The Dunedin Fringe Festival Trust has allocated nearly $20,000 to artists to produce original new works for next year's event on March 13 to 23.
Nearly 40 funding applications were received from artists around New Zealand and ''some tough decisions had to be made'' to select the 16 successful applicants, festival director Paul Smith said yesterday. ''Our policy was to fund artists properly, rather than giving everyone a small contribution, so the artists are better supported to succeed,'' Mr Smith said.
''The funding is a huge boost to these artists and will make up at least a third of our festival programme. It means we can guarantee that we will be presenting a fantastic programme, packed full of high quality shows showcasing a range of artforms.''
The $19,997 funding came from an annual Creative New Zealand grant.
The funding criteria were based on originality, innovation, experimentation, presentation and production, Mr Smith said.
The funding recipients (Dunedin artists highlighted) are. - Anya and Isaac Sinclair, of Dunedin ($1000 for Never and Forever); Full Stop Theatre, of Wellington ($562, The Diary of a Twelve Year Old Cynic); Muted Crane Productions, of Wellington ($1690, The ''I'' Test); RAD Productions, of Auckland ($700, Velcro City); Emma Chalmers, of Dunedin ($700, Drawl 2); Trick of the Light Theatre, of Wellington ($1000, The Bookbinder); Blue Oyster Art Project Space, of Dunedin ($800, currently untitled); All You Can Eat Dance, of Auckland ($1500, The Way We Fall); Lara Fischel-Chisholm, of Auckland ($2300, This Is My Real Job); Leyton Glen, of Dunedin ($2000, Streets and Lures); Present Company Theatre, of Auckland ($1500, Puppet Fiction); Urban Heart Productions, of Dunedin ($1500, Finding Hephzibah); Shani Dickins Dance and Cabaret, of Auckland ($1500, Demigod/half-Human); Nicola Donna Hansby, of Dunedin ($1000, Colour Moves); Metonymic Trust, of Dunedin ($1050, Refined Light); Val Smith, of Auckland ($980, Circle in Box).
The funding panel was Scott Eady (Dunedin School of Art lecturer), Sofia Kalogeropoulou (University of Otago dance studies lecturer), Darren Stedman (musician), Martyn Roberts (Allen Hall Theatre manager), Aaron Hawkins (Dunedin city councillor), Cara Paterson (DCC arts adviser) and Paul Smith (Fringe Festival director).
