Who’s involved?

Beverly Fringe Festival is organized by Great Bear Arts and Montserrat College of Art in collaboration with Beverly Main Streets, The Cabot, artists of The Bower, and Beverly’s wider creative community. Together, we’re building a new, annual two‑week festival that runs June 5–20, 2026 in venues throughout Beverly’s Cultural District.

What is the Beverly Fringe Festival?

Beverly Fringe is a two‑week, open‑access arts festival that brings live performance and art into the everyday spaces of our seaside downtown. Inspired by fringe festivals around the world (including the original Edinburgh Fringe), it emphasizes openness, experimentation, and accessibility over big sets and big budgets.

While many fringes focus mainly on theatre, Beverly Fringe deliberately makes room for a wide range of forms: theatre, dance, puppetry, spoken word, music, comedy, film, animation, digital arts, and visual or installation work. We especially welcome new work, small‑tech shows, and bold creative risk‑taking that thrives in intimate, flexible spaces.

Why Beverly?

Beverly already feels like a fringe city. It’s home to hundreds of working artists, performers, writers, and musicians who are drawn to the North Shore’s cultural energy and long history of arts engagement. Within the Beverly Cultural District you’ll find Montserrat College of Art, The Cabot, The Larcom, Off‑Cabot, Chianti Jazz Lounge, independent galleries, and thriving main streets powered by small businesses.

The city is easy to reach by MBTA commuter rail, with quick access to Boston, Salem, and Gloucester, making it an ideal hub for local and visiting artists. Beverly has also welcomed The Bower, a new creative campus with studios, exhibitions, performances, and interdisciplinary projects, which will serve as one of the festival’s key spaces for rehearsal, dialogue, and community events.

What kind of work are you looking for?

We’re looking for adventurous, small‑scale projects that can live comfortably in non‑traditional venues.

Examples include:

• Small‑cast plays and solo shows with minimal sets.

• Immersive or site‑responsive pieces that move through a room or use the venue itself as part of the story.

• Experimental theatre, devised work, and performance art.

• Dance, puppetry, comedy, storytelling, and cabaret.

• Film screenings, animation programs, digital media pieces, and visual/installation work.

Projects with modest technical needs and flexible runtimes tend to work best, but we’re happy to talk about more complex ideas if they fit our venues.

Why is this a good fit for emerging and touring artists?

Because Beverly Fringe works across many small and mid‑sized venues, we can keep barriers to entry low for emerging artists while still supporting national touring performers and established companies. The festival favors work that travels light, leans on imagination over gear, and benefits from close contact with audiences.

What does Beverly Fringe provide?

Artists and companies can expect:

• Access to multiple small and mid‑sized performance and rehearsal venues in and around the Cultural District.

• Affordable housing options coordinated with local partners where possible.

• Exhibition, screening, and pop‑up space for visual, media, and installation work.

• Shared marketing and regional publicity under the Beverly Fringe banner.

• Production support and venue coordination to match projects with appropriate spaces and hosts.

• A revenue‑sharing model aimed at ensuring performers are compensated for their work.

• Opportunities to lead or join workshops, talks, and community engagement events.