How to pitch your work to a festival director

Three Australian festival directors offer tips on pitching your art for inclusion in their events.
Pitch. Image is a silhouetted figure stands against a photo of the Milky Way in all its cosmic splendour.

For many artists, having one’s work programmed at a major festival – such as RISING, Adelaide Festival or Dark Mofo – can be an invaluable calling card when it comes to gaining international attention and developing a higher profile.

‘It’s contradictory in the sense that it’s trying to do some outdoor stuff, which actually in Melbourne at that time of year is really, really, super challenging,’ he said.

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Richard Watts OAM is ArtsHub's former National Performing Arts Editor; he also presents the weekly program SmartArts on Three Triple R FM. Richard is a life member of the Melbourne Queer Film Festival, a Melbourne Fringe Festival Living Legend, and was awarded the 2019 Sidney Myer Performing Arts Awards' Facilitator's Prize in early 2020. He received a Lifetime Achievement Award from the Green Room Awards Association in 2021, and a Medal of the Order of Australia (OAM) in June 2024. Photo: Fiona Hamilton. Follow Richard on Bluesky @richardthewatts.bsky.social and Instagram @richard.l.watts