Vrynge is the open-access, independent-production platform of the Vrystaat Arts Festival. It provides emerging, established, and experimental artists with an opportunity to present work within a professional festival environment, reach new audiences, test ideas, and strengthen networks across the South African arts sector.
Artists and independent producers interested in presenting work as part of the 2027 Vrynge programme, are invited to submit their application here.
Below is an FAQ that answers the questions applicants most often ask and is intended to help you prepare a complete and accurate application. Please read it before starting the online form.
Vrynge is an open-access platform, meaning we welcome applications from emerging artists looking to build a platform and from established artists looking to present groundbreaking theatre.
No. Vrynge applications are reviewed by a panel based on artistic quality, originality, innovation, relevance, audience fit, marketability, affordability, diversity, accessibility, social impact, touring potential, programme balance, venue capacity, technical feasibility, safety, financial implications, and the completeness and credibility of the proposal. Any screening result, invitation, or preliminary acceptance remains conditional. Final inclusion occurs only when the Festival has approved the technical and scheduling position, received every required document, and all required parties have signed a Festival agreement. Until then, the applicant proceeds entirely at their own risk and may not represent that the production is finally confirmed.
Applications are reviewed by the Festival Screening Committee, which makes recommendations to the Festival Management Committee for final approval. The Festival considers factors such as artistic quality, originality, relevance, audience fit, feasibility, diversity, accessibility, transformation, technical requirements, financial implications, and overall programme balance.
Applicants will be notified of the outcome of their application. The Festival does not enter into correspondence regarding the reasons for, or the reconsideration of, programme selection decisions.
Applications must be completed and submitted online, together with all required supporting documentation, by Friday, 27 November 2026.
Yes. A non-refundable R50 application administration fee (VAT inclusive) applies. Proof of payment must be uploaded with the application.
Applicants should submit a complete application with all required supporting documentation by the closing date. Incomplete, inaccurate, misleading, illegible, or late applications may be excluded without further correspondence.
An individual may not be involved in more than two productions within the Festival programme. Requests to participate in an additional production will only be considered in exceptional circumstances and require written motivation and prior written approval from the Festival Director or Programme Manager.
Vrynge generally operates on a self-funded or box-office-share basis. Any venue fee, ticket-revenue split, fixed fee, co-production contribution, travel support, accommodation support, or other financial arrangement will apply only if confirmed in the signed Festival agreement. The Festival gives no guarantee of funding, minimum performances, venue, seating capacity, ticket prices, sales, audience numbers, income, media coverage, or profitability.
No. Requests are considered subject to Festival resources, availability, feasibility, and approval. No support is confirmed unless it is expressly recorded in the signed Festival agreement.
The Vrystaat Arts Festival is VAT registered. Ticket prices are VAT inclusive, and the VAT component is payable to SARS. Where applicable, VAT is therefore deducted from gross ticket sales before the agreed revenue split is calculated.
Any amount properly due will be processed within 35 business days, calculated from the later of the final Festival day or the Festival’s receipt of all required documentation in complete, correct, current, and verifiable form.
Yes, where applicable. A complete and current technical rider should be uploaded with the application, together with relevant stage plans, set drawings, lighting plans, and AV information.
No equipment or technical support should be assumed to be guaranteed. The Festival will endeavour to accommodate stated requirements as far as reasonably possible, subject to venue infrastructure, equipment availability, technical capacity, scheduling, and the final written agreement.
Productions are responsible for providing their own data projectors and screens unless otherwise agreed to in writing by the Festival.
This information helps the Festival plan venue schedules, changeovers, and technical operations. Applicants should provide the time they ideally require; the Festival will endeavour to accommodate these requirements where reasonably possible.
Material changes to the production’s technical design, cast, concept, duration, budget, or other relevant areas must be disclosed to the Festival and may require prior written approval.
Yes. You are welcome to indicate a preferred venue in your application. While the Festival will consider your preference, specific venues cannot be guaranteed. Final venue allocation will be based on the production’s technical requirements, venue suitability and availability, audience capacity, scheduling, and overall Festival logistics.
Vrynge productions are generally presented in traditional theatre venues, but other, non-conventional performance spaces may also be used, depending on the production and Festival programme. Applicants are therefore encouraged to consider how their production could adapt to different spaces and technical configurations.
The applicant is responsible for obtaining all rights, licences, permissions, and consents required to present the production, including applicable performance, adaptation, music, image, and audiovisual rights.
You should disclose the outstanding rights or applications, including expected decision dates. The Festival may request proof of clearance before confirming participation.
Yes. If AI is used in the creation, development, production, presentation, or marketing of the work, applicants must disclose the relevant AI tools, their purpose, the affected material or assets, and the extent of human creative oversight.
This may include AI-generated text, images, music, video, design, or other creative material, as well as cloned voices, synthetic likenesses, and synthetic performers. All such relevant use must be disclosed.
The Festival aims to understand how AI is being used in submitted work and to ensure that its use is transparent, legally compliant, and consistent with the Festival’s artistic and ethical requirements.
Applicants should provide high-resolution publicity images, key artwork where available, press material, reviews, and trailer or teaser links where available. The application also asks for a production-specific marketing and audience-development strategy. If these are not available at the time of application, a hard deadline will be communicated to provide the outstanding materials.
Yes. Selected productions are expected to participate actively in audience development and marketing. Minimum marketing expectations are set out in the application and may form part of the final Festival agreement.
Yes. The Festival provides baseline programme and promotional support, but the extent of additional coverage depends on available resources and the quality and availability of production marketing material.
Proportionate contractual remedies may apply where agreed marketing requirements are not met. Any applicable remedy will be subject to the terms of the signed Festival agreement and the applicable limits on deductions.
