Social Access
FemFest strives for inclusivity, and we want to make sure our programming is as diverse as the community we serve. We are a festival solely led by white people. We recognise that Black and non-Black people of colour are not represented in our team and want to ensure that BAME voices are heard throughout the week of the festival. Our programming decisions have been made with a commitment to inclusion in mind. This is a continual work-in-progress and we welcome feedback on how we as a small organisation can prioritise and improve our commitment to anti-racism
Our core team is made up of 80% queer people and we endeavour for our spaces to be safe and welcoming for all members of the LGBTQIA+ community and we programme according to this
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We do not tolerate transphobia, racism, hate-speech, xenophobia, anti-semitism, ageism, ableism, homophobia, biphobia or sexism in our spaces. If you have an experience personally or as a bystander, please find a member of the FemFest team who will take care of the situation
We operate a safe(r) space model where we strive to mitigate risks for danger or harm, but with the knowledge that safety is relative: not everyone feels safe under the same conditions and a truly safe environment for all cannot be assured. We do however ensure that our spaces are by and for those from marginalised genders. If you are a person who holds privilege please be mindful of your behaviour when in our spaces
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Just a quick caveat to the last point. If the above triggers you as a white-cis-feminist then spewing off in the FemFest inbox is not going to change anyone’s mind on our commitment to inclusivity and safety in our spaces. We recommend going and doing some reading and reflecting on why this is upsetting you instead of attacking a grass-roots organisation
Economic
Access
We believe that the arts should be accessible to everyone, and economic barriers can be hugely limiting to people creating and seeing art. Too many arts spaces are unaffordable for audiences to attend and for artists to make in. With the growing cost of living crisis, this could not be more important in our endeavours.
We offer multiple ticket options to try and make FemFest economically accessible for all of our community whilst also paying artists fairly for their work and ensuring FemFest does not run at a loss:​
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Providing fundraised free tickets for those who would not otherwise be able to attend, as well as service users of our partner charities.
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Offering a tiered ticket structure (£5 - £15).
Physical
Access
The Actors downstairs space is accessible for wheelchair users. There is a sign at the front entrance which points to the disabled entrance at the side of the building. Please use the doorbell at the side door and a staff member will come and put the ramp down. There is an accessible toilet on this floor and the entirety of the space is accessible for wheelchair users.
The upstairs spaces at The Actors is up a steep narrow staircase, with sixteen steps; there are rails on both sides of the stairs. The staircase is lit, but is slightly dim. Majority of our performance events take place in The Actors Upstairs Theatre Space, please check event listings to see which space performances and workshops will take place in.
Any events with strobe, flashing lights, moments of bright lights, prolonged loud noise, sudden loud noise, audience interaction and any other special effects will be sign-posted on the ticketing bio as well as at the entrance to the event space
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The festival is held at a pub which is busy and can be noisy. For those who may need to, we would recommend bringing ear defenders or other personal aids. Please chat with the box office if you need somewhere quiet to sit down before you head into your event
The chairs in our theatre space are padded but people with pain conditions may want to bring a cushion for additional support. The chairs do not have arm support. If you require a seat in the theatre space which has legroom, is close to the stage or exit, or with a cushion, please let the box office or front-of-house staff know on arrival and we can accommodate you
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The chairs in our theatre space are narrow. If you need additional space, please let us know when booking your ticket and we can offer an extra chair to increase comfort
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There are 3 toilets available, including an accessible one. All the toilets are on the ground floor and are gender-neutral.
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We are committed to improving our physical accessibility in the future as an organisation. Due to tight budget constraints and other factors surrounding finances we are not currently able to put on the festival in a wheelchair accessible venue or stream events. As we continue to grow and, hopefully secure funding, we hope to do better and ensure all FemFest events are accessible to all. Know that we are trying our best and are aware that this is excluding members of our community and for this we can only apologise.
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