Review Process

Applications will first be reviewed by Cannonball producers to assure that each application is logistically possible at Cannonball by reviewing technical requirements. The applications will then be reviewed by a panel of Philadelphia-based artists who are experienced in making immersive and interactive work. Panelists are paid for their time in reviewing applications; the full panel will be posted after decisions are made.

Panelists will evaluate applications according to the following: 

• Environment - How does the work create its own space within its surroundings?

• Experiment - Does the work have a clear inquiry? Does the work examine an exciting idea or process?

• Impact - Is this track necessary for the Artist? Does the stipend provide the Artist with the opportunity to present new work that could otherwise not be presented? How much impact would the stipend provide for the artist presenting this piece?

What makes a good “Snack”? It will have some of these qualities:

• Bite-sized: 40 minutes or less

• Intimate: 5 or fewer audience members

• Interactive: Meaningfully immersive, interactive, or otherwise co-authored by participants

• Iterative: something repeatable that expands with each iteration. Pieces should expect to perform at least 6 times during the festival.

• Adaptable: could be performed in a variety of spaces, creates its own space

• Resource-lite

  If any of these constrain your idea, let us know; you may be imagining beyond our current notions! If your piece fits none of these criteria, it may be better suited to another track. Talk to us, and we can help you find the best way to present it.

Is the Snack Track right for me?

We hope this track can cultivate pieces that re-examine how theatre uses its available resources - notably, Space, Time, Audience, and Funding.

• Space/venue: we want to enliven and examine interstitial or forgotten physical spaces in the festival.

• Does your piece have a particular vibe or feeling that might be fostered in a space in between other traditional performance spaces? There are nooks and crannies throughout the festival - in the beer garden, in lobby spaces, along walkways - do spaces like those serve your inquiries, or work against them?

• How does your work thrive and find its place when it engages with these in-between spaces?

• Time/Repetition: Because of the smaller size audiences, we like to encourage Track members to schedule at least 6 performances, if not more. Our hope is that this iteration will reveal new elements of process that will develop the projects.

• Does this serve your piece? Or does your piece benefit from a larger audience with possibly fewer performances?

• If your piece is mostly set, are there elements that might be unpacked and examined over multiple iterations?

• Audience: How does the audience enter into an exchange with the piece? What does it mean for them to be an audience for you? Do they contribute something to the process and product of the piece?

• Funding: We often tell ourselves, "My budget is small, but it's going to look like a million dollars!" What if the show doesn't have to look like a million dollars? What is it like to create specifically to a smaller scale? Can the piece be small at the scale of performance, but large at other scales - the scale of human connection, of imagination, of duration over years? 

Submissions for 2023 are now open, and will close on April 16, 2023. Due to tight timelines for scheduling performances at our venues, we cannot accommodate late submissions. Selected artists will be notified by May 16, 2023.