Festival Dates

FROST BITES 2023 will take place from February 15-20 2023.

Performances will occur multiple times over the 6-day run at our two key locations: the Bernie Morelli Community Centre and Theatre Aquarius. There will be a single audio experience programmed to take place between the two spaces. (more details below)

Who is running the FROST BITES festival?

FROST BITES is produced by the Hamilton Festival Theatre Co (HFTco). HFTco strives to make theatre accessible to both audience members and theatre makers and is committed to fostering both the development of professional artists and an appreciation of the arts in Hamilton.

HFTco produces annual activities that include year-round Artist Development programming (ALERT, Theatre PD Day, SPARK, Kids Club Camp), a community-embedded winter festival (Frost Bites), the 12-day unjuried summer Hamilton Fringe Festival, The Gilded Hammer Awards, as well as other community arts services.

 

Who will be a part of FROST BITES?

Following the 2021 festival, FROST BITES shifted into a biannual format. The first year of this new format (2021-22) was spent in development with community storytellers working in social activism. The 2023 festival will feature the work of these storytellers alongside other artists working in community-engaged arts practices and/or wrestling with issues of social justice in their artistic work.

FROST BITES 2023 invites applications from artists, companies, or collectives with a community-engaged arts practice or whose current work explores themes of social justice (ex: Black lives matter, climate activism, disability rights, etc) Frost Bites will enhance the audience experience and promote a sense of connectivity and community in Hamilton and beyond.

Public applications are being accepted to fill two slots:

1. A performance or a work-in-progress that will take place in a selected site at Theatre Aquarius:

• The piece must demonstrate its involvement in a community-engaged practice and/or contain themes of social justice and activism;
• The successful artist(s) will be required to commit to a minimum of 4 shows over the 6 days of the festival, with the length of the show and the number of audience members the show can serve affecting the number of additional shows required. (ex: a 5-minute show with 10 audience members will be required to perform more often over the course of the event than a 2-hour show with a 50-person audience. A 60-minute show performed to a 50-person audience 4 times over the 6 days of the festival would be considered a good base to work from.);
• Tech support will be minimal and the successful applicant should plan for low technical requirements or be prepared to provide equipment and staffing to support their proposed activities;
• The group will be asked to select from a series of locations within Theatre Aquarius as a part of the application questionnaire;
• The proposal can be site-specific but this is not a requirement;
• There will be a $2000 honorarium offered to the selected applicant.

2. Two digital sound experiences entered as a single proposal:

• The piece must demonstrate its involvement in a community-engaged practice and/or contain themes of social justice and activism;
• A proposal for 2 original audio experiences to be created and produced by the successful applicant;
• The sound files will be shared with audience members on a private Soundcloud link to be streamed on demand during the festival dates;
• The sound files will be designed to take place on (1) the HSR bus (public transit) from the Bernie Morelli Community Centre to Theatre Aquarius and (2) on the HSR bus (public transit) from Theatre Aquarius to the Bernie Morelli Community Centre;
• There will be a $1500 honorarium offered to the selected applicant.

FROST BITES will consider applications from companies and individuals working in a variety of performance disciplines or inter-arts projects (involving the collaboration of artists from different disciplines).

We are looking for applications from artists, companies, or collectives who are playful artistic risk-takers. Successful applications will express an innovative vision when approaching their work in both content and form. The selected artist/collective will join a dynamic ensemble of companies and artists that will provide a unique and hopeful performance event in February.

What criteria will be used to assess the applications?

The selected participants will be chosen based on the content and style of the proposal, the demonstration of a community-engaged arts practice and/or the evidence of a social activism lens applied to the proposed project, the feasibility of the idea, their demonstrated experience in theatre or related discipline, and the company mandate (vision statements will be accepted for ad hoc groups). 

One performance slot will be awarded in each category (1) Live performance at Theatre Aquarius, (2) Digital Sound Experience.

We will judge the suitability of the applications based on the following criteria:

• the originality and clarity of ideas in the creative responses;
• the demonstration of a community-engaged arts practice and/or the evidence of a social activism lens applied to the proposed project;
• the potential for the project to creatively promote a sense of connectivity between audience members and the participating artists, other audience members, or the wider community;
• the demonstration of imagination and innovation in the approach to presentation;
• the collective experience of the artistic team;
• a serious sense of play; and
• the ability to think outside the box and propose an adventurous, creative idea.

The artist(s)/collectives will be selected to complement the curated line-up of participating companies. Weight is given to a lineup that demonstrates a diversity of disciplines, a variety of proposed running times, a range in levels of experience in the arts sector, and experience in producing community-engaged work and/or work that centers themes of social activism. Submissions from BIPOC and disability communities are prioritized.

Venue

This year, Frost Bites will take place at two distinct venues - the Bernie Morelli Community Centre and Theatre Aquarius, with one digital sound experience programmed to take place on the bus routes to each location. 

The Theatre Aquarius programmed selection will be presented in a non-traditional performance space within the facility or at the Education Centre, located across the street. Tech support will be minimal and the successful applicant should plan for low technical requirements or be prepared to provide equipment and staffing to support their proposed activities.

