Fearless Theatrical Creations is now accepting submissions for The Leftovers Theater Festival, a four-day showcase of bold new plays, to take place September 11-14, 2025 at the Crane Theater in Minneapolis.
WHO IS FEARLESS?
Fearless Theatrical Creations (Fearless) supports local artists in daring to develop original, high-quality works for the stage that entertain, engage, and enlighten audiences. We accomplish this by providing both opportunities and support for artists to develop their talents and ideas
WHAT IS THE LEFTOVERS THEATER FESTIVAL?
The Twin Cities has some amazing opportunities for local artists to get new scripted works on the stage – particularly Minnesota Fringe Festival and Twin Cities Horror Festival. Unfortunately, not everyone who applies to those two festivals is accepted and some great new ideas never get shared with audiences. The Leftovers Theater Festival is designed to give a second chance to Twin Cities-based artists who did not get accepted into Minnesota Fringe or Twin Cities Horror Fest. This juried, four-day festival will feature seven bold, new scripted works by local artists that have not been presented anywhere else.
WHO IS ELIGIBLE TO APPLY?
Any artist based in the Twin Cities metropolitan area who (1) applied for but was not accepted into Minnesota Fringe or Twin Cities Horror Festival, and (2) wants to produce a scripted work that is:
- new, original, and never-before produced on stage;
- around 50-60 minutes in length; and
- bold in pushing the boundaries of theater, its storytelling, and/or its social commentary.
There is no limit on genre or performance art, so long as it is a theatrical art form suitable for the stage. Productions should be fully realized and not “works in progress.” You may submit multiple shows for consideration; however, each show requires a unique submission and no company or individual will be selected to produce more than one show in the festival. There is no fee to apply.
The link to apply is at the bottom of this page. APPLICANTS MUST READ THE GUIDELINES BELOW BEFORE APPLYING.
WHAT ARE THE REQUIREMENTS?
- Applying artists must be based in the Twin Cities Metro Area.
- Submitted shows must be something that has never been produced or presented to the public before.
- Submitted shows should be fearless, meaning they push the boundaries of an art form, they tell a story in a fresh or unique way, and/or they present bold social commentary.
- Each production must be a duration of at least 45 minutes and no more than 60 minutes, including curtain call.
- Selected producers must sign a producer agreement and pay a fee of $100 to participate in the festival. The entry fee helps cover the upfront costs of the festival, including the performance space, technical production, administration, and marketing.
- One producer from each show must attend the virtual producers meeting the week of June 15, 2025. The meeting will take place in the evening.
- All participating artists must sign and abide by the Fearless Code of Conduct and comply with all festival rules and deadlines.
HOW DOES THE MONEY WORK?
Fearless understands that it can be costly to produce a show, and we always strive to ensure artists are compensated fairly for their talent and efforts. To that end, we will pay producing artists 50% of the box office receipts for their show (total sales from full-price and discounted tickets minus any ticket processing fees). Please keep in mind that payouts are dependent on audience attendance and can vary.
HOW WILL THE FESTIVAL WORK?
Each show will be assigned three time slots during the four days. All performances will take place on the Crane Theater Mainstage, which has a seating capacity of 80.
Similar to how Minnesota Fringe operates, each time slot is one hour long, and artists will need to set up their show and strike immediately before and after, as follows:
- Performing artists should arrive at the theater 30 minutes before their time slot.
- 20 minutes before showtime (or whenever the previous performers have exited), the performing artists will be allowed to enter the theater and backstage area. They will have ten minutes to set the stage for their performance.
- The doors will open ten minutes before showtime, at which time the artists must be done setting their stage.
- Artists will be given notice two minutes before showtime and a notice for places.
- At showtime, there will be a brief announcement about the festival, then the one-hour limit begins. (Note: late attendees will be seated up to five minutes after showtime.)
- At the end of the performance, or at the one-hour limit, the lights will go up in the house and the performers will strike their show. They will have ten minutes to clear the stage and the backstage area and exit the theater.
Tech rehearsals will take place over the three days leading up to the festival. Each show will be assigned a time to get an introduction to the space and work with the technician to set lighting and sound cues for their show. Storage space at the theater is extremely limited. Applying artists should consider the limitations above in the design and planning for their show.
WHAT DO YOU GET?
- Three 60-minute slots to perform in our festival.
- 50% of your box office receipts (total sales of full-price and discounted tickets to your show minus any ticket processing fees).
- A professional-grade, well-equipped accessible venue.
- Ticket sales (advanced and at the door), box office staff, and front-of-house services.
- A technician to run the booth for your show, including both lighting and sound.
- A Technical Director to advise you on the design of your show.
- Support from Fearless’s artistic team to answer any questions or concerns.
- Listing of your show on the festival website, with a publicity photo, short description, and ticket link.
- Promotion of the festival through social media, emails, and publicity to local press leading up to and during the festival..
- Passes for you and the artists working on your show to see other festival shows for free.
WHAT ARE YOU RESPONSIBLE FOR?
- Creating and developing your script, including acquiring any necessary rights or permissions for the use of existing works or music.
- Arranging or hiring a director, actors, and any production staff. If you have over 20 technical cues, we strongly recommend you to hire a stage manager to call your show.
- Organizing rehearsals and procuring and paying for any required rehearsal space.
- Costumes, props, sound cues, and set pieces. Please be mindful that you will need to load all set pieces, props, and costumes in the ten-minute timeframe before your performance and you will need to remove them within ten minutes following your performance.
- Providing marketing information and images to help promote your show on our website.
- Actively marketing your own show. Please keep in mind that payouts are dependent on audience attendance.
- Ensuring all artists participating in your production sign the Fearless Code of Conduct and a liability waiver.
- Abiding by the festival rules and deadlines.
- Attendance at the mandatory producers’ meeting.
WHAT IS THE APPLICATION PROCESS?
- Applications are due by Sunday, May 4th.
- Applications will be reviewed by Fearless’s Brain Trust in collaboration with Artistic Director Eric Jacobson. Submitted shows will be judged based on whether they meet the requirements above and their fit within the festival. Candidates will be notified by Tuesday, May 13th whether they are moving on to the next stage of selection.
- Selected candidates will meet via Google Meet with the Artistic Director the weekend of May 17-18. The Artistic Director will ask questions of the producer to better understand the production and evaluate its fit for the festival.
- Chosen productions will be contacted via email by Monday, May 27th and invited to produce their show in the festival.
- Chosen artists will have until Monday, June 2nd to accept, sign the contract, and pay the entry fee. If a chosen artist declines, fails to respond, or does not pay the entry fee by the deadline, we will invite another artist to take their slot in the festival.
WHAT ELSE SHOULD YOU KNOW?
- Unforeseen circumstances may shift the timeline above.
- We are unable to offer housing or transportation assistance to our artists at this time.
- We are hosting this festival to create more opportunities for local artists to try new things and share their ideas with audiences. If you have an idea outside of the standard festival schedule or format, please let us know and we will see what we can do to help.
If you have any questions, concerns, or issues applying, please email our Artistic Director, Eric Jacobson, at eric@fearlesstheatricalcreations.org.