Get Involved
DONATE TO STAND WITH THE FRINGE!
In 2005, we launched the Singapore Fringe Festival to empower independent artists with thought-provoking work. It has become a cultural highlight and vital pillar of the Singapore arts scene, commissioning over 1,000 Singapore artists, and featuring their work on a professional platform alongside international touring productions. We have captivated thousands of audience members, fostering safe spaces for critical conversations about societal issues such as mental health, racial and gender discrimination, and climate change.
After losing our title donor M1 Ltd in 2024, we successfully raised $50,000 for Fringe 2026 through a passionate but grueling eight-month long community-driven campaign supported by our artists and the public.
Though the Fringe’s modest budget has been significantly reduced further without the backing of a title donor, our dedication to supporting independent voices and making art accessible remains unchanged. We have maintained our affordable ticket prices while enhancing accessibility features such as embedded narration and relaxed performances, so that the Fringe experience is as accessible to as many as possible.
The Fringe has always been a plucky, ground-up initiative, but as costs continue to rise, we are struggling to keep bold, socially-engaged art accessible to everyone, as well as to pay independent artists a fair honorarium and cover the costs necessary for a well-presented work with high production values.
As we continue our search for a passionate new title donor aligned to our ethos and vision for the Fringe to support our long-term development, we will be launching a new fundraising campaign Stand with The Fringe↗ with a goal of raising $80,000 by 30 September 2026 for Fringe 2027.
Every donation, no matter the size, helps us continue the important work of nurturing emerging talent and growing a vibrant Singaporean arts scene.
Please consider contributing to Stand with The Fringe↗!
All donations will qualify for a 250% tax deduction and will also be eligible for the Ministry of Culture, Community and Youth's dollar-for-dollar Cultural Matching Fund.
To make a donation, visit the Stand with The Fringe Fund↗. Through this webpage, you can choose to make a one time or recurrent donation to us via your credit card or GrabPay.
If you would like to fundraise for us, visit giving.sg/thenecessarystage.
Thank you for standing with us in empowering independent artists. Together, we can make a difference.
For more information about donations, please contact The Necessary Stage’s General Manager Melissa Lim at melissa@necessary.org.
Thank you for your kind support!
More information on ways you can support us are listed below.
- For corporations - Be a Sponsor
- For individuals - Be a Volunteer
Photo BY Elzo Bonam
Retina Manoeuvre by Wang Ping-Hsiang (Taiwan & Germany)
Image Description:
A production photo of Retina Manoeuvre young East Asian man screams as he mimics firing a rifle. The black and white photo also shows a single spotlight in the middle of the frame, creating a dramatic effect. He is wearing a t-shirt and jeans.
Be a Sponsor
We seek your help to sustain the Singapore Fringe Festival–a ground-up initiative that amplifies independent voices in the arts.
Since our inception, The Necessary Stage (TNS) has been dedicated to creating and presenting critically acclaimed theatre dealing with issues such as mental health, racial discrimination, and inequality.
In 2005, we launched the Singapore Fringe Festival, with M1 Ltd as our title donor, aimed at empowering independent artists to share thought-provoking performances. Over the last 21 years, the festival has become a highlight of the Singapore cultural calendar each January. We have commissioned over 1,000 Singapore artists and arts groups, featuring their work alongside numerous international productions.
We have reached out to and captivated tens of thousands of audience members through ticketed and free events, fostering safe spaces for critical conversations about crucial societal issues. The Fringe has also made great strides in its efforts to be one of the most inclusive and accessible arts events in the Singapore calendar, through the integration of open captions, Singapore Sign Language interpretations, audio description, and speech to text interpretation for its performances, as well as other accessibility features for information dissemination on its website and social platforms, wayfinding to venues, etc.
After losing our title donor M1 Ltd in 2024, Fringe 2026 has run as a truly ground-up initiative on an extremely lean budget funded by our community-driven campaign that raised $50,000 in 2025. However, as costs continue to rise, we are struggling to keep bold, socially-engaged art accessible to everyone, as well as to pay independent artists a fair honorarium and cover the costs necessary for a well-presented work with high production values.
As such, the company is seeking corporations to partner with us and take on the title donor place with naming accreditation to the Festival.
We will also be launching a new fundraising drive. Stand with the Fringe hopes to raise $80,000 from individuals, partners and supporters who are keen to keep the festival going in 2027 and beyond. The Necessary Stage is appealing to the public to step forward and support independent voices and socially engaged art.
Sponsorship of the Singapore Fringe Festival gives you a fantastic opportunity to associate your company's name, logo and brand with one of the most anticipated and accessible arts events around!
Sponsorship of the arts is regarded as a wonderful investment and beneficial marketing and promotional tool for companies keen to establish themselves as brands that can contribute to social well-being. Your sponsorship will amplify how your brand connects with diverse audiences, fosters creativity and independent voices, thus enhancing brand visibility and reputation.
Here at the Singapore Fringe Festