DURHAM FRINGE PRESENTS

Artistic merit is a term that is used about cultural works of art, in all its forms, when referring to the judgement of their perceived quality or value. It is not about whether something entertains, though a work might well be entertaining, but whether what is conveyed to the public is an idea, emotion or experience which is enlightening and which is, or is capable of being, of value to them.

Judgements of artistic merit may well be subjective, however Jury members should consider factors such as aesthetic appeal, technical skill, inherent meaning and emotional impact, creative vision and originality, and cultural relevance (though all may not apply to every artistic proposal).

Jury Selection

The Directors of Durham Fringe CIC, , or a designated sub-committee of such Directors, shall select a diverse Jury of at least 6 members (which may contain the Directors) who will consider each application to perform at the next Durham Fringe Festival and evaluate their artistic merit.
The Jury members shall be selected based on their background, experience and specialist knowledge of the arts which may have been gained through academic study, participation in the arts or delivery of the arts.

Jury Voting

All acts shall be asked to provide the same information and apply through an online portal (currently Eventotron).
Each application will then be considered for its artistic merit and given an overall score (between 1 and 5) by each Jury member. The overall score should be determined by reference to the following considerations:

• Aesthetic Appeal
  • Visual and sonic quality of the performance
  • Harmonious integration of design elements (lighting, costumes, set design)
• Technical skill
  • Mastery of the performance medium (e.g. vocal control in singing, precise movement in dance)
  • Skillful execution of complex techniques
• Inherent Meaning and Emotional Impact
  • Does the work cause emotion, make statements, or challenge preconceived ideas?
• Creative Vision and Originality
  • Unique interpretation of the material
  • Innovative staging, choreography, or composition
  • Fresh perspective on a familiar theme
• Cultural Relevance
  • Does the work address contemporary issues or social themes?
  • Cultural significance and impact

A particular challenge for the Durham Fringe Festival is that works to be selected may not actually exist at the time of the application. Therefore an application may have to be judged based on its potential artistic merit. Matters to be taken into consideration when evaluating artistic merit are:

• Public Show Pitch – this is where the artists describe the intent of their work to the public
• Additional details about the your show – this is where the artists describe the intent of their work to the festival (not made public)
• Age of Company – how long company has been in existence
• Professional & Peer Reviews – of previous works or current work
• Awards – in relation to the work, previous works or the performers
• Links to videos of previous or current work
• Any pitch videos made to the festival
• Other public information – Jury members may also search the internet for other public information on the performers or previous or proposed works e.g. reviews that may not have been disclosed in the application
• Other performances – if a Jury member has seen the work or a previous works or some or all of the performers at previous Durham Fringe Festivals or elsewhere they may take this into consideration

Programming Policy

The Directors, or a designated sub-committee of the Directors shall select and programme acts based on the average score given by the Jury (with the highest scoring programmed first). However, as well as the votes of the Jury, the Directors shall take into account:

• Balance of genres – Durham Fringe is a multi-arts festival and seeks to have a balance of genres in order to advance the public education and appreciation of such arts. This may mean that a lower scoring act in one genre (e.g. dance) may be programmed ahead of a higher scoring act in another genre (e.g. theatre) in order to achieve such balance
• No act should be given more than 5 performances (i.e. one performance per day of the festival). Any variation to this should be approved by the Directors, or the designated sub-committee, and the reasons noted. Variations are likely to be for short shows (eg 15 mins) with small capacity that are designed to run multiple times in a day.
• Theme – if there is a theme for a particular festival (e.g. in 2023 there was a Shakespeare theme and in 2024 a Dance theme) then shows that incorporate that theme may be favoured
• Prodigy / Virtuoso Performers – The Directors, or the designated sub-committee, may decide to select a prodigy or virtuoso performer outside of the Jury selection process in order to achieve a programme with the greatest artistic merit.
• Poor experience at previous festival – if an Act at a previous Fringe had a poor experience through no fault of their own (e.g. show cancelled by Fringe or technical issues) the Directors may wish to offer them a place in the programme at a subsequent Fringe; providing the act satisfies the artistic merit criteria.
• If a programmed act cancels in the run up to the festival a replacement act may have to be found at short notice. In such circumstances the Directors, or the designated sub-committee, may select acts outside of the Jury process, providing the act satisfies the artistic merit criteria.