Contents

Overview About just festival How just festival fits into the Edinburgh Festival What makes just festival unique What we are looking for?

Services Venues and fees Box office Festival publicity, marketing, and PR Programme entry only

Managing your show

Registering with The Fringe Society Insurance Performance License Performer publicity, marketing, and PR Overseas Performers Budgeting

Application process Application form Key dates

Appendix Key information at a glance Venue plans

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Overview

About just festival

just festival is a curated programme of around 300 events, across 25 venues

taking place each year in August. We aim to celebrate diversity of cultures, faiths,

gender-identities, sexualities, philosophies and ideas, challenge inequality and

injustice and create a space for communities to engage with each other in

productive dialogue.

Now in our fourteen year, just festival features top-quality speakers,

conversations, performances, film, food, exhibitions, family activities, workshops,

art and much more.

Past contributors include Arun Gandhi, Margaret Atwood, Mustafa Cerić – the

Grand Mufti of Bosnia and Herzegovina, Harriet Lamb – Executive Director of

Fairtrade Foundation, and Simon Callow.

just festival is based at St John’s Church, a prime location at the west end of

Princes Street, Edinburgh’s principal street. It has an established reputation a

fringe venue that delivers high quality events from all genres.

Due to its professional and dedicated staff just festival has a community

atmosphere and great relations with performers both in Edinburgh and across

the world.

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How just festival fits into the Edinburgh Festival

There is no one Edinburgh Festival; it is a collective name for a number of

individual festivals going on throughout August in Edinburgh.

By all taking place at the same time they draw huge numbers of people into

Edinburgh, all going to a variety of shows in different festivals.

Princes Street, where just festival is based, was the busiest spot in Edinburgh city

centre with 1,343,456 people counted during August 2013 according to Essential

Edinburgh.

What makes just festival unique

just festival is unique because it creates a real festival atmosphere between

performers, audience, staff, and volunteers. As a not-for-profit charity our priority

is to encourage dialogue, community and personal growth. We want everyone

who comes into contact with just festival, not only enjoy an hour’s entertainment

but also, take something with them to share throughout the year.

What makes just festival stand out is the sense of community built by having over

40 volunteers, many international, helping at the festival. Each one has a personal

commitment to diversity, equality, and justice. Over the festival we aim to give

them skills that they can use in their professional and personal life. Together we

build a united multi-national, multi-belief community using the festival as a catalyst

for conversation and cultural exchange.

 

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What are we looking for?

We are looking for performances that showcase cultures from around the world,

explore injustice, or pose ethical questions. We include all genres – music,

theatre, dance, children's shows, poetry, and storytelling. Since 2001, we have

hosted outstanding performances from Scotland and around the world including:

 

Liz Lochhead – Scots Makar, the National Poet for Scotland

Tokara – groundbreaking Taiko drumming from Japan

Africa Entsha – a capella singers and dancers from South Africa

Lockerbie: Unfinished Business – solo drama by David Benson

Ragamala – Bharatanatyam dancing originating from India

Tashi Lhunpo Monks – monastic music and chanting from Tibet

Tejas Verdes – drama remembering the Chilean disappeared

Soweto Melodic Voices – forty strong youth choir from South Africa

Rendition Monologues – drama about Guantanamo Bay renditions

Khantara – musicians capturing the Colombian Soundscapes

Magham Ensemble – showcasing musical traditions from Iran

Dirty Paki Laundry – American Pakistani explores sex and politics

Trio Akvani – chants from Caucasus Republic of Georgia

A Curious Detour – drama about paralyzed stroke survivor

Last Tango in Edinburgh – music and dance from Argentina 5  

 

 

Venues and fees

Church at St John’s The Church was built between 1816 and 1818 and seats up to 350 people. It hosts some of the finest stain glass windows in the UK. There is a comprehensive sound system and simple stage lighting will be rigged for the Festival period. The Vestry and Chapel attached to the raised stage can be used as wings and for short-term storage.

The Church is best suited to traditional and classical music although sound technicians can accommodate every kind of music. Performers always relish performing in the Church due to its beautiful natural acoustics. The acoustics also make the Church suitable for drama, dance, and spoken word events.

Raised stage dimensions: 7.16m x 4.73m

Hall at St John’s The Hall seats 70 – 100 people, depending or seating arrangements, and has modern airy feel. It is wonderfully adaptable to suit daytime workshops to nighttime, intimate concerts. It has a raised stage and sound and lighting system. The seating can be set up cabaret style, tradition theatre style or even completely removed and stored to the side. There is a kitchen attached which can be used for refreshments if desired.

