NSN Conference – August 7 – 10, 2008
Johnson City, Tennessee

Want to present 55 minutes of your most compelling, riskiest, experimental or work in progress storytelling at the National Storytelling Conference? Or, do you and a friend want to present a mini-fringe event – a pair of shorter performances?

Yes, the National Storytelling Conference Fringe is back! You can present 55 minutes of folktales; 55 minutes of autobiography; 55 minutes of a work in progress, performance art, stand-up comedy, puppetry, dance or your favorite long form story! Or, you and a friend can present a Mini-fringe Event – a pair of shorter performances of whatever you believe will go together well.

What is the Fringe? The NSN Conference Fringe is based on the Fringe Festival, a model of presenting performances, giving artists freedom to create and audiences "the ability to decide for themselves the truly great productions from the good, the bad and the gloriously disastrous." Growing networks of performance venues all over the world have adopted this model and many storytellers are taking advantage of these venues to reach new audiences. The Conference Fringe aims to encourage more storytellers to participate in American and Canadian Fringe Festivals, by providing the opportunity for you to experience many aspects of a typical Fringe Festival including the selection process and performance framework.

In keeping with the Fringe principle of an un-juried selection process, Fringe performers for the 2008 National Storytelling Network Conference will be selected by lottery.

Here’s your chance to explore the limits of storytelling at the National Storytelling Conference.

Lottery Instructions
To enter the lottery, please, submit:
1. Your name, address, phone, email information (both tellers names and contact information if you are submitting for a mini-fringe.)
2. Title of your 55 minute program or your mini-fringe event.
3. Maximum 30 word description of the program or mini-fringe event.
4. Fringe Standard Category Identification(s): (select all that apply) adult, family, solo, improvisational, ensemble, dance, etc. [Example: a single storyteller presenting a family program selects both "family" and "solo." Use "family" to identify a program for children.]
5. If appropriate, Fringe Standard Content Warning(s): (select all that apply) language, adult subject matter, violence, partial nudity.
Additional information on Content Warnings: Total nudity and explicit sexual contact is disallowed in NSN Conference Fringe performances; male and female genitals and female breasts must be covered. Content disclaimers (warnings) are to be shown in all advertising, programs, flyers, enrollment forms, and room identification. No minors under the age of 18 or applicable state limitation are to be allowed in performances with adult content warnings.


Email submissions to: Mary Hamilton, mary@maryhamilton.info
Mail submissions to: Mary Hamilton, 65 Springhill Road, Frankfort, KY 40601-9211

Submission Deadline
Mail submissions – November 10, 2007 (postmarked)
Electronic submissions - no later than 11:59 PM EST on November 10, 2007

Notification of Selection
Performers drawn by lottery will be notified of their selection by email and/or phone. Slots will be assigned based on order of performer acceptance and content (with family material earlier and adult material later in the day).

Deadline for Acceptance
Within thirty days of notification, you will need to confirm your participation.

Waiting List
More names than slots will be drawn for a waiting list and will be moved from the waiting list as slots become available. In St. Louis, we had a last minute cancellation and reached Number 7 on the waiting list to find the person who was ready and willing to go on.

Here’s the “fine print”:

Eligibility
Fringe performers do not need to be NSN members, so please share this information with all your storytelling, spoken word, and performance art contacts. We welcome the opportunity to share the NSN conference with narrative artists who may not call themselves storytellers. Any NSN member, including Board and Conference Committee members, is eligible to participate in the lottery and if selected, tell.

Performers who appeared at the 2007 St. Louis Conference will not be eligible for the 2008 lottery.

Performers who applied but were not selected or were on the waiting list but did not perform, may request that last year's application material be rolled over to this year's lottery. To do so, simply e-mail Mary Hamilton at mary@maryhamilton.info and indicate "roll-over application" in the subject line.

Cost
By accepting your Fringe slot, you agree to register and pay for the entire NSN Conference. No waivers will be given to fringe performers. No single day registrations accepted.

Registration Timing
By accepting your Fringe slot, you agree to register for the Conference by the “early-bird” registration date. Performers not confirmed as registered after that date will be replaced with folks from the waiting list.

Performing Space
All Fringe performances will be in a meeting room with a minimum of 40 chairs with no technical set-up. As is the custom with many Fringe Festivals, if you want sound, lighting, or any special equipment to support your performance, you are responsible for supplying what you need. Any audiovisual equipment needed must be ordered and paid for at registration. Due to varying site policies, we cannot guarantee access to your performance space outside of your scheduled time, which begins fifteen minutes prior to your performance start time. Do not count on a "tech rehearsal."


Performance Schedule
Fringe slots parallel the conference workshops and swaps. You’ll have approximately 15 minutes to set-up; 55 minutes to perform beginning at the published time; 15 minutes to restore and clear the room for the next performer. Time limits will be strictly observed as this track is intended to serve as an opportunity for storytellers (performers and audience members alike) to experience a typical Fringe Festival format.

Content
Fringe performances are not pre-screened or censored, but we expect you to indicate difficult or potentially offensive material in the content warnings.

Sign-offs
As part of confirming your participation, you must agree to the following:
1) Nudity policy. See Item 5 in Lottery Instructions.
2) NSN Disclaimer with the following text: “The National Storytelling Network (NSN) is not responsible or liable for the form and content of this performance which is the sole responsibility of the individual performer(s). It is also the performer’s responsibility to be in compliance with local health/safety laws and any hotel/conference center restrictions for room use.”

Audience
Conference Fringe Performances will be open to conference attendees.

Promotion
The title, performance description and content warnings you provide with your submission will be printed in the NSN Conference program and website; however, in keeping with Fringe Festival tradition, if you want an audience, you need to self-promote your performance during the conference. The Fringe Committee recommends that you NOT rely on advertising in the Conference Program Book. Most attendees will not have time to review the entire book before or during the conference. Plan your promotion – you’ve got to grab conference attendees’ attention and leave them wanting to be sure they don’t miss your performance.

We encourage you to take advantage of this opportunity to perform your new, old, in progress, lively, risky, long form, or experimental work during the National Storytelling Conference. Submit your application today!

_________________
Yvonne Healy, storyteller
www.YHealy.com
810-225-2204