The Festival will review eligible applications through its screening and selection process. The Festival may contact applicants for clarification or request additional information, documentation, revised budgets, technical information, rights clearances, or other supporting material.
Vrynge is an open-access platform, meaning we welcome applications from emerging artists looking to build a platform and from established artists looking to present groundbreaking theatre.
No. Vrynge applications are reviewed by a panel based on artistic quality, originality, innovation, relevance, audience fit, marketability, affordability, diversity, accessibility, social impact, touring potential, programme balance, venue capacity, technical feasibility, safety, financial implications, and the completeness and credibility of the proposal. Any screening result, invitation, or preliminary acceptance remains conditional. Final inclusion occurs only when the Festival has approved the technical and scheduling position, received every required document, and all required parties have signed a Festival agreement. Until then, the applicant proceeds entirely at their own risk and may not represent that the production is finally confirmed.
Applications are reviewed by the Festival Screening Committee, which makes recommendations to the Festival Management Committee for final approval. The Festival considers factors such as artistic quality, originality, relevance, audience fit, feasibility, diversity, accessibility, transformation, technical requirements, financial implications, and overall programme balance.
Applicants will be notified of the outcome of their application. The Festival does not enter into correspondence regarding the reasons for, or the reconsideration of, programme selection decisions.
Applications must be completed and submitted online, together with all required supporting documentation, by Friday, 27 November 2026.
Yes. A non-refundable R50 application administration fee (VAT inclusive) applies. Proof of payment must be uploaded with the application.
Applicants should submit a complete application with all required supporting documentation by the closing date. Incomplete, inaccurate, misleading, illegible, or late applications may be excluded without further correspondence.
An individual may not be involved in more than two productions within the Festival programme. Requests to participate in an additional production will only be considered in exceptional circumstances and require written motivation and prior written approval from the Festival Director or Programme Manager.
Vrynge generally operates on a self-funded or box-office-share basis. Any venue fee, ticket-revenue split, fixed fee, co-production contribution, travel support, accommodation support, or other financial arrangement will apply only if confirmed in the signed Festival agreement. The Festival gives no guarantee of funding, minimum performances, venue, seating capacity, ticket prices, sales, audience numbers, income, media coverage, or profitability.
No. Requests are considered subject to Festival resources, availability, feasibility, and approval. No support is confirmed unless it is expressly recorded in the signed Festival agreement.
The Vrystaat Arts Festival is VAT registered. Ticket prices are VAT inclusive, and the VAT component is payable to SARS. Where applicable, VAT is therefore deducted from gross ticket sales before the agreed revenue split is calculated.
Any amount properly due will be processed within 35 business days, calculated from the later of the final Festival day or the Festival’s receipt of all required documentation in complete, correct, current, and verifiable form.
Yes, where applicable. A complete and current technical rider should be uploaded with the application, together with relevant stage plans, set drawings, lighting plans, and AV information.
No equipment or technical support should be assumed to be guaranteed. The Festival will endeavour to accommodate stated requirements as far as reasonably possible, subject to venue infrastructure, equipment availability, technical capacity, scheduling, and the final written agreement.
Productions are responsible for providing their own data projectors and screens unless otherwise agreed to in writing by the Festival.
This information helps the Festival plan venue schedules, changeovers, and technical operations. Applicants should provide the time they ideally require; the Festival will endeavour to accommodate these requirements where reasonably possible.
Material changes to the production’s technical design, cast, concept, duration, budget, or other relevant areas must be disclosed to the Festival and may require prior written approval.
Yes. You are welcome to indicate a preferred venue in your application. While the Festival will consider your preference, specific venues cannot be guaranteed. Final venue allocation will be based on the production’s technical requirements, venue suitability and availability, audience capacity, scheduling, and overall Festival logistics.
Vrynge productions are generally presented in traditional theatre venues, but other, non-conventional performance spaces may also be used, depending on the production and Festival programme. Applicants are therefore encouraged to consider how their production could adapt to different spaces and technical configurations.
The applicant is responsible for obtaining all rights, licences, permissions, and consents required to present the production, including applicable performance, adaptation, music, image, and audiovisual rights.
You should disclose the outstanding rights or applications, including expected decision dates. The Festival may request proof of clearance before confirming participation.
Yes. If AI is used in the creation, development, production, presentation, or marketing of the work, applicants must disclose the relevant AI tools, their purpose, the affected material or assets, and the extent of human creative oversight.
This may include AI-generated text, images, music, video, design, or other creative material, as well as cloned voices, synthetic likenesses, and synthetic performers. All such relevant use must be disclosed.
The Festival aims to understand how AI is being used in submitted work and to ensure that its use is transparent, legally compliant, and consistent with the Festival’s artistic and ethical requirements.
Applicants should provide high-resolution publicity images, key artwork where available, press material, reviews, and trailer or teaser links where available. The application also asks for a production-specific marketing and audience-development strategy. If these are not available at the time of application, a hard deadline will be communicated to provide the outstanding materials.
Yes. Selected productions are expected to participate actively in audience development and marketing. Minimum marketing expectations are set out in the application and may form part of the final Festival agreement.
Yes. The Festival provides baseline programme and promotional support, but the extent of additional coverage depends on available resources and the quality and availability of production marketing material.
Proportionate contractual remedies may apply where agreed marketing requirements are not met. Any applicable remedy will be subject to the terms of the signed Festival agreement and the applicable limits on deductions.
The Festival will review eligible applications through its screening and selection process. The Festival may contact applicants for clarification or request additional information, documentation, revised budgets, technical information, rights clearances, or other supporting material.
