Producers CHOOSE which tier they’d like to register for:

TIER 1 – $225

• Single ticket price is $15 or under
• Tickets are FREE to Festival Passholders
• Ticket sales handled either through Wannago? OR your preferred ticketing system* ($25 discount on registration if you use Wannago?)
• Producers can limit number of passholder tickets to 10% of the house, or 6 seats, whichever is greater.
• Your listing on the website, festival guide, and social media
• PATA members receive $50 off registration

TIER 2 – $325

• Single ticket price is above $15
• FG Passholders receive 50% off tickets
• Producers can limit the number of pass-holder seats to 20% of the house, or 12 seats, whichever is greater.
• Ticket sales handled either through Wannago? OR your preferred ticketing system* ($25 discount on registration if you use Wannago?)
• Your listing on the website, festival guide, and social media
• PATA members receive $50 off registration

All producers register through Wannago? and pay their registration fee at the time of registration.

*Producers handling ticket sales through their preferred ticketing system instead of Wannago? please see our Producer Agreement

Registration opens November 15, 2023 and closes January 14th, 2024 at midnight. Late registration is available January 15-21, 2024 with an additional fee of $50 (Note: late registrants may not have their listing included in the printed Festival Guide, but will be in the digital guide and website).

When you register your project(s) on Wannago?, please be prepared to supply the following information:

• Name of Producer
• Name(s) of Project(s)
• Brief (300-word) project description(s), including name(s) of creator(s)/collaborators
• Number of performances, including dates and times
• Venue information: name, full address,
• Venue seating capacity
• Single ticket price
• PATA Fertile Ground Registration Discount code (only available to current PATA members – email info@portlandtheatre.com to get the member discount code)
• Please make sure all of your listing is proofed by an outside source.

You will also be asked for contact and payment information at the time of registration.

Festival Passes are $75 (or $60 on presale) and entitles the pass holder to FREE tickets for shows where tickets cost $15 or less, and 1/2 price tickets to any shows where tickets cost more than $15. 

If you are using Wannago? as your ticketing system…….

What Wannago? does:

• Both Festival Passholders and single ticket buyers will purchase tickets through the Wannago? platform.
• Each Festival Passholder will be given a code they can use to secure their free or half-price tickets on Wannago?.
• Wannago? adds  a fee of 3.9% + $1 per ticket purchase automatically as part of every transaction.
• Wannago? will automatically limit the number of Passholder tickets that can be reserved for each performance.
• Wannago? will ensure that only Passholders are able to purchase tickets from March 1  – March 17. The producer does not need to do anything. 
• Add a seat map to your Wannago? tickets page to allow patrons to select their own seats.

What the Producer does:

• Provide banking information to Wannago? when you register. Once tickets go on sale, you’ll receive a direct deposit of your ticket sales into your account at the end of each day – no waiting for a pay-out
• Distribute and collect demographic data forms (provided by the Festival) for every Festival performance. Ensure these forms are available for collection by Festival staff.
• Check Festival Passes at the door when Passholders check in
• Provide complete and accurate box office data within 2 weeks of the end of the Festival

If you’re *not* using Wannago?, you agree to:

• Add the designated promo code that Festival Passholders will use to reserve/purchase tickets (All producers not using Wannago? will be asked to use the same promo code so that Passholders don’t need a different code for every single show)
• Figure out your own method of limiting the number of Passholder tickets available (if you choose to cap the number of Passholder tickets)
• EITHER ensure that Passholders are able to pre-reserve/purchase tickets from March 1 – March 17 OR hold seats for Passholders until the day of the performance.
• Check Festival Passes at the door when Passholders check in.
• Distribute and collect demographic data forms (provided by the Festival) for every Festival performance. Ensure these forms are available for collection by Festival staff.
• Provide complete and accurate box office data within 2 weeks of the end of the Festival

Producers are allowed to *limit* the number of tickets available to Festival Passholders. Tier 1 producers can limit the number of passholder tickets to 10% of the house or 6 seats, whichever is greater. Tier 2 producers can limit the number of passholder tickets to 20% of the house, or 12 seats, whichever is greater. 

