Apply to TCHF XII!
The Twin Cities Horror Festival is embarking on its twelfth year of bringing awesome abominations to the stage. TCHF is a juried, live performance festival whose goal is to feature the many facets of horror across varying artistic disciplines (theatre, dance, cabaret, puppetry, scares for kids, short film festival, etc), while also creating a superb experience for our participants and patrons. Productions should be fully realized and not "works in progress". There is no application fee to apply.
You may submit multiple ideas for consideration, however, no company or individual will be selected to produce more than one show at the festival, even if in different performance spaces.
The application link is located at the bottom of this page. YOU MUST READ THIS PRIMER BEFORE COMPLETING YOUR APPLICATION.
You may submit multiple ideas for consideration, however, no company or individual will be selected to produce more than one show at the festival, even if in different performance spaces.
The application link is located at the bottom of this page. YOU MUST READ THIS PRIMER BEFORE COMPLETING YOUR APPLICATION.
TCHF XII Primer
TCHF XII runs October 19-29, 2023. We plan for the 2023 festival to be in-person at The Crane Theater in Minneapolis, MN. Up to eleven productions will be selected to perform in rotating slots throughout the festival. (We also consider one time events).
We offer two performance spaces at The Crane Theater: the Mainstage and the Studio.
The majority of productions will perform on the mainstage, which will rotate through the day/night in a standard festival format. You must be able to load in/set up your show in ten minutes, and load out in ten minutes once ended. The mainstage has a capacity of 80 seats.
The studio space, on the other hand, is a unique opportunity for a production to remain stationary for five consecutive performances, meaning they wouldn't need to set up/take down for every slot. A selected production would perform once a day at their assigned time; performance times would still vary and won’t be the same each day. The studio has a capacity of 40 seats; which means a max capacity of 200 tickets (without comps) for the entire run. Only two productions will be selected for this space, with the following break down as an example:
First Group performs Thursday - Monday, 10/19-10/23.
First Group strikes after the last performance, Monday, 10/23.
Load-in and Tech Second Group, Tuesday, 10/24.
Second Group performs Wednesday-Sunday 10/25-10/29.
Productions on the main stage and the studio will not perform simultaneously; TCHF will have one master schedule for both spaces.
Scheduling Example:
7:30pm Group A on Mainstage
9:00pm Group B in Studio
10:30pm Group C on Mainstage
All productions:
-Will receive five performance slots.
-Will have one tech rehearsal at the Crane Theater. A technician will be provided to run cues.
-Must be a duration of at least 45 minutes and a max of 60 minutes, including curtain call.
-Must pay a production fee of $500 within two weeks of being selected.
*Please note that while we anticipate being able to have an in-person festival in October, we understand that things are changing everyday and promise to, at a minimum, abide by whatever guidelines are recommended by the state and CDC.
We offer two performance spaces at The Crane Theater: the Mainstage and the Studio.
The majority of productions will perform on the mainstage, which will rotate through the day/night in a standard festival format. You must be able to load in/set up your show in ten minutes, and load out in ten minutes once ended. The mainstage has a capacity of 80 seats.
The studio space, on the other hand, is a unique opportunity for a production to remain stationary for five consecutive performances, meaning they wouldn't need to set up/take down for every slot. A selected production would perform once a day at their assigned time; performance times would still vary and won’t be the same each day. The studio has a capacity of 40 seats; which means a max capacity of 200 tickets (without comps) for the entire run. Only two productions will be selected for this space, with the following break down as an example:
First Group performs Thursday - Monday, 10/19-10/23.
First Group strikes after the last performance, Monday, 10/23.
Load-in and Tech Second Group, Tuesday, 10/24.
Second Group performs Wednesday-Sunday 10/25-10/29.
Productions on the main stage and the studio will not perform simultaneously; TCHF will have one master schedule for both spaces.
Scheduling Example:
7:30pm Group A on Mainstage
9:00pm Group B in Studio
10:30pm Group C on Mainstage
All productions:
-Will receive five performance slots.
-Will have one tech rehearsal at the Crane Theater. A technician will be provided to run cues.
-Must be a duration of at least 45 minutes and a max of 60 minutes, including curtain call.
-Must pay a production fee of $500 within two weeks of being selected.
*Please note that while we anticipate being able to have an in-person festival in October, we understand that things are changing everyday and promise to, at a minimum, abide by whatever guidelines are recommended by the state and CDC.
THE MONEY STUFF
TCHF is proud to continue our mission of "ensuring creators are paid for their work" by paying producing artists in the in person festival 100% of their individual ticket and punch pass sales (minus credit card and vendor processing fees). To help fund continued festival operations, TCHF retains all sales of Unlimited Access Skeleton Keys. A full breakdown and timetable of payouts will be available in the Producers Handbook which is distributed upon acceptance into the festival.
For line of sight on possible profits from a festival production, an average payout for a 2022 Mainstage production was $2,665.15 for five performances (100% of individual tickets and punch passes in a 80 seat venue). The average payout for a 2022 Lab space production was $2,593.67 for five performances (100% of individual tickets and punch passes in a 40 seat venue). Please keep in mind profits are dependent on audience attendance and can vary.
TCHF recognizes the importance of amplifying BIPOC voices in the Twin Cities community and beyond. We understand that one obstacle for producing artists getting their work on stage is financial stress, so in response, we have created our BIPOC Artist Fund to assist with financial support. These funds will cover a portion of production fees for BIPOC producers, writers and/or directors.
For line of sight on possible profits from a festival production, an average payout for a 2022 Mainstage production was $2,665.15 for five performances (100% of individual tickets and punch passes in a 80 seat venue). The average payout for a 2022 Lab space production was $2,593.67 for five performances (100% of individual tickets and punch passes in a 40 seat venue). Please keep in mind profits are dependent on audience attendance and can vary.
TCHF recognizes the importance of amplifying BIPOC voices in the Twin Cities community and beyond. We understand that one obstacle for producing artists getting their work on stage is financial stress, so in response, we have created our BIPOC Artist Fund to assist with financial support. These funds will cover a portion of production fees for BIPOC producers, writers and/or directors.
THE APPLICATION PROCESS
TCHF has a multi-step curation process in selecting festival productions:
1. Applications are due March 15th, 2023 at the Witching Hour (11:59pm CST).
2. The weekend of April 1st, a curation panel composed of members of the Twin Cities theatre community will work in collaboration with Artistic Director Nissa Nordland Morgan to review applications and select a candidate pool.
3. Selected candidates will interview with the artistic director the weekend of April 22nd & 23rd. During these dates each group must provide at least one party who can speak to all facets of the production in a 30 minute virtual interview via Zoom (there will not be alternative dates provided).
4. Selected groups will be notified by Thursday, April 27th and must reply with their offer acceptance by 8pm CT, Sunday, April 30th. If a group declines or fails to respond within that time, we will offer the slot to another company.
5. Full Production Fees and signed Production Handbooks are due no later than May 19th.
*Please note that unforeseen circumstances, like Covid-19 related activity, may change these timelines.
1. Applications are due March 15th, 2023 at the Witching Hour (11:59pm CST).
2. The weekend of April 1st, a curation panel composed of members of the Twin Cities theatre community will work in collaboration with Artistic Director Nissa Nordland Morgan to review applications and select a candidate pool.
3. Selected candidates will interview with the artistic director the weekend of April 22nd & 23rd. During these dates each group must provide at least one party who can speak to all facets of the production in a 30 minute virtual interview via Zoom (there will not be alternative dates provided).
4. Selected groups will be notified by Thursday, April 27th and must reply with their offer acceptance by 8pm CT, Sunday, April 30th. If a group declines or fails to respond within that time, we will offer the slot to another company.
5. Full Production Fees and signed Production Handbooks are due no later than May 19th.
*Please note that unforeseen circumstances, like Covid-19 related activity, may change these timelines.
OTHER IMPORTANT THINGS TO CONSIDER BEFORE APPLYING
1. You are responsible for writing/creating content, assembling actors, director, and any and all production staff. Depending on your tech needs, we HIGHLY encourage you to provide a stage manager to call your show.
2. You are responsible for all costumes, props, sound cues, and set pieces for your production. Storage space at the venue is limited.
3. You are responsible for marketing your own show. TCHF does general marketing for the festival lineup with regular social media updates and emails to patrons/press leading up to and during the festival, but we do not market individual shows. TCHF will create a page on our website for your show with a publicity photo, ratings, short description, and ticket link.
4. TCHF will handle all ticketing and front of house operations.
5. We will require all artists to follow state mandates and CDC requirements regarding Covid-19. Artists must provide their own masks and/or face shields. We will provide cleaning supplies for general usage, and have emergency testing kits on site.
6. Out-of-Town Artists: TCHF makes no guarantee of housing or transportation, but we will do our best to solicit our networks and connect you with possible leads for billeting.
If you feel that your production idea does not lie within the guidelines above, or fit current space requirements, and/or typical performance scheduling, we still encourage you to apply. We are always interested in hearing non-traditional ideas and ways to bring new horror experiences to our audience.
*Please direct any questions about this application to artistic@tchorrorfestival.com. DO NOT contact The Crane Theater directly.*
2. You are responsible for all costumes, props, sound cues, and set pieces for your production. Storage space at the venue is limited.
3. You are responsible for marketing your own show. TCHF does general marketing for the festival lineup with regular social media updates and emails to patrons/press leading up to and during the festival, but we do not market individual shows. TCHF will create a page on our website for your show with a publicity photo, ratings, short description, and ticket link.
4. TCHF will handle all ticketing and front of house operations.
5. We will require all artists to follow state mandates and CDC requirements regarding Covid-19. Artists must provide their own masks and/or face shields. We will provide cleaning supplies for general usage, and have emergency testing kits on site.
6. Out-of-Town Artists: TCHF makes no guarantee of housing or transportation, but we will do our best to solicit our networks and connect you with possible leads for billeting.
If you feel that your production idea does not lie within the guidelines above, or fit current space requirements, and/or typical performance scheduling, we still encourage you to apply. We are always interested in hearing non-traditional ideas and ways to bring new horror experiences to our audience.
*Please direct any questions about this application to artistic@tchorrorfestival.com. DO NOT contact The Crane Theater directly.*
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