Thinking about hosting a festival? We’ve got your most frequently asked questions answered to help make the decision to host a festival even easier.

Q: Do we need a theatre to host?

A: Nope! It is not a necessity to have a theatre to host a festival.

Festival sharing experiences come in all shapes and sizes – some come in a more traditional style with a seated audience and performers on a stage while others may be more immersive and exploratory. Thinking outside of the box by exploring other spaces theatrically can sometimes really enhance a sharing experience. And sometimes the artist team may even choose to move away from the theatre space for the sharing to allow the audience to view the sharing from a different perspective (even if a perfectly wonderful theatre with all the bells and whistles is available).

Q: How many spaces are required?

A: This depends on how big the festival you are hosting is. But overall you would need…

Ensemble rooms

– approximately 20 students per ensemble

– For example: a festival of 60 students requires 3 ensemble rooms, a festival of 80 requires 4 ensemble rooms, etc.

– Example ensemble rooms include: a regular classroom with the desks moved back against the wall, a multipurpose room, theatre classroom, etc.

Full group space

– A space large enough to hold all participants, artists, visiting teachers together with room to explore theatrically.

– This space can also be used for the final sharing.

– Example full group spaces include: a theatre space, auditorium, hall etc.

Teacher ensemble room

– A hang out space for teachers with the possibility to do a workshop in the space (or other allocated space).

– Example teacher spaces include: A staff room, regular classroom, indoor lounge area, etc.

Q: Do we have to ask families to invite visiting school children to stay in their homes?

A: Not at all. We offer both types of festival options to hosts – homestay or hotel stay. Hosts can choose a model that best suits the requirements of their school community.

Q: Do we have to pay for the artists?

A: At a festival the artist fees, flights and hotels are all covered by ISTA. Hosts are asked to pay for all artist meals from arrival through to the end of the festival, artist’s entry to the cultural excursion and daily transportation for the artists. We are no longer asking hosts to source and pay for any additional workshops for a festival.

Watch the video below as Vicki takes us through some more FAQs and offers details and insight into the hosting experience.