Happy 2002 to all theatre and circus performers! On the 24th January we received permission from Mendip District Council for the Glastonbury Festival of Contemporary Performing Arts to go ahead this year on 28, 29 and 30 June - whoopee!! The 2002 licence includes all sorts of new condition we have to fulfil. The main problem is the number of people who attend the Festival - in June 2000 almost double the permitted number attended - it was unbelievable how many people got in by "jumping" or "burrowing" and entering the site without a ticket! Having this number of people on the Festival site is obviously very unsafe (we are incredibly lucky not to have had any serious accidents) and the "jumping" really has to be stopped. Michael is going to enormous effort and expense having a new, higher fence built and new, improved security will be in place. A big PR campaign will try to get the message over that "jumping" simply isn't possible this year, and that people who do try to are literally "killing" the Festival. There is absolutely NO doubt about the fact that we will not get a licence for 2003 if the numbers are exceeded this year - so do please try and pass this message along to friends and people you meet. Michael has said he plans to run the festival up to and including 2005, when he will review the situation. So it is vital that we get the numbers right this year and secure the Festival's future. Think how much we would all miss it - it really is unique - and think how charities like Greenpeace, Oxfam, Water Aid and many smaller charities would lose out. Please do what you can to pass this message along the line! Thanks a lot. IF YOU WOULD LIKE TO PERFORM IN THE CIRCUS OR THEATRE FIELDS THIS YEAR, please send me a hard copy proposal with full details of the show/s you are offering, number of performers, photos, quotes, video if you have one, etc. so that I can get a good idea of what is on offer. Let me know your minimum staging requirements - does it need to be performed in a tented venue, with stage or lighting, or can it be performed on one of our outside stages or can it work on the ground? Please let me know your cheapest possible inclusive fees for 2 performances per day for the 3 days. Because of the new fence and security costs the Festival is carrying this year all budgets are very tight, so the lower the fees you submit, the more likely you are to be booked! Please be aware that pass allocation will be tightly managed. With the increase in security and stewards to meet the licence conditions, passes for all performance areas, by necessity, will be reduced. We are aiming for even more quality and less quantity in 2002. Despite these restrictions, we are all tremendously pleased the Festival will be on this year. It always feels lovely and fresh and "new" after a year's gap. We intend to make it the best one yet. Let's pray that the weather is kind to us this year. We know it can still work in the mud, but we would much rather be dry and have some sunshine if possible, so please send good wishes our way! Please send all the details I need about performances, soonish, to 2 St. Edmund's Cottages, Bovetown, Glastonbury, Somerset BA6 8JE. We are currently gathering all the info in and will not even start booking until March. Because of the restricted budget and passes, we want to be sure we really are picking the best, most appropriate and most enjoyable shows for the Theatre and Circus Fields, so we are not rushing it. You could ring me on 01458 834484, to see how we are doing, around the end of March. The 3 Circus and Theatre Fields are only a small part of the Festival, but I believe they are a very important bit - they offer a huge quantity and variety of difference performance forms and skills - there really is something for everyone to enjoy. We hope you can come and be part of what will, hopefully, be the best Glastonbury Festival yet. Have a happy first half of the year, and I look forward to seeing many of you in June. Be well! Be happy! Love and best wishes, Arabella Churchill, Theatre and Circus Fields Orgniser. 31 January 2002 "