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Thank you for inquiring about Rocket Venues.
For 2002 we
have dropped a few venues and added two new venues. This year we
will be keeping our original venue Rocket@ South Bridge Resource Centre,
as well as, Rocket@ St.John's Hall. In addition to this we will be
adding two new venues Rocket@
Apex International Hotel, and Rocket@ Apex City Hotel . These two
new prestigious venues are situated right below the Castle in the heart
of the Old Town in the busy and historic Grassmarket. Apex Hotels'
contemporary design are ideally suited as a venue, because they can be
defined as Scotland's first 'art hotels.' The management of this
new and developing hotel group, which has come into being in Scotland,
have the very clear vision of a hotel group with a difference, committed
to the patronage of contemporary art and theatre. Throughout the
hotel, including in the rooms themselves, they plan to feature the
history of the Edinburgh Festival and the Fringe by displaying portions
of the Demarco Archives. With the aid of the Apex Hotels, the
Demarco European Arts Foundation, and BlinkRed (visual arts), we hope to
convert these two new spaces into an exciting and busy venue.
Another
addition we are working on is an Actors Club: a private space for actors
in Rocket Venues to relax and meet each other, get a drink, get on-line,
copy a five star review, or send a fax. We will also continue to
create an actor's community by allowing Rocket Venue actors to see all
the other shows in Rocket Venues on a standby basis.*
About
Rocket Venues
This
will be our seventh year managing venues at the Fringe, though 1999 was
the first year we used the name Rocket Venues. Why
did we choose the name Rocket Venues?
The definition of Rocket states that it is a, 1. Self-propelling
device powered by burning of explosive contents, used as firework, for
display, signaling, etc.; 2. Propelled by rocket engine; 3. Move fast,
especially upward, as a rocket.
We feel that the name has a hint of the spirit of the Fringe –
self-propelled companies powered by an explosive energy and creativity
that display performances, and hopefully moving very fast upward!
Rocket
Staff
Rocket Venues is staffed almost entirely by dedicated volunteers. Most
of our venue managers are full-time students of the theatre, or
otherwise closely connected to the theatre. Please respect that
the venue managers work on bookings during their spare time, and that
they may not be available at all hours of the day.
In August our staff works very hard long hours, and are
practically volunteers. They are only compensated for expenses like
housing, and most cover their own expenses such as travel. Surprisingly,
we still have many students so eager to participate in the Fringe that they
will even find their own travel money from as far away as the U.S. Most
of these students are studying theatre and find this an excellent opportunity
to learn more about the theatre. If you or anyone you know is interested
in working with us in August, please e-mail us at rocketvenues@yahoo.com.
Starting dates are July 22th-26th, and the ending date is August 31st.
The primary reason we use volunteers is to keep our booking prices as low as
possible. Our founders were students trying to bring shows to the Fringe
on a minimum budget, and this has helped shape our ideas about keeping things
as financially tight as possible. This is also why you'll see that we
leave many extras as optional. This allows companies that don't have a
large budget to do more on their own, while being able to offer the
"bells and whistles" to companies that want them and can afford
them.
Programming
Policy
We
programme our season each year from applications made by companies and
artists from around the world. We seek to present as broad a a
variety of works as possible without compromising on high standards of
performance.
Who
should apply?
We
are looking for applications from all sorts of theatre performances,
comedy, music, mime, physical theatre, dance, musicals, puppets, devised
work, new writing, contemporary works, and classic drama. And we are
looking for more than just theatre companies, if you have an art
exhibition or other creative idea, we may be able to accommodate it!
Join us for Fringe 2002
This
web site contains more details about us and our venues. If you would
like an information packet mailed, faxed, or e-mailed to you or someone
you know, please contact us and we would be delighted to send you one
immediately. If you would like to be part of our Rocket 2002 season
at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe, please complete an application form and
return it to us as soon as possible. Some spaces fill up very
quickly. If you would like to discuss your ideas informally, or need
further information, please feel free to contact
us.
*All companies
must agree to this. If a company does not agree, that one show will not be
available for free. If you do not want other actors to see your show
for free on a standby basis, the members of your company will also not be
able to see any other show without paying. A standby basis means
that complimentary tickets will only be distributed to other Rocket Venue
company members (only if those companies allow you to see there show), and
only after all possible paying members have been admitted.
Therefore, sell out shows will probably not be complimentary.
Contact
Information.
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