Test Fest: A new Basement Theatre festival
Do you have a work that's been in development hell for too long, and you're hitting a brick wall?
Are you in the early stages of making something new and just want to see if it works before making the rest of it?
Basement Theatre is excited to announce Test Fest! A festival dedicated to experimentation across all disciplines of live performance, 7-10 October 2026.
Test Fest was born out of many late-night chats with artists and industry pals about a need for a space that prioritised artistic risk-taking in a held way. Test Fest is the anti-presentation / anti-arts-market festival. We want to see work that is unfinished and unmarketable. Test Fest is for artists to focus on their own development and to experiment with new ideas without the perfect presentation looming in the shadows. It is a stepping stone for artists to road-test a work in progress, new material, or just discuss new ideas you've got brewing in front of an audience of peers, the general public, and invited arts leaders.
Taking place over three nights, each piece must be between 10-30 minutes long, including any post-performance Q&As/discussions, and can pack in & out in 15 minutes either side.
Test Fest is all about risk and experimentation. Think:
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First 10 minutes of a new dance work
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Taking your new clown character out for a spin
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A stand-up set when you're a performer who's never done comedy before
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A script-in-hand excerpt of your new play
We want to see you at your most raw and unpolished - anything and everything is welcomed except for fully-fledged, full-length works.
We provide:
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An artist fee of $250, in lieu of box office revenue.
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The opportunity to connect with specially invited arts leaders outside an arts market environment.
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Valuable feedback from peers, as well as members of the general public
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Full marketing support - we will market ‘Test Fest’, so you don’t have to!
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A technical operator
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Support and mentorship from our core Basement team (e.g., Marketing, Programming, Technical Management, etc.)
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All programmed artists are entitled to a 20% discount on all food and drink purchased at the Bar, including alcoholic beverages, at the discretion of the Bar Manager.
While our programming kaupapa still stands as our main guiding framework. We will be prioritising work that presents new works, voices, and ideas that excite us and our audiences!
EOIs will officially close on Tuesday, 12 May, 11:59 pm. If you have any pātai that you wish to discuss in person or would like to know more, you can do so by emailing Selu (selu@basementtheatre.co.nz), and we’ll try our best to accommodate your request.
Email: selu@basementtheatre.co.nz
Call: 09 309 7433 (9 am-5 pm Mon-Thurs)
Instagram DM: basement_makers