Note: You do not HAVE to limit the number of seats available to Passholders! 

Passholders are able to pre-reserve tickets for 2 weeks before they go on sale to single ticket-buyers (March 1-March 17th) *

*Shows that are part of a company’s larger season are exempt from this, but are required to designate a certain number of seats for Passholders UNTIL single tickets go on sale for the rest of the general Festival audience.

Click here to register for Fertile Ground 2024

Registration will be open November 15th, 2023 at 12pm through midnight on January 14th, 2024.

Late registration will be open from January 15-21, 2024 with an additional fee of $50 (Note: late registrants may not have their listing included in the printed Festival Guide, but will be in the digital guide and website.)

1. Festival Overview

Fertile Ground Festival of New Works is an 11-day arts festival in Portland, Oregon. This city-wide festival is focused on new work from Portland’s creative community in a myriad of art forms. The festival offers dozens of Portland-generated “acts of creation” each year. Projects range from fully staged world premieres, theatrical workshops and play readings, to ensemble, multidisciplinary and collaboration-driven work, to a variety of dance, comedy, film events and more. Fertile Ground spans the spectrum of artistic endeavors and further seeds the next generation of creation through artist conversations, workshops, lunchtime readings and more.

2. What are the Participation Qualifications?

The festival offering should be a new work, or a significant reimagining, from a local artist using local actors/creative team on the project. Each participant is responsible for producing their own event. Fertile Ground acts as an umbrella for publicity, marketing and consulting support.

3. Is the Festival Curated?

Fertile Ground is an uncurated festival. Being uncurated is a feature that is unique to our festival. We want to provide a platform for all area artists to share their new work with new audiences.

4. What are the GROW Awards?

The Grow Awards help to address the equity and access barriers to participation in the festival that exists for underrepresented artists. Applications for the GROW Awards will open in January. Stay tuned for more information.

5. How does the Participant / Fertile Ground Partnership work?

Festival participants independently produce their own projects. Fertile Ground provides marketing for the Festival and acts as a resource for producers. Fertile Ground is not legally liable in any way for your event. Here are some ways Fertile Ground supports you as a producer:

Festival Website

• Your project is listed on the Festival website
• You supply the listing, description, photo/image, donation link and link to project website.

Public Relations & Marketing

• Media Relations – Your project is included in festival press materials distributed to local, regional, national media
• Social Media – Your project receives support via Facebook, Instagram and Twitter.
• Marketing Outreach – As opportunities arise, your project is included in special events, community partnerships, etc.

Workshops and Roundtable resource events

Fertile Ground offers informational gatherings, workshops and networking opportunities in the months leading up to Fertile Ground. Past events have included a three hour PR & Marketing Bootcamp, a Meet the Press night and a hands-on Box Office Tickets/Passes workshop.

General Support

Fertile Ground staff are available to support you, answer your questions and provide a helping hand.

6. What is Expected of me as a Participant?

Festival Promotion Expectations

• Promote the Festival Pass! Festival Pass sales represent Fertile Ground’s largest source of earned income. Share information about Festival Passes wherever you promote your event.
• Include the Fertile Ground Festival logo on your marketing materials, digital ads and printed material.
• Include a descriptive sentence and web url for Fertile Ground in all media releases related to your production. Individual producer media releases are highly encouraged.
• Include a logo or a description of the Festival on your website linking to the Fertile Ground webpage.
• Promote your show in conjunction with Fertile Ground to your mail or e-mail list, social media, etc.

Communications Expectations

• Meet all Festival and submission deadlines.
• Provide complete, accurate information in the format requested (the first time).
• Accurately capture and report attendance and demographic data for all Festival performances.

7. Can I hire SAG-AFTRA/AEA actors in my Fertile Ground piece?

Producers who are interested in hiring SAG-AFTRA/AEA members need to sign SAG-AFTRA/AEA members to an appropriate SAG-AFTRA/AEA contract. They should contact regional representatives.