8A Hyde St, Footscray VIC 3011

Do you need a venue for your Fringe show? Maribyrnong Arts and Culture is offering in-kind venue hire and technical support at the Bluestone Church Arts Space to independently produced shows by local artists from Melbourne’s West for the 2023 Melbourne Fringe Festival.

Selected artists will receive free venue hire and marketing support through Council’s channels, while retaining all box office takings. They will remain responsible for producing and marketing their own shows, including paying Melbourne Fringe Festival’s registration fees.

What Maribyrnong Arts and Culture will provide

Maribyrnong City Council (MCC) is offering the following to selected artists:

• In-kind (free) use of the Bluestone Church Arts Space for up to 6 performance days with a maximum of 2 performances per day.
• A dedicated Venue Manager, who will be a point of contact for selected artists and manage the Front of House services, including the bar. Artists will be required to provide a volunteer from their team to assist with front-of-house, especially for busy performances.
• Basic lighting and sound setup, portable theatre drape system and HD web camera for livestreaming which may be shared by all the artists/shows throughout the Melbourne Fringe season.
• A dedicated Venue Technician to assist in providing sound and lighting during the performance. Please note: bump-in and out is the responsibility of the Selected Artist along with hiring any additional tech requirements outside of the venue’s provision, and providing your own Stage Manager.
• Marketing support through Council channels, including:
• Art Bytes eNews (~800 subscribers)
• Arts and Culture Instagram (~1,900 followers)
• Arts and Culture Facebook (~2,800 followers)
• Arts and Culture website
• Inclusion in Melbourne Fringe and Westside promotions.
• Artists will keep 100% of box office income, less any booking fees Melbourne Fringe Festival may charge.
• Maribyrnong City Council reserves the exclusive right to operate a bar during Melbourne Fringe. Artists/shows will not receive a cut or percentage of bar sales.

Program Guidelines

For key dates, venue information, selection criteria, and artist responsibilities, please read the full Program Guidelines below.