Ticket Fees Explainer
1. Creative work is work.
We pay poets and administrators professional rates as part of our commitment to ensuring that the arts is a career open to everyone. We decided early on that this festival would set the bar for how festivals should run by paying people fairly.
We are working writers, passionate about the arts and humanities and their vital role in empowering people to express themselves creatively, for the enrichment of individuals and the community.
The local poetry community is coming together to help run the festival and support local poets and those in the Dobunni region.
2. Costs of venue hire.
Due to venue hire costs, the price of making the festival happen is higher than if we were to expect people to work for low rates or for free. Our fundraising target is £12,000 to cover the costs of this first festival.
The gig economy is in a dire situation due to numerous factors, but as a team of working writers, we are making sure that people are paid and that a range of venues are booked for our 15+ events, all within walking distance of Stroud Town. Big-name events demand larger venues to accommodate larger audiences, and those come at a cost.
3. Balance of access & paying poets.
Balanced against our costs is our commitment to ensuring everyone can access the festival. This is a Stroud event, for the people of Stroud.
So, how do we make sure poets of all backgrounds get paid, and people of all backgrounds can come and see them?
The answer is in two ways: ticket sales and funding from grant makers and sponsors. At the moment, we have one-fifth of the costs covered by funders, and we are applying to lots of other places for more (we'll hear back soon).
Seed Funding
We have successfully gained seed funding from Stroud Arts Festival. Ticket sales, donations, crowdfunding and sponsorship will be used to raise the remainder of our funding target.
Dialect as a CIC
Dialect is working in collaboration with Gloucestershire Poetry Society to launch the Dobunni Poetry Festival. To reflect Dialect’s priorities as a CIC, a portion of this funding is specifically to ensure we can offer low-cost/donations-only tickets for those on smaller incomes. The festival team are on small incomes, and keenly aware of the need for universal access to the arts (that's why Dialect was set up as a CIC and has pay-as-you-wish options for almost everything we do).
Forthcoming ticket options
The festival will offer day passes and individual event tickets further down the line, and the option to pay in instalments as soon as we are able. We'll be opening up for lower-cost/donations-only event tickets as well.
Showcasing local talent
We have a number of events in the programme focused on platforming emerging artists from the community, alongside established poets.