Raised stage dimensions: 8m x 2m

It is important to note that the St John’s site is a functioning worship space and certain compensations must be made to respect that.

Services

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Ghillie-Dhu Awarded the Best Small Venue at the Scottish Event Awards two years running, the Ghillie-Dhu is a stunning venue at the West End of Princes Street. It seats 80 – 300 people. Seating and staging is extremely flexible and can accommodate anything from cabaret to ceilidhs and dance to drumming. There is a bar that serves alcoholic and non-alcoholic refreshments. Auditorium dimensions: 230 sqm, ceiling height 6.8m

Scheduling We traditionally cater for events slots of 60 minutes starting at set times: 2pm, 4pm, 6pm, 8pm, and 10pm. If your show runs longer than 60 minutes then we can negotiate time slots.

Hire fees In order for just Festival to continue into the future, we have to charge a programme entry fee and hire fee, which is in line with the majority of venues in Edinburgh during August.

Venue Programme Entry Fee (one off)

Venue Hire Fee (per performance)

Church £100 £350

Ghillie-Dhu £100 £300

Hall £50 £50

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Staging 30 minutes set up and take down are included in the venue hire fee, as are standard staging, sound and lighting equipment as well as technical staff. Our sites have very limited to no storage space, so any set or props must be minimal.

Partner venues across Edinburgh just festival takes place in over 25 venues across Edinburgh. We will be producing a guide to our other venues shortly. So, if you would like to perform at just festival but don’t feel the venues mentioned in this pack are are right for you we have more partner venues for you to chose from.

Deposit We ask the programme entry fee and 20% of the venue hire fee are paid as a deposit by 21st March 2014. We understand that finances are tight before performances so you will not be asked to pay more that £500 deposit in the Hall and £1000 in the Church and Ghillie-Dhu.

Box Office

We provide and manage ticketing for all events: free and paid. Audiences can buy or reserve tickets online, by phone, or in person, all year round. During August we have our own computerized on-site Box Office with dedicated Box Office and Front of House staff for audience members to buy tickets on the door. We deduct 10% of ticket sales to cover our Box Office costs.

Charity Donation just festival is a social enterprise dedicated to supporting those with a practical vision for peace. Each year we raise money and awareness for selected humanitarian causes through a 50p ticket surcharge.  

 

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Ticket Sales Payout We coordinate ticket sales income from our Box Office and the Fringe, if you choose to register with them. We then deduct the appropriate service fees, charity donation, PRS and Fringe Box Office commission from overall ticket sales and provide you with a sales invoice and payout by 17th October 2014.

Festival publicity, marketing, and PR just festival has a dedicated member of staff working to promote the festival to the Press and potential audience members. Programme Entry entitles each performance to:

- Entry in our printed programme – we print and distribute circa 20,000 copies - Programme entry on www.justjust.org - Social media posts - Promotion to our mailing lists and in our newsletters - We will list your event on popular list websites with web sales links (e.g. The List) - Promotional opportunities – such as street performance - Dedicated Festival PR manager coordinating reviewers and press releases - Opportunity to take part in just festival launch, opening and closing events

We will also issue guidelines for performance publicity material, such as posters and fliers, that will ensure all the booking information is correct and easy to follow.

Programme entry only You can also be part of just Festival programme without performing at our venue or partner venue. The programme entry only fee is £150. This includes everything in the festival publicity, marketing, and PR category. If you would like us to sell your tickets as well we would deduct 10% of tickets sold to cover our Box Office costs.

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Managing your show

Registering with the Fringe Society

Many of our performers choose to register with the Fringe Society; just festival at St John’s is a registered Fringe venue. The Fringe is a non-curated festival programme. Any show can register with Fringe in order to have an entry into their online and printed programme. The Fringe also has a box office with ticket counters on the Royal Mile and Princes Street. Many potential audience members use the Fringe as a search engine to get easy access to the multitude of performances happening around Edinburgh in August. For registration, deadlines and more information you can visit www.edfringe.com/participants

The Fringe Society fees for 2014 are:

- Full run - (6 + performance - discount rate) - £295.20 (£246.00 excl VAT) - Full run - (6 or + performances - full rate) - £393.60 (£328.00 excl VAT) - Limited run (3 to 5 performances) - £204.00 (£170.00 excl VAT) - Limited run (1 or 2 performances) - £96.00 (£80.00 excl VAT)

Any tickets sold through the Fringe Box Office, will be subject to a 4% commission fee (plus VAT), which will be deducted from your payout along with any applicable PRS deductions (plus VAT).

If you choose to register with the Fringe, just festival will collate all the details necessary and register with the Fringe on your behalf (only if you are performing at our or a partner venue). We will require you to transfer the entry fee to just festival before we submit the application on your behalf.

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Insurance Performers are responsible for ensuring they have the right level of insurance – public liability, employer’s liability, and damage and loss insurance. just festival already has our own insurance arrangements but our insurance will only cover the venue’s activities and structures and not what happens during your performance. You will be responsible for your own insurance and we may insist on seeing proof of adequate cover before they allow you to perform in our and partner venues to the public. Two insurance providers are: Rees Astley - www.insurance4performingarts.co.uk/buy-online/index.asp Wrightsure Insurance Group - http://wrightsure.com/performers.php Please note that these contacts are not endorsed by just festival but provided to help your enquires.

Performance licenses and copyrights If you are performing any material not written by your company you are required to

ensure they obtain performing rights licenses and permissions from copyright holders.

These include grand right works, PRS for music, PPL. We will send detailed

information relevant to your show when you have registered with just festival.

Performer publicity, marketing, and PR Performer publicity is the key to a successful festival period. With so many shows competing for audiences across Edinburgh it is important that performers are out there spreading the word. There are a huge amount of tools and resources to promote your show. We will send a guide to promoting your show once you have registered. It is crucial to the success of your show that you have a strategy in place for promoting your show. 11

 

 

Overseas performers If you are coming from overseas it is vital to bear in mind visas and work permits. If you register with the Fringe their office applies for Permit Free Status, which means that overseas performers are permitted to work during the festival without a work permit. To make your entry into the UK as smooth as possible, we advise that you travel with an official letter from our venue manager that confirms you are performing at just festival during the Edinburgh Festival Fringe 2014.

Foreign Entertainer’s Tax is also something to bear in mind. If the contributor makes a total profit of £1,000 or more, then Foreign Entertainers Tax will apply. The contributor must complete and return a Form FEU 8 for   the Inland Revenue. Forms are obtainable from the Festival Fringe Society office.

Overseas contributors have always been a valued part of just festival and we will work with you to make your trip as enjoyable and smooth as possible.

Budgeting Budgeting for your show is essential; there are many factors to take into account.

When budgeting for you show here are a few things to bear in mind:

- Venue hire - Box Office commission – just festival and, if you register with them, Fringe - Marketing – fringe programme entry, fliers, posters etc. - Staffing – performer fees, press officer etc. - Equipment – set, props, extra sound and lighting equipment etc. - Insurance - Licensing cost – PRS, PPL etc. - Travel and transport – travel to and from Edinburgh and to the venue when

you are in Edinburgh - Accommodation – start looking for accommodation in Edinburgh as soon as

possible, if you need it.

 

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Application Form

Please fill in the application form at http://ow.ly/sL79q. We will send email confirmation that we have received your application. All applicants will be informed if they have been successful by 14th March 2014 at the latest. We may phone or ask to meet you to learn more about your performance.

Key dates

10th March 2014 – deadline for applications

14th March 2014 – successful applicant informed

17th March 2014 – Fringe entry fees due, if you are registering with the Fringe

21st March 2014 – just festival deposit due

28th March 2014 – deadline for printed programme text and art work

19th June 2014 – just festival printed programme launch

1st August 2014 – first day of just festival

2nd August 2014 – just festival opening event and reception

24th August 2014 – just festival closing event and reception

25th August 2014 – last day of just festival

27th August 2014 – just festival thank you party to contributors

17th October 2014 – ticket sales statements sent

Application Process

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Appendix

Key information at a glance

Fees

Venue

Programme Entry Fee one off

Venue Hire Fee per performance

just festival Box Office Commission all tickets

Fringe Box Office Commission optional

Church £100 £350 10% 6% +VAT

Ghillie-Dhu £100 £300 10% 6% +VAT

Hall £50 £50 10% 6% +VAT

 Disabled Access Information St John’s and Ghillie-Dhu have wheelchair accessible WC, and hearing loops.

Venue capacities and dimensions Church at St John’s – seats 350 – raised stage: 7.16m x 4.73m

Hall at St John’s – seats 50 – 70 – raised stage: 8m x 2m

Ghillie-Dhu – seats 80 – 300 - auditorium: 230 sqm, ceiling height 6.8m

Please contact info@justjust.co.uk to receive a technical inventory for each venue or to arrange a visit to see any venues.

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Venue plans St John’s site

 

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Church at St John’s

 

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Hall at St John’s

 

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Ghillie-Dhu

 

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info@justjust.co.uk

All information subject to change Photo credit page 3 Ed Bock

A company limited by guarantee registered in Scotland No: 399201 Scottish Registered Charity SC042638