The Busan International Comedy Festival Organizing Committee is embarking on a new initiative.
Ahead of the 13th Busan International Comedy Festival (BICF), the organizing committee noted that it started recruiting comedy street autonomous participating performance teams (referred to as fringe) on the 1st.
Fringe, referring to autonomous participating works, must include elements of "comedy" and can be supported in all areas including circus, dance, music, and mime. Selected artists will perform on the comedy street stage at the 13th Busan International Comedy Festival scheduled for August, leading to anticipation of which teams will take the stage.
Now in its 13th year, the BICF has established itself as the first and largest comedy festival in Asia, becoming a representative festival of Busan. The number of artists wishing to participate in the festival has been increasing each year, and this 13th edition's establishment and operation of a fringe stage to attract a wider variety of genres has drawn attention.
Fringe performances are limited to comedy street performances, excluding theatrical performances, thus expanding the comedy street offerings by at least 10 to 20 more programs than before. This is expected to further elevate the status of "Comedy City Busan."
The selection criteria will include originality of ideas that differentiate from other performances, popularity and artistic expression of comedy, and the completeness of the performing teams, with around 15 teams expected to be selected. The fringe recruitment period will take place throughout April, with application forms and details available on the BICF website.
Meanwhile, with the support of the Busan city government, the Busan International Comedy Festival, held annually for 10 days starting at the end of August, aims to constantly discover new talent and actively support performances across more stages.
[Photo] Provided by the Busan International Comedy Festival Organizing Committee
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