The Adelaide Fringe has awarded a record $218,000 in grants supporting over 30 projects for the 2021 season.
The Adelaide Fringe Artist Fund, which is made possible by the generosity of the Adelaide Fringe Foundation donors and the Donor Circle, has awarded over $118,000, while The First Nations Collaboration Grants, supported by Arts South Australia, Department of Premier and Cabinet, has offered over $100,000 to First Nations Artists.
Adelaide Fringe Director and CEO Heather Croall said the grants come at a time when funding is needed more than ever for the arts community. “This is the largest amount of grants and funds distributed by Adelaide Fringe in any of our grant rounds to date,” she said.
“We were incredibly impressed by the quality and innovative thinking of all the applications for these grants and we are pleased to be supporting artists and the arts community during these extremely difficult COVID times.”
“Fringe 2021 is going to be a little different and we are excited to be supporting artists who are showing such innovation and creativity despite the circumstances.” The diverse range of recipients give us a glimpse into a very exciting Adelaide Fringe program for 2021,” said Ms Croall.
Adelaide Fringe Artist Fund Grant Recipients include:
Anna Piper Scott, Erin Fowler Projects, Get Well Circus, Iran Sanadzadeh, Lewis Major, Post Dining, Scantily Glad Theatre, South Australian Playwrights Theatre, Stella Rose Productions, The Latebloomers, Amelia Ryan, Matthew Briggs – Under The Microscope, The Garage International and more.
Adelaide Fringe First Nations Collaboration Grants recipients include:
Aborigi-LOL presents, Bayla Productions, Briefs Factory International, Cackling Jackal, Deadly Nannas, Karul Projects, Katie Aspel, Tandanya National Aboriginal Cultural Institute, The Jack and Annie Show, The Storyteller, Yakkana Productions, Yellaka and more.
Residency recipients include:
George Street Studio Residency: Eugeniusz Lipczyk and Jake Shaw
The Mill Centre Stage Residency: FRANK. Theatre
Highlighted recipients include:
Traffic – Drive-in Performance for Troubled Times – Lewis Major (SA)
Traffic is drive-in performance, created with a diverse cast of extraordinary SA creatives, taking place in vacant parking lots around Adelaide and South Australian regional centres, lit by audience car headlights. The performers tumble and roll across the illuminated asphalt in a tribute to our socially distanced times.
Yerta Palti Meyunna – Ceremony of People & Country – Tandanya National Aboriginal Cultural Institute (SA)
Tandanya invites you to Yerta Palti Meyunna – Ceremony of People & Country. As the sun sets, join them as they pay respect to this sacred place – Meyunna (Kaurna) Yerta (Land). Led by Karl Winda Telfer and Yellaka to experience dance, fire, ceremony, song, cultural sharing and story from this sacred country.
Smashing Life – Tim Ferguson
Legendary comedian Tim Ferguson delivers the world premiere of his new inspirational show, Smashing Life, at the 2021 Adelaide Fringe Festival – a hilarious and inspiring battle of guts and wit. This new show completes Tim’s one man show MS Trilogy.
New for 2021 is The Mill Centre Stage Residency – a four-week incubator program for South Australian artists to progress a new work into the next stage of development and includes work-in-progress public showings and culminates in a season at Adelaide Fringe 2021.
The Mill Director Katrina Lazaroff said the team is delighted to be partnering with the Adelaide Fringe Artist Fund to launch the inaugural Centre Stage Residency. “The successful recipient, Britt Plummer of Frank Theatre, is a worthy artist whose work we have watched grow exponentially over the past two years,” she said.
“One of The Mill’s primary focus is to support artist’s career pathways over a number of years and having supported Britt with a Spotlight Residency in 2019, we see the Centre Stage Residency as the next level of support we can offer in the development of her career as a director,” said Ms Lazaroff.
The Adelaide Fringe also announces the George Street Studio Residency for the second year running. The joint initiative with Adelaide Fringe and George Street Studios Artist and Director Tony Rosella supports two emerging South Australian visual artists to create new work through mentoring, access to specialised space, machinery and technical skills. Recipients receive 8 months residency which culminates in a showing at Adelaide Fringe 2021.
The 2021 Adelaide Fringe will run from 19 February until 21 March. For more information, to view full list of grant recipients, or make a tax-deductible donation to the Adelaide Fringe Foundation, visit: www.adelaidefringe.com.au for details.
Image: Andi Snelling – photo by Darren Gill