Summer/Pride Submission Form 2025

Submissions close on Friday 27 September at 11:59pm*

Click the SAVE button at the bottom of this page to save your progress and come back to it later.

IMAGE by Anna Benháková from: Only The Stars Know Where I've Been, with Stella Seawright and Sydney Magnus. Chor: Jake Starrs, 2024 

 

Nau mai haere mai ki te rohe ā Ngāti Whātua Ōrākei me te whare tapere o Basement.

Welcome to the sacred waters of Te Wai Horotiu and welcome to Basement Theatre! Before we get into it we take this moment to acknowledge the rightful custodians of these lands, their ancestors and their mana motuhake here in Tāmaki Makaurau.

Strap in Cowboys, Pride is back and hot to go! Rumour has it that some of you have been pondering new ideas from the freshness that Spring has brought us. And now that next idea of yours is ready to bloom for Summer! Well, what brilliant timing e hoa mā… we want artists to make this season as BRATTY / DEMURE / DEMONIC as the dreams, memes and queens behind our rich Queer culture. This season runs from February through to the end of April. The rā will be high in the sky, the margs poured, and the vibes immaculate. Trust us when we say that Summer is a beautiful time to make and share work with the communities of Tāmaki Makaurau.

For our SUMMER season, we are looking for:

• Brave, urgent, adventurous and untameable work made by anyone
  Works that are 45-75 minutes in length 
• Dance, theatre, poetry, visual art, circus, comedy, ballroom, club nights, performance art, music, film, exhibitions, drag, cabaret and everything in between

We’re stoked that once again the full month of February will reserved for works that are led by takatāpui / LGBTQIAK+ / MVPFAFF+ artists. If this is you, and you want to be part of our Pride season, make sure you tick the Pride box when submitting so we know to consider your work for this slot. All Pride works at Basement have the opportunity to register with Auckland Pride to be part of the official festival (info on how to register below).

For our PRIDE season, we are looking for:

• Work made by takatāpui / LGBTQIAK+ / MVPFAFF+ artists that pushes at the edges of form and genre, and is experimental in its approach to storytelling
• Contributes to critical conversation around pertinent issues of today
  Works that are 45-75 minutes in length
• Dance, theatre, poetry, visual art, circus, comedy, ballroom, club nights, performance art, music, film, exhibitions, drag, cabaret and everything in between

As well as having shows during February, Auckland Pride and Basement Theatre have been scheming in the wings and we’re excited to share that Auckland Pride will be facilitating a new programme at Basement Theatre. Auckland Pride is launching an incubation and development programme at Basement Theatre called Pride Develops. This initiative provides artists with the opportunity to test and develop their works without the immediate pressure of staging a full production. By focusing on the life cycles of works, Pride Develops counters the often extractive nature of festival models, allowing artists to engage with audiences and refine their creations over time. 

Basement Theatre’s commitment to innovation, artistic development, experimentation and nurturing new talent complements Auckland Pride's vision for Pride Develops making Basement the ideal partner for this programme. More details to be announced by Auckland Pride soon!

What you’ll get from us at Basey…

• Hire For Nothing! There is no venue hire fee for artists who are emerging and unfunded
• Wrap-around support from the Basement & Pride team
• Marketing guidance and advice on how you can sell those tickets!
• Being a part of the 17-year-strong cohort of Basement artists
• A safe space to play, take risks and develop your craft and career
• The opportunity to grow your artist network with your new Summer and Pride fam

Got that idea? Find your collaborators and get your submission in! The form is live and ready to receive your submission. Submissions will close on September 27th at 11:59pm

If you have questions about how putting a show on at Basement works, check out the Artists Base where you’ll find the Artist Handbook w/ a bunch of handy tips and explanations of our processes. If you still can’t find your answer, flick us and email, jump on the phone or slide in the DMs. We also welcome emails, phone calls and Instagram DMs for any of your questions.

Email: amber@basementtheatre.co.nz or programming@basementtheatre.co.nz

Call: 09 309 7433 9am-5pm Mon-Fri

Instagram DM: @basement_makers

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If you’re keen to be part of the official AKL PRIDE FESTIVAL...

The Auckland Pride Festival is an annual open-access arts, cultural, and community Festival. The full month of February is interwoven with major events delivered by Auckland Pride, such as the March and Te Tīmatanga, as well as events produced by artists, community organisers, and organisations. This is by and for the whole rainbow community. Details on how to register your event in the Auckland Pride Festival 2025 are below:

27 October 2024 - First Release Open Access Submissions Close -
Please Note: any events confirmed before this date will be included in the First Release Programme, which is the Printed Programme this year.

November 2024 - Auckland Pride Launch and First Release Programme Released

15 January 2025 - Open Access Submissions Close

20 January 2025 - Full Programme Announcement

Every event that meets the Oct 20th deadline will be featured in the Auckland Pride Festival Print Programme, which is included in the cost of registration.

Registration Fees for Auckland Pride 2025 Festival are outlined below:

• Free events (includes entry by koha): Free
• Ticketed events up to $30 (adult full price): $125.00 + GST
• Ticketed events over $30 (adult full price): $250.00 + GST

Note: If this cost is prohibitive to your event being included in Auckland Pride, please feel free to reach out and we can discuss this further.

Members of Auckland Pride will receive a 25% discount on their 2025 Registration Fee.

For more information and to register your event with Auckland Pride, click here

As an organisation we seek to serve all people, with a prioritisation on communities that have experienced historical marginalisation from mainstream arts spaces.

We believe that the theatre is a colonial construct with inherent barriers across cultural, economic, physical, political, religious and gender-based contexts. We acknowledge that as an historically pākehā, cis and able-body led organisation, we can only work to remove these barriers by staying continuously critical of our intersections of privilege. 

To keep ourselves accountable, we have important goals in place that help us walk our talk and take care of you in a way that aligns with who you are. We therefore invite you to provide the following info for us, so that our manaaki can be on point!

*We acknowledge that the way that people are referred to is incredibly important, and that language is constantly evolving. Therefore certain words we have used here may need to be updated over time. 

*If your show is reliant on securing Creative New Zealand or Auckland Council funding, you need to apply well in advance. We are unlikely to programme your show if you are completely dependent on unconfirmed funding and you might end up in a position where you will pull your show if you don't secure your funding.

Please submit below:

• A copy of your script, or
• A detailed story outline for devised works, or
• A vision/moodboard for installation or dance works
• Any videos or audio attachments that may help support your submission (please keep them as concise as possible)
• If you'd like to submit with audio/video instead of lots of writing, please fill out key questions, but feel free to talk about your idea/show us your idea
• If you'd like to submit in-person, get in touch with us via email (amber@basementtheatre.co.nz) or DM us on IG (@basement_makers)

We understand that ideas change and the final show may vary from the material that is presented. Please keep us in the loop of any major changes.

If you are using an already published script, we ask that you please investigate the cost and availability of the rights - some plays can be expensive and/or not available - especially if they are newer works. All plays MUST be a max of 70 mins (approx 60-70 pages)