Interested in Hosting the Farm to Ballet Project?
Summer 2019
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Farm to Ballet is booked for the Summer 2019 Season. Stay tuned to this webpage for information on hosting Summer 2020. APPLICATIONS NEXT AVAILABLE: October 2019 for Summer 2020 performance season Please read the information below to get a sense of what it takes to host Farm to Ballet. |
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WHAT DOES IT TAKE TO HOST FARM TO BALLET?
Hosting Information
Thank you for considering hosting Farm to Ballet at your farm! Through the years, we have learned a few things that have simplified the planning and coordination process with farms. We wanted to share some of the basics here.
Farm to Ballet will come perform at your farm at no cost to you. Tickets are sold to our show at a standard price for every show ($20 adults, kids 12 & under free, $25 day of tickets at the door) through the same ticketing vendor- which is managed by Farm to Ballet. We will split the income made from ticket sales with the farm- the percentage split with the farm is decided during your application process. We try to perform between 8-10 shows each summer and try to get to as many counties in Vermont as possible. We try to limit our Chittenden county shows to 3-4 per year. The entire Farm to Ballet Company consists of around 25 adult dancers (mostly volunteers) and 6-7 string musicians. That is a lot of humans to coordinate, so our show dates are pre-set early in the season. You will be able to choose which dates could work for you on the application.
We want the Farm to Ballet show to be an EVENT and an EXPERIENCE for our audience. Each show has a food component. Sometimes the farms we work with are equipped to prep and sell their own food. Some farms bring in food trucks that showcase their food or other local food products. We ask the farms to consider what other experiences they can offer once doors open for that day: farm tours, kid activities, educational opportunities, opportunities for audience members to buy their farm products. We support any activities that day that will further our mission of celebrating and educating about our local agricultural community.
We think that being able to host a minimum of 350 audience members is ideal for all parties. In the past farms that were able to seat between 350 and 700 audience members brought in between $3000 and $7000 in total ticket sales. We value performing at large, well known farms and at smaller family farms in the beautiful corners of Vermont. We have found that strong promotional force from the farm helps with ticket sales.
Space/Set Up Needs
We have the ability to roll into the farm the day of, set up, perform and take down our own set. It is very minimal. Here are some of the basics that we need in terms of space:
What we need from you ahead of time:
A point person (or two) for coordination- we will work with them around things like:
What we need from you the day of the event:
IF YOU WOULD LIKE TO HOST A SHOW, PLEASE FOLLOW THESE STEPS:
Hosting Information
Thank you for considering hosting Farm to Ballet at your farm! Through the years, we have learned a few things that have simplified the planning and coordination process with farms. We wanted to share some of the basics here.
Farm to Ballet will come perform at your farm at no cost to you. Tickets are sold to our show at a standard price for every show ($20 adults, kids 12 & under free, $25 day of tickets at the door) through the same ticketing vendor- which is managed by Farm to Ballet. We will split the income made from ticket sales with the farm- the percentage split with the farm is decided during your application process. We try to perform between 8-10 shows each summer and try to get to as many counties in Vermont as possible. We try to limit our Chittenden county shows to 3-4 per year. The entire Farm to Ballet Company consists of around 25 adult dancers (mostly volunteers) and 6-7 string musicians. That is a lot of humans to coordinate, so our show dates are pre-set early in the season. You will be able to choose which dates could work for you on the application.
We want the Farm to Ballet show to be an EVENT and an EXPERIENCE for our audience. Each show has a food component. Sometimes the farms we work with are equipped to prep and sell their own food. Some farms bring in food trucks that showcase their food or other local food products. We ask the farms to consider what other experiences they can offer once doors open for that day: farm tours, kid activities, educational opportunities, opportunities for audience members to buy their farm products. We support any activities that day that will further our mission of celebrating and educating about our local agricultural community.
We think that being able to host a minimum of 350 audience members is ideal for all parties. In the past farms that were able to seat between 350 and 700 audience members brought in between $3000 and $7000 in total ticket sales. We value performing at large, well known farms and at smaller family farms in the beautiful corners of Vermont. We have found that strong promotional force from the farm helps with ticket sales.
Space/Set Up Needs
We have the ability to roll into the farm the day of, set up, perform and take down our own set. It is very minimal. Here are some of the basics that we need in terms of space:
- Grassy Lawn Stage Area: minimum of about 30 ft by 50 feet of flat, well tended grass- EMPHASIS ON FLAT, WELL TENDED LAWN
- Enough space in front of/around this patch of grass for the audience to sit (most shows, audience members bring chairs and picnic blankets)
- Access to electricity where the stage is set up
- 2-3 hours to set up pre-performance, 1 hour post performance for break down
- Adequate parking
- Access to bathrooms
- A “green room” area for dancers to be out of sight/get dressed while audience members arrive. Dancers need access to privacy for changing and access to bathrooms.
- The venue needs to be prepared to offer a food/dinner experience to audience members- either through their own production or by bringing in food trucks with local food products.
- 1-2 folding tables to set up and sell our merchandise
- 8-10 folding chairs for musicians and tabling
What we need from you ahead of time:
A point person (or two) for coordination- we will work with them around things like:
- Production staff doing a site visit to see how you are visualizing set up on the farm
- Advertising and promotion of the event
- Ticket sales details
- Coordinating details for the day of the event (green room for dancers, space set up needs, educational event planning, what the food experience will be)
What we need from you the day of the event:
- A point person (or two) for coordination- we will work with them around things like:
- Getting situated in the space
- Asking questions about electricity, etc.
- problem solving any unexpected challenges
- making decisions about start time, etc.
- We ask the venue to please provide dinner for the dancers and musicians after the show. Farms have done this differently: sometimes they ask us to have the dancers place orders ahead of time, sometimes they give the dancers a voucher for the food trucks, sometimes they prepare a special meal just for the dancers.
- Dancers need access to the "green room" as mentioned above in space needs.
- We will manage our own volunteers for setting up and taking down staging, selling our merchandise, etc.
- We ask that the farm manage their volunteers around ticket taking, food sales, education events, parking and any other event needs.
- The grass needs to be mowed the day of the event so that it is short and ready for dancing.
- Photography day of the event: If you plan to have photographers at the event, we ask that they sign our photo agreement and that we can approve any images of Farm to Ballet used in the media.
IF YOU WOULD LIKE TO HOST A SHOW, PLEASE FOLLOW THESE STEPS:
- Review all of the information above carefully. Talk it through with your farm team. Visualize the day. What would you like to highlight at the event? Who else can you collaborate with? What would the money go toward? Review the events from last year on our website to get a sense of what each event might entail.
- Send an email requesting an application. We will send you a paper and/or digital application. Let us know in the email which you prefer.
- If you are a venue more than four hours outside Burlington Vermont: at this time- we will only consider traveling if housing is able to be provided for our cast and crew (30 people.) If this is a possibility for you, please feel free to request an application and indicate what housing would be in the “Anything else we should know” section of the application.