Traditionally a site-specific festival, the 2023 FROST BITES shifts form to focus on connecting with specific neighbourhoods, activist communities, and themes. Focused on topics of social justice, activism, and community-engaged storytelling, we will be interested in how your work reflects these themes. Based within municipal Wards 2 and 3 in downtown Hamilton, highlighting any links to these areas of the city and/or any organizational or personal connections you have here will strengthen your application.

 

 

How will the Festival schedule work?

The schedule will be negotiated by the Festival staff in collaboration with the selected companies. There is no time limit on performances. Participants in the Theatre Aquarius slot will be required to perform a minimum of 4 times over the 6 days of the festival, based on a 60-minute show with a 50-person audience. Depending on the style and timing of proposals submitted, companies may be asked to commit to additional performances. 

Application Deadline

Monday, November 7, 2022 at 11:59pm EST. Applications:

• can be sent via mail or through online application (please contact 289-698-2234 for assistance or to complete your application by phone)
• must include the $25 non-refundable Application Fee to be considered

Applications and Primary Contact

The Basics:

• We will accept only one proposal per company/individual.
• The primary contact and team members may be involved in only ONE production.
• Festival correspondence will only be sent to the primary contact.
• Only the primary contact is authorized to submit or make changes to company information.   

As Primary Contact, it is your responsibility to:

• share information with the rest of your company;
• stay up to date on all Festival information; and
• ensure timely submission of all requested materials.  

Fees and Revenue 

Fees

There is a $25.00 non-refundable Application Fee due upon receipt of this form.

Your Application Fee must be submitted along with your completed application or if submitted by cheque, received within 5 days of submission. Applications will not be considered complete until the Application Fee is processed.

You can pay this fee online or send a cheque in the mail. Make all cheques or money orders payable to: 

Hamilton Festival Theatre Company
41 King William St, Unit 206
Hamilton, ON L8R 1A2

Do not mail cash. 

Applicants whose cheques are returned for any reason by the bank will be charged a $25.00 fee and risk losing their performance slot. 

Artist Payout and Box Office Revenue

The participating company selected for the live performance slot at Theatre Aquarius will receive a Performance Fee of $2,000 upon successful completion of the Festival. The company selected for the digital sound experience slot will receive a performance fee of $1500 upon successful completion of the Festival. HFTco will retain the box office revenue.

What happens next?

Applicants will receive a confirmation by email regarding their status before the end of November. The full lineup for Frost Bites 2023 will be announced shortly afterward.

Once companies have been selected for the Festival, there will be a mandatory meeting for all those involved. 

If you are accepted into the Festival: 

• FROST BITES will provide your company with a flat fee ($2000 for the live performance slot, $1500 for the digital sound slot);
• FROST BITES will provide required ticketing, essential online/remote volunteers based in Hamilton, limited technical support; and
• you will be included in all FROST BITES marketing, including the digital program, social media, on hftco.ca, and event publicity.

If accepted, your company agrees to:

• provide your own equipment and primary tech support;
• rehearse in your own time; and
• meet all scheduled deadlines, including having a performance-ready piece by the date indicated in the detailed letter of agreement (provided to selected participating companies at a later date).

Please Note:

All production and artistic expenses not listed as being provided by HFTco will be the responsibility of the selected participating artistic companies.

Companies with members of CAEA and/or ACTRA will be required to secure the necessary contracts and pay any associated fees.

Finally

Submission of your application and fee means that you have read and agree to all of the above.

Your company agrees to adhere to the laws of Ontario, your home province or territory, and the policies, procedures and safety guidelines as set forth by the Hamilton Festival Theatre Company and FROST BITES. HFTco reserves the right to remove any company or cancel any/all performances of a company that does not abide by the policies of the Hamilton Festival Theatre Company and FROST BITES.

Please contact us if you have any questions or need clarification of these details. We recommend that you print a copy of this page for your own records.

Applications are accepted through online submission and by mail and must be accompanied by your non-refundable Application Fee ($25.00).

Applications received without the Application Fee will NOT be considered for FROST BITES.

If you require support filling out or submitting your application, please email claire@hftco.ca or call 289-698-2234.

Contact Details

The piece must demonstrate its involvement in a community-engaged practice and/or contain themes of social justice and activism. Please tell us about how your proposal fulfills these requirements, outlining which specific themes are integral to your work.

If you have any personal or community connections within the geographical regions (Wards 2 and 3 in downtown Hamilton) please outline these here as well.

You may submit a written response or a recording of yourself speaking (please choose only ONE format).

About You and Your Company

You may choose to provide additional support material.

Support material may be shared as a URL/media link (one link, max 2 minutes) and/or a document saved as a PDF (max 3 pages). You may choose to include: support letter(s), photos, reviews of past work, past writing sample, CVs of lead artists, etc.

Please ensure that media links are not password protected.

Application Payment Fee Method

There is a $25.00 non-refundable Application Fee due upon receipt of this form.

Your Application Fee must be submitted along with your completed application or received within 5 days of submission. Applications will not be considered complete until the Application Fee is processed.

You can pay this fee online or send a cheque in the mail. Make all cheques or money orders payable to: 

Hamilton Festival Theatre Company
41 King William St, Unit 206
Hamilton, ON L8R 1A2

Do not mail cash. 

Applicants whose cheques are returned for any reason by the bank will be charged a $25.00 fee and risk losing their performance slot.