31/10/2024
Save the Singapore Fringe Festival!
Dear Fringe family,
The Necessary Stage (TNS) is urgently needs your support for the Singapore Fringe Festival in 2026!
Since the launch of the Fringe in 2005 with M1 Ltd as our title donor, the Fringe has empowered thousands of independent and emerging artists to share their voices through thought-provoking works. Over the past two decades, we’ve commissioned original pieces from over 1,000 local artists and arts groups, creating a vital platform in the Singapore arts calendar for meaningful dialogue on pressing social issues.
After the next Fringe in January 2025, M1 will cease their funding. While we deeply appreciate M1’s support over the last two decades, their withdrawal puts the future of the Singapore Fringe Festival in jeopardy.
The 2025 Fringe will continue as planned from 8 to 19 January. However, TNS is now in search of a Title Sponsor and supporters for the 2026 Fringe, following the end of a fruitful partnership with M1 Ltd.
TNS recognises that as a non-profit company, without a key financial supporter, the continuation of the festival is now in a perilous position. Without the Fringe, many independent artists, especially young and emerging talents, will lose a critical opportunity to showcase their work, especially in our current arts landscape where spaces and support for independent artists have been waning. If the Fringe is to come to a halt, our young and emerging artists will certainly be most adversely impacted, with the loss of an established festival that provides mentorship, administration, marketing, and production support.
The Fringe has long been a champion of critical social issues—from wars and the refugee crises, climate change, and mental health, to the struggles of migrant workers and LGBTQ issues. We’ve also prioritised accessibility, integrating open captions, Singapore Sign Language interpretation, and other features to ensure as many people as possible can enjoy a positive Fringe experience.
As part of our Fringe family—artists, audience members, sponsors, and partners—we invite you to help us continue this support of independent artists and important conversations about crucial societal issues.
We are launching a fundraising drive with a goal of raising $50,000 to sustain the Fringe for 2026 and beyond.
If you believe in the power of independent voices and socially engaged art, please consider contributing to the Fringe Festival Fund at bit.ly/SaveTheFringe or www.giving.sg/donate/campaign/fringe-festival-fund .
All donations will qualify for a 250% tax deduction and will also be eligible for the Ministry of Culture, Community and Youth - MCCY's dollar-for-dollar Cultural Matching Fund.
Your support is crucial in keeping the spirit of the Fringe alive!
With gratitude,
Alvin Tan, Artistic Director & HARESH SHARMA, Resident Playwright
The Necessary Stage
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Photo credit: Tuckys Photography
ID: Main text "Support the Fringe Festival Fund" in white and all capitalised. Production photo of Oo-Woo by The Necessary Stage. A family of four Southeast Asian people with dark hair and medium skin tones. One of them is an older Muslim woman wearing a brown headscarf and a loose dark red long-sleeved top, while the two younger women and one man in their 30s are dressed casually in short-sleeved tops. The older woman tosses her head back in laughter while her hands are raised, one towards her ear and the other slightly extended in front of her. The younger woman and man on either side of her grasp her shoulders and arms reassuringly, with smiles on their faces. The woman at the back in the middle looks on with a slightly worried expression. Suspended above the older woman is a lit vintage-style exposed bulb with a silver bulb cage. The stage lighting casts a warm glow on the scene.
