While the Fresh Meat Fest won’t return to the Arts Court Studio until the fall, Cullen Elijah McGrail, the festival’s director and producer, says submissions for the 14th iteration are now being accepted until July 4.
“Fresh Meat, at its core, is really a party for the performing arts,” he says. “Whether you’re an artist or you’re just an audience member, it’s a party that you can definitely enjoy.”
Fresh Meat Fest Submission Poster. Photo provided.
Fresh Meat’s submission process is unique, and McGrail explains that it began almost ten years ago.
“Our submission process is very simple—basically, you just apply with an idea,” he says. “We just ask what your idea is and why you think it would be great for Fresh Meat. And that’s basically it.”
Once the Fresh Meat team receives the submission, one of their board members removes all identifying features from every single submission.
“We read everything without knowing who it is that applied, which means that we’re not looking at your past success or misses, we’re only looking at the quality of your idea and the quality that it would bring to Ottawa, to the festival, and to the performing arts community,” says McGrail.
This submission process is really about letting the idea speak for itself.
Performance from Fresh Meat Fest 2024. Photo provided.
“We’ve had submissions that are incredibly detailed and really well thought out that get into the festival, and we’ve had applications that are just a couple sentences long, and that idea is so captivating that they’ve gotten to the festival,” says McGrail. “As long as you believe in your idea and you can communicate that, you’re more than likely going to do really well with us.”
The Fresh Meat Fest is also unique in that it has been experimenting with different ticketing accessibility options. This means you can see shows at Fresh Meat for the least expensive price you can find anywhere else in the city.
“We don’t sell tickets per show—when you buy a ticket for Fresh Meat, you buy a ticket for everything all at once,” he says. “You get six shows for the price of one.”
This financial accessibility also ensures thrilling performances.
Performance from Fresh Meat Fest 2024. Photo provided.
“That does not mean there’s any less quality,” says McGrail. “In fact, it usually means that what you’re going to be seeing will be the most exciting [performance] you’ll probably see in Ottawa that year.”
The past few years after the pandemic have seen Fresh Meat grow from more of an industry event to more of a community event, where audiences aren’t just other artists, but also family, friends, and interested people coming to watch great local shows.
“This city that people often think is quiet and sleepy has some really great ideas that would really benefit from an audience,” says McGrail. “I think there’s enough artists and there are enough audiences that these stories will one day be told.”
If you’re interested in submitting your piece to the Fresh Meat Festival, check out their website, which has all the information you’ll need and more. The deadline to apply is July 4, 2025, @ 11:45pm EST.
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