Alright friends, buckle up because figuring out this whole international theater festival scene was a total head-scratcher for me at first. Seriously, I felt like I was staring at a brick wall. Way too many options flying around, and zero clue how to pick good ones without going crazy or wasting money.
The Big Confusion Phase
First thing I did? Jumped online, obviously. Big mistake. Searching things like “best theater festivals” just drowned me in lists. Some looked fancy, some seemed tiny, prices were all over the place… total chaos. I bookmarked maybe 20 tabs, feeling super pumped, thinking “Yeah, I’ll apply to these!”
Took me like… a solid day before reality hit. No way I could afford all those application fees, let alone travel costs. Plus, who knows if those lists were even legit? Needed a smarter plan.
Actually Doing The Legwork
Okay, deep breath. Started simple:
- Asked real people. Seriously. Messaged a couple of actor friends and directors I vaguely knew who traveled for festivals. Straight up asked: “Where did you actually GO and feel good about it? Where felt sketchy?” Got way better intel than Google.
- Stalked past programs. For each festival I vaguely liked, I hunted down their website and looked for past year schedules and artists. Not just skimmed – actually searched for company names I kinda recognized or genres I liked. If the past lineups looked blah or didn’t vibe with my work? Dropped it fast.
- Checked the practical stuff. Hard.
- Flights: Priced out rough flights from my nearest airport. If getting there cost more than my rent? Next!
- Accommodation: Did the festival offer cheap housing (like homestays) or was I on my own in an expensive city? Huge difference.
- Fees: Application fees suck, but some festivals also charged crazy mandatory “participation fees” on top if accepted. Screw that noise.
- Rights: Dug into the fine print. Some wanted wild rights to your show. Nope, nope, nope.
- Looked for the vibe. Read blogs or forum posts from actual participants. Were people complaining about bad organization, no audiences, or terrible tech setups? Or raving about the connections they made? Gold.
My Simple Pick-It System
After wading through all that mess, I made myself a basic checklist. Way easier than feeling overwhelmed:
- Genre Fit: Does the festival actually show work like mine? Or is it all avant-garde mime while I’m doing kitchen-sink drama?
- Costs VS Reality: Can I actually afford the fees + flights + food? Be honest.
- Audience Target: Do artists talk about good crowds? Or performing to three people and a cat?
- Basic Support: Do they provide ANY tech help, even just a lighting plan? Or are you carrying your own projector?
- Network Potential: Is it just for showing, or do they do industry meet-ups, talks… chances to talk to humans who matter?
Putting It To Work
I applied this to my huge messy list. Cut it down HARD. Went from like 20 potentials to maybe 3 or 4 that actually ticked enough boxes without breaking the bank or sounding like a scam.
Just sent out my first round of applications using this filter. Honestly, feels so much better than just spraying applications everywhere hoping something sticks. Saved a ton of cash already just on application fees I didn’t waste. Crossing fingers now!
Biggest lesson? Don’t trust the shiny lists. Do the grunt work – ask people, check details, make YOUR OWN list based on what YOU need. Takes time, but way less time (and money!) than chasing dead ends. Good luck!
