member of the NSW Government’s 24 Hour Economy Sector Advisory Group • Member of the Inner West Council Steering Committee- Marrickville Town Hall • Member of the Federal Government’s National Cultural Policy Advisory PanelREVIVE- Strong Institutions • Member of NSW Government’s Create NSW Festival Artform Board The organisation has also seen results in longterm advocacy that we have undertaken with exempt development for low-risk arts and cultural venues being introduced from May 2023 as a State variation to the National Construction Code of Australia, and subsequent Vibrancy Reforms introduced in November 2023. The Sydney Fringe has been a leading voice in this space since 2015.

We continued our work with the Inner West Council to activate the Marrickville Town Hall to achieve the Council’s commitment to transform the underutilised building into a live music and multicultural arts venue.

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EVENT S

38

SYDNEY FRINGE FESTIVAL

40 days 391

46%

Average venue utilis at

$1,977,414

Events hosted by Sydney Fringe

1,861

Box Office revenue

Individual sessions

Primary Genre

ion

75,867

Number of tickets so

ld

Premieres

48% Comedy 2% Dance

C

7% Music 11% Musical Theatre and Cabaret 3% Physical Theatre and Circus Theatre

B

A

2% Poetry & Literature (to 2019) / Spoken Word, Storytelling, Poerty & Literature (2020 on) 13% Theatre 2% Visual Art and Film (to 2019) Visual Art, Film & Design (2020 on) 4% Fringe Kids

A 48% World Premieres B 32% Sydney Premieres C 8% Australian Premieres

3% Talks and Workshops 3% Immersive & Interactive 2% Special Events / Activations 2023 FESTIVAL REPORT

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FREE EVENTS 17,335 people attended free events across the festival.

With major activations created to appeal to kids and families, youth and CALD communities created for 2023.

Fringe Ignite

Fringeville

In its tenth year and in collaboration with PMNSW and the NSW Government, Fringe Ignite took over the Rocks on Saturday, 2nd September, from 4-10 pm for a free, first night event.

For one night, Fringeville took over Hurstville Plaza to give the fine folk of South West Sydney a feast of Fringe. Supported by Georges River Council for a second year, in 2023 Fringeville saw increased community engagement and enabled a number of local arts and cultural collectives to take part in the event.

The event engaged 80 artists across four stages, presenting a diverse range of Fringe offerings, including comedy, cabaret, drag, contemporary music, and Q&A sessions with artists. The headline act, Rogue Traders, graced the mainstage at 9pm. By engaging local businesses and activating popular public spaces, the program aimed to attract diverse audiences.

The primary objective of this event was to offer a festival first night experience for both Fringe artists and audiences, encouraging patrons to explore the area and creating a media and press focal point leading up to Sideshow’s opening. An estimated 6,000 people, including tourists, Rocks Market attendees, individuals already in the Rocks precinct, and dedicated Fringe audiences and participants, experienced Fringe Ignite.

Program Highlights • The Rogue Traders • The Great West • False London • MUNGMUNG • PEPTALK

Caribe Carnaval Our long term partner, Kensington Street, supported our official closing event Caribe Carnival. For one night only Chippendale’s Kensington St was transformed with the sounds and sights of the Carribean. Created in partnership with El Gran Mono, the event featured over 40 performers with live music, DJs, dancers and cultural performers roaming the street.

Family Movie Night Marrickville Metro supported the presentation of a family friendly focused evening with the presentation of a free outdoor film screening, roaming performances and a tween targeted two piece band.

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SYDNEY FRINGE FESTIVAL

Cabox Supported by Darling Quarter, Sydney Fringe presented a creative cardboard explosion of possibilities for a free day of fun, where kids could build recyclable creations.

Acoustic Ritual In its fourth year, Acoustic Ritual took over the George Place foyer every Thursday in September (7, 14, 21, 28) for free morning concerts between 8am and 9:30am. The event engaged 14 artists across 4 weeks, showcasing some extraordinary independent musicians, curated by Cameron Undy from Venue 505.

An estimated 1200 people experienced Acoustic Ritual, including residents and guests of George Place, and dedicated Fringe audiences.

Many more people experienced the music indirectly while moving through the space.

Program: • Sarah Belkner + Ricky Nifo & Al Goodman • Alice Terry + Pat Powell & Clayton Doley • Hinano Fujisaki + Virna Sanzone • Magdalena Mira & Gavin Ahearn + Leah Flannagan

Art Occupation Art Occupation, presented in collaboration with Sydney Place, saw a collective of artists transform the laneways surrounding Sydney Place into a dynamic living artwork. The month-long celebration commenced with a Block Party featuring some of Sydney's finest performers, an AI dream bar, art vending machines, and live mural works. This activation offered an inspiring and immersive experience, seamlessly blending Sydney Place's corporate community with the cultural vibrancy of Sydney Fringe.

FRINGE IGNITE ARTISTS

17,335 Total free audience

THE ROGUE TRADERS

5,244 Complimentary tickets

MUNGMUNG

FALSE LONDON

23

THE GREAT WEST

98

Events were totally free!

Total sessions available at no cost

881

PEPTALK

Artist passes

VICTORIA ANTHONY

2023 FESTIVAL REPORT

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ACCESSIBILITY & INCLUSION

Crips and Creeps, 107 Projects, Photography: Scott Rennie

2023 saw a great improvement in inclusion and access throughout all areas of Sydney Fringe.

We are on our final year of our Disability and Inclusion Action Plan (DIAP) for 2021—23, led by our Disability and Inclusion Advisory Committee. The Committee and staff at Sydney Fringe are currently in discussion, reviewing the new DIAP for the next 3 year cycle.

LIMITLESS 2023 was the second year of Limitless, our two-week micro-festival program within the broader festival based at 107 Redfern celebrating and supporting d/Deaf and Disabled artists and audience alike.

The Limitless program included 2 events, 1 workshop and 6 productions showcasing diverse performers and styles in the 80 seat theatre. The adjoining gallery space housed the work of 3 visual artists of varying artistic styles. It provided physical accessibility, a sensory chill space, audio description, Auslan interpretation, Captioned films, and relaxed performances.

Social events like the Opening Night Party and the Gallery Walk & Talk Tour provided networking opportunity for our artists. Limitless again received overwhelmingly positive feedback from both audience, producers and performers, with many of the shows featured in the program being nominated for and/or winning awards.

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SYDNEY FRINGE FESTIVAL

A SINKLESS SHORE

WORK BY OR ABOUT d/DEAF AND DISABLED ARTISTS 2023 saw an increase of shows being developed with themes surrounding Disability with 54 productions being presented in the festival program, compared to 30 in 2022. Furthermore, according to the Artists survey 80 d/Deaf and/or disability were involved in the festival. Outside of Limitless a number of artists with disability were featured in our headline programs such as: • Sam Kissajukian returned to headline our Sydney Fringe Sideshow program with his award winning production 300 Paintings, that debuted at Sydney Fringe in 2022, and has since toured nationally and gained award recognition, winning Best Comedy of the festival in 2023.

CRIPS & CREEPS COMEDY SUE JO WRIGHT

JAZZ OR A BUCKET OF BLOOD

AN EVENING OF FILM WITH EMILY DASH KYLE MONTGOMERY

• Renowned Sydney based performer and theatre creator Thomas Campbell performed his one person show Betty is a Butcher as part of the Made in Sydney program.

• Joining us within the Fringe Kids program at the ARA Darling Quarter Theatre was award winning children's theatre company indelability arts, presenting Wilbur the Optical Whale. The show incorporates circus, puppetry and interactive media to tell an immersive story for children aged 3—8 years. It was the recipient of the Best in Fringe Kids award for 2023.

WAYBARA GIDYIRA WEAVING WORKSHOP

DEATH IN THE PANTHEON ROBERT SHERWOOD DUFFIELD

JD ZAMORA: FOMOSEXUAL

LIMITLESS GALLERY WALK & TALK TOUR

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ACCESS FOR ARTISTS/ PRODUCERS This year our Access Coordinator with guidance from the Disability and Inclusion Advisory Panel released the edited and updated version of the Producers Guide to Access, which was first released in 2022. A handbook advising Producers on how to improve their performances accessibility, professional etiquette when booking access services, a language guide and more. It was released online in multiple accessible formats.

Additionally, a free online masterclass around access was held. Hosted by Access Coordinator Jo Simpson in discussion with Limitless Producer Madeleine Stewart, Artist and comedian Sam Kissajukian and others.

Venue & Performance Accessibility 48 out of 84 venues were wheelchair accessible, continuing the organisation’s commitment to increasing the overall physical access of the festival.

In 2023 57% of venues were accessible compared to 54% in 2022, 45% in 2021 and 15% in 2019.

Training Our core team continue to develop their skills and understanding of access and inclusion.

Volunteers and venue staff were also briefed in access information and disability confidence.

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SYDNEY FRINGE FESTIVAL

Access For Audience Sydney Fringe produced works and activations focused on inclusion, providing support through venue accessibility and access language provisions.

Independent producers received information packs and support from the Access Coordinator.

In the 2023 Festival, 391 events were housed in physically accessible venues and 46 sessions employed access provisions.

Festival-wide, Access provisions included: Relaxed performances, Auslan interpretation, captioned events, audio description and sensory chill spaces. The organisation continues to make access a priority with access services now embedded in the annual organisational budget.

Platform Accessibility 2023 saw improved visual representation of people with disability across all forms of marketing. Social media posts included image descriptions and alt text. Information was presented in a range of formats including filming of information for the d/Deaf community in Auslan. Universal access symbols were used whilst marketing accessible events on the website and in the printed guide. Additionally Access symbols were distributed to producers employing access; introduction of a new app further increased access, and the box office included access information with tickets.

AWARDS This year Sydney Fringe collaborated with Accessible Arts to create a new award: the Accessible Arts Access Award. This is awarded to a show that showed a commitment to accessibility and inclusion. The winner receives 4x free vouchers to any Accessible Arts training of their choice to aid in the development of their work in the access space- this can include “Accessible Festivals and Events”, “Accessible Exhibit Design” and “Accessible Marketing & Communications” to name a few. This year the winner was Queensland based comedian JD Zamora for his show FOMOsexual.

Limitless show Jazz or A Bucket of Blood was shortlisted for three categories in our Fringe Awards for 2023 and won the Fringe World Tour Ready Award and the San Diego International Fringe Award.

Wilbur the Optical Whale at ARA Darling Quarter Theatre won Best in Fringe Kids. Wilbur the Optical Whale is a accessible show for all audiences. Performances feature integrated Auslan and headphones are available for audience members to engage on their own terms. The set also includes a quiet space as part of relaxed performance mode for those who require it.

This highlights the high calibre of artists and work engaging with Deafness, Disability or Chronic Illness across genres and venues in The Sydney Fringe.

ARTIST FEEDBACK “Incredible support from Lim itless, connections to other artists, networking opportunities, and a chance to bring my fresh ideas to an audience. Eac h year the Fringe experience gets better . It’s my favourite testing ground for new work”

— Jason Zamora, JD Zamora:

FOMOsexual

“Sydney Fringe provides sup port and affordable access to venues and audiences for performers across all levels of their careers. The awards won wil l allow us to further our careers in the arts and provide opportunities that can only be garnered though this festiv al.”

— Jane Watt, Jazz or A Bucke t of Blood “The value came from partic ipating in a unique festival with other art ists in my community and making imp ortant connections with like-minded people, plus great to be part of a disabi lityled artist festival (Limitless).”

— Emily Dash, An Evening of Film with Emily Da

sh

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FIRST NATIONS

Timberlina and Friends, Hello Darling, Photography: Sarah Findlay

Continuing the foundational work started in 2021, 2023 saw Sydney Fringe increase its organisational cultural competency and provide critical support for First Nations participating artists and artists engaging with matters of cultural safety. The First Nations Advisory Panel (FNAP) established in 2021, guided the organisation and supported the First Nations Coordinator, completing their foundation term at the end of 2023 (recruitment for 2024 onwards to take place end of 2023).

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SYDNEY FRINGE FESTIVAL

First Nations Coordinator Erica Brennan continued in her previous years’ role working closely with the Programming team to support First Nations Artist participating in the festivals open access programs and identify content that posed potential risks to cultural safety. In collaboration with the FNAP, she was able to provide support and advice to non- First Nations Artists to seek the correct permissions for the inclusion of First Nations content in their work and resolve disputes if complaints regarding poor cultural safety were made. This was a level of support we would not have previously been able to offer and is a wonderful step forward for the organisation. All parties involved expressed their satisfaction with how the issues had been managed.

Erica drove deeper community engagement building relationships with a number of local indigenous organisations, and collaborated with Wiradjuri artist Peta Joy Williams on a cultural weaving project Waybara Gidyira that was presented as part of the festival’s headline program. Several of our First Nations artists were considered for inclusion in the Deadly Fringe program in Melbourne, and we proudly recognized Wiradjuri artist Breanna Mcathy with an Emerging Artist Award.

TIMBERLINA AND FRIENDS

A MESSAGE FROM OUR FIRST NATIONS COORDINATOR

EULOGISER BUNNY

In 2023, we sold 361 Deadly Tix, marking a substantial increase from the mere 5 sold in the previous year.

Our Friends of Fringe festival pass and open dialogue with organizations and community members contributed to a heightened awareness of the festival in the community.

We effectively collaborated to source cultural consulting upon request and demonstrated agility in responding to cultural safety issues. Additionally, we witnessed an increase in the cultural literacy of The Sydney Fringe organisational staff, paving the way for future First Nations team members and presenting artists to be fully embraced and supported.

Importantly, we can proudly state that there were no unresolved or high-damaging cultural harm incidents.

LEIN: ONE-TO-ONE

TENDER

We are committed to ensuring a strong foundation of communication, understanding and respect between Sydney Fringe and First Nations audiences and artists, allowing this relationship to guide our future activities.

Erica Brennan Sydney Fringe First Nations Coordinator

DRAGON HEARTS

Inaugural First Nations Advisory Panel 2021–2023 Chairperson Bronwyn Spearim (Goomeroi/Gamilaroi) Aunty Yvonne Simms (Gweagle / Bidjigal Elder)

LEAH FLANGAN

Jodie Choolburra-Welsh (Goomeroi/Gamilaroi/Murrawarri) Lily Shearer (Murrawarri/Ngamba) Collin Lyons (Wiradjuri Elder) Alkira Fields (Goomeroi/Gamilaroi)

WAYBARA GIDYIRA

UNFOLDING 2023 FESTIVAL REPORT

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IMPACT

A NATIONAL PRESENCE Sydney Fringe Festival continues to strengthen relationships with colleagues across Australia.

In 2023 Sydney Fringe representatives attended: • Adelaide Fringe • Melbourne Fringe • Adelaide Festival • Fringe World Perth • Perth International Arts Festival • Sydney Festival We welcomed representatives from Adelaide Fringe and Melbourne Fringe to the festival this year.

With our Tour Ready partner Melbourne Fringe, we continued to build a vital East Coast tour network that in 2023 has expanded to include New Annual Festival (Newcastle) and Canberra Theatre Centre to ensure that visiting independent artists can sustainably present work when touring. With both Melbourne Fringe and Sydney Fringe Festival’s presenting a number of shared touring works to subsidize touring costs to the artists.

In March 2024 our Made in Sydney outbound touring program will tour to Adelaide Fringe for the first time with three locally made works being supported to tour.

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SYDNEY FRINGE FESTIVAL

Lola's Piano Bar, Spiegeltent Festival Garden, Photography: Scott Rennie

A GLOBAL PRESENCE 2023 saw the Sydney Fringe Festival continue to gain the attention of colleagues across the globe.

International touring award partnerships were continued with San Diego International Fringe (USA) and Hollywood Fringe deepening the connection to the USA market.

A new partnership with Summer Hall in Edinburgh will come into place in 2024 seeing Sam Kissajukian’s 300 Paintings programmed there as part of the 2024 Edinburgh Fringe Festival.

These touring partnerships are vital to enable Australian artists to sustainably tour their work internationally and for their work to have life beyond the Sydney Fringe.

ECONOMIC IMPACT Of the 98,345 people who attended ticketed and free events at this year’s festival 72.6% of surveyed audiences visited local businesses, restaurants or bars before or after attending an event. As with previous years this indicates that the impact of spending generated by the Fringe goes well beyond the purchase of a ticket, contributing an economic impact of $34.4 million in 2023, $2,143,987 of which were fees paid directly to artists.

Economic impact assessed independently

by Hawkridge Entertainment Services.

$34.4M Economic imp

act

$2,143,987 Fees paid to ar tists via comm issions / Box Office reve nue / engagem ent fee

75%

Attended loca lb

usinesses

PILOTING BIG IDEAS Each year outside of festival time the Sydney Fringe champions our sector through groundbreaking private/public sector partnerships to activate space for the creative industries of Sydney. This work is leading the way in the intelligent discussion now being had around the city’s need for cultural space and the broader issues facing the night-time economy. We are incredibly proud to be a part of a global conversation and a local leader in building a vibrant, diverse and world renowned city.

Sydney Fringe’s reputation as a leading expert in the open access/non-curated space was acknowledged in 2022 via a partnership with Sydney World Pride and Mardi Gras. The Sydney Fringe team provided all the back-end systems and support for their open access program Pride Amplified.

In 2023 this project enabled our organization to maintain short-term roles year-round, and pilot a business model of outsourcing resources to other organisations that may be able to be monetized as a commercial revenue stream into the future.

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OUR IMPACT IS FELT BEYOND OUR FESTIVAL 2023: Sector led research project with New Sydney Waterfront Co to assess the barriers and opportunities of the precinct for hosting large scale festivals and events 2023: Co-author with think tank Committee for Sydney on their 'Everyday Culture' report 2022: Commenced working with the Inner West Council to activate the historic Marrickville Town Hall as a live music and multi-cultural arts hub.

2022: Hosted the Inner West Arts Summit, n partnership with the Inner West Council. Bringing together over 120 representatives from the local sector to discuss post-covid recovery.

2022: Confirmation that a NSW State variation to the National Construction code to enable low risk arts and cultural space will be enacted in NSW from May 2023. This was identified in Anthology of Space and championed by Sydney Fringe since 2015.

Johnny Huckle, Photography: Scott Rennie

2021-2022: FRINGE HQ continued in a new location at 5 Eliza Street Newtown March 2021- March 2022.

2020: NSW Liquor Bill Reforms saw the successful removal of over 500 pieces of outdated regulation that prohibited cultural activity. Much of which had been identified in our Anthology of Space work, and championed by The Sydney Fringe.

2019: FRINGE HQ, a new project in partnership with Greencliff, The City of Sydney and the State Government enabled us to investigate viable business models of opening subsidized non-curated space in Sydney, through a building takeover in Potts Point.

This six month project aims to build a business case for upfront seed funding to enable the cultural sector to open more space in Sydney, and to demonstrate the demand. We created a multi-venue, open access independent arts hub in the heart of the city.

2017/18: The HPG Festival Hub A ground-breaking private sector partnership with HPG Australia that enabled the Sydney Fringe Festival to activate a 7000m2 vacant industrial site as a temporary performance space.

2015: The Temporary Theatre Pop-up Pilot Project, in partnership with the City of Sydney 2016: The Off Broadway Project, in partnership with the Inner West Council The findings of these projects can be found in: An Anthology of Space: 2015-2018, Activating unused and underutilized space for the creative industries and performing arts sectors of NSW.

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Sydney should be the cultural capital of the Asia Pacific because the work created here is exceptional and the city des erves to have one of the best Fringe Festiv als in the world

Sydney Fringe exists to put the independent cultural sector at the heart of Sydney and we want local stories to be at the heart of Sydney’s sto ry.

.

THE FUTURE The Sydney Fringe: Putting the independent cultural sector at the heart of Sydney.

2023 has again been a transformative year for Sydney Fringe. The base of new strong partnerships that were laid in 2022 were utilized to further expand the festival’s footprint, output and impact.

A refreshed org structure that includes an expanded executive leadership team, and additional multi-year funding commitments enabled the organization to plan and act strategically to ensure that the goals of the organization were met.

Primarily this sits around commercial revenue growth that will in turn support the not-for-profit parts of the business and support the local sector.

The Sydney Fringe has been historically embraced by the sector community, this year the broader Sydney community engaged in a way unseen previously laying the groundwork for expanded impact in years to come. With 94% of audiences indicating they would like to attend in 2024 the festival is primed for significant growth.

With over 77% of the work presented at Sydney Fringe produced by NSW based artists, Sydney Fringe is THE place for locals and visitors alike to get a taste of Sydney. And now the world is catching on. 2023 saw international visitation to the festival increase by 81% and interstate visitation by 39%.

With Greater Sydney visitation also increasing by 94% the old adage that if the locals love it, visitors will too, has never been more pronounced.

Betty is a Butcher, Photography: Clare Hawley

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AWARDS

Show Title,Awards Image by Ceremony XXXX 2023, Bay 43, Photography: Sarah Findlay

The 2023 Sydney Fringe Awards stand as a celebration of the festival’s commitment to diversity and excellence, providing artists with a platform for growth and artistic expression.

Our awards program engaged a panel of industry experts, Sydney Fringe staff, Fringe representatives, and esteemed alumni judges, who rigorously evaluated entries against predefined criteria. In 2023, we witnessed a substantial increase in participation, boasting 25 industry judges, marking a remarkable 38% rise from the previous year, and 34 alumni judges, an impressive 70% increase from 2022.

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SYDNEY FRINGE FESTIVAL

In addition to our 6 established touring awards two new artist development awards were added in 2023 the Critical Stages Touring Development Award and Accessible Arts Access Award. These accolades pair winning artists with Accessible Arts or Critical Stages Touring, providing them with invaluable opportunities to enhance their access and production skills. These initiatives empower artists to further develop their touring capabilities and refine their artistic practices.

BEST IN AWARDS Best in Theatre

Best in Physical Theatre & Circus

• Banana Crabtree Simon • Coil • ENDHOE • Death in the Pantheon • The Mother • Plenty of Fish in the Sea (Winner)

• Garry Starr Greece Lighting • GODZ • Jeromaia Detto: MUSH • Plenty of Fish in the Sea (Winner)

Best in Musical Theatre & Cabaret

• Are you a Boy or a Girl? (Highly Commended) • Karate Man • Jazz or A Bucket of Blood • Fillow Talk’s Immersive Family Reunion • Sam Kissajukian: 300 Paintings (Winner)

• Singular: An Improvised Cabaret • The Ukulele Man • Blank: An Improvised Musical • Tim Handsome: Almost Naked • Timberlina & Friends: A Drag Cabaret (Highly Commended) • Sydney Drag Stars (Winner)

Best in Immersive & Interactive

Best in Spoken Word

• There’s something about Bottom • Lilies & Dust • In/Finite Sol • Get Blind with Brian • Murder at the Bowlo • Journey to the Kingdom of Hypnos (Winner)

• Jon Bennett: Fire in the Meth Lab • Jon Bennett: How I Learned to Hug • Jon Bennett: Playing with Men (Winner)

Best in Comedy

Best in Dance • Lien: One - to - One • Water/Mirror • LOVE/LOVE/LOVE/LOVE/LOVE (Highly Commended) • Unfolding (Winner)

Best in Music • Billie McCarthy • Phil Stack and Natalie Gillespie • Godriguez • Get Blind with Brian (Winner)

Best in Fringe Kids • Kaboom!

• Flabbergasters • Pocket Sized Circus • Wilbur the Optical Whale (Winner)

Best Emerging Artist Award • Frankie Fearce • Almitra Mavalvala • Melody Rachel • Brianna McCarthy (Winner) • Anita Lovell (Winner)

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TOURING/REMOUNT AWARD WINNERS Hollywood Fringe Tour Ready Award ENDHOE

Melbourne Fringe Tour Ready Award Berliners — Nick and Tom

New Zealand Fringe Tour Ready Award ENDHOE

San Diego International Fringe Tour Ready Award Jazz or A Bucket of Blood

Adelaide Fringe Tour Ready Award The Ukulele Man

Fringe World Tour Ready Award Jazz or A Bucket of Blood

Critical Stages Touring Development Award The Ukulele Man

Accessible Arts Access Award JD Zamora: FOMOsexual

Eldon & Anne Foote Trust Grant Jolanta Juszkiewicz from The Mother

ADDITIONAL AWARDS Spirit of the Fringe Carmel Clavin

Volunteer of the Year Ian Elgey & Rachel Byrne

Festival Director’s Award Plenty of Fish in the Sea

Ultimate Spirit of the Fringe Kerri Glasscock

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SYDNEY FRINGE FESTIVAL

THE TEAM CEO & Festival Director Kerri Glasscock Business Manager Zoe Davies Senior Producer Lisa Freshwater Development Manager Keith Bosler Programs Manager Alice Terry Programs Coordinator Rowan Brunt Production Coordinator Rob Studdert Access Coordinator Joanne Simpson First Nations Coordinator Erica Brennan Marketing and Communications Manager Sarah Findlay

Runaway Collective Lauren Eisinger

TRUSTS & DONORS

CREATIVE CONSULTANCY

TRUSTS & FOUNDATIONS

PRODUCING PARTNERS

SomeOne in Sydney PR

Articulate MARKETING AGENCY

Original Spin

Dr Stanley Quek

SYDNEY FRINGE BOARD

Martha & Robert Waugh

Maree Taylor (Chair) Danika Houghton (Deputy Chair) Chelsea McGregor (Treasurer) Lesley Watson (Public Officer) Greg Khoury (Advocacy & Outreach) Peter Allwood Louise Fischer SUB-COMMITTEE MEMBERS

Maree Taylor Greg Khoury

Lesa-Belle Furhagen

Bronwyn Spearim (Goomeroi/Gamilaroi woman) Aunty Yvonne Simms (Gweagle Bidjigal Elder)

Social Media Coordinator Alec Council

Alkira Fields (Goomeroi/Gamilaroi Woman)

Ticketing Manager Caitlin Goldfinch

DISABILITY AND INCLUSION ADVISORY COMMITTEE

Design Intern Saachi Owen

Iolanda Capodanno & Juergen Krufczyk

FIRST NATIONS A DVISORY PANEL

Jodie Choolburra (Goomeroi/ Gamilaroi/Murrawarri woman)

Visual Arts Coordinator Fiona Henderson

Catherine Sullivan & Alex Bowen

Danika Houghton

Design by Marie Schultz

Limitless Producer Madeleine Stewart

Michael & Jo Rose

Cheryl Padmanathan

Lily Shearer (Murrawarri/Ngamba woman)

Accounts Maria Pagano

SYDNEY FRINGE FFS* DONORS

FERVE TICKETS

Marketing and Development Coordinator Rebecca Nash

Volunteer Manager Brooke Twyford

The Neilson Foundation Lord Mayor’s Charitable Foundation through the Eldon & Anne Foote Trust

Collin Lyons (Wiradjuri Elder)

Lesley Watson Kerri Glasscock & Cameron Undy Jodie & Keith Bosler Tim & Zoe Davies Anonymous ADDITIONAL THANK YOU TO:

Clayton Hamilton Fiona Lin Jeremy Moller

A very special thank you to all our donors, event staff and volunteers.

Morwenna Collett Holly Craig Emily Dash Dan Graham Riona Tindal Digby Webster Anthea Williams

PHOTOGRAPHY AND VIDEO

Clare Hawley David Li Hannah Oliver Marie Shultz Sarah Findlay Scott Rennie Shane Van Laar Zoe Hyland

2023 FESTIVAL REPORT

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THANK YOU TO OUR PA

RTNERS

PROUDLY FUNDED BY

PRINCIPAL GOVERNMENT PARTNER

MAJOR PARTNERS

PRESENTING PARTNERS

GEORGES RIVER COUNCIL

TECHNICAL PRODUCTION

HURSTVILLE ENTERTAINMENT CENTRE

ARTIST PROFESSIONAL

TRUSTS & FOUNDATIONS

DEVELOPMENT

NEILSON FOUNDATION LOGO GUIDE MASTER LOGO

OCTOBER 2016

REVERSED VERSION

CLEARSPACE

SMALL SIZE VERSION TO BE USED WHEN LESS THAN 25MM IN WIDTH

OFFICIAL BEER & CIDER

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SYDNEY FRINGE FESTIVAL

OFFICIAL WINE

ACCOMODATION PARTNERS

VENUE PARTNERS

Ray

HURSTVILLE ENTERTAINMENT CENTRE

Black

Union

Windermere

MEDIA PARTNERS

SUPPLY PARTNERS

R STERELF AWARD PARTNERS

Sydney Fringe Festival 303 Marrickville Road Marrickville NSW 2204 02 7813 4527 sydneyfringe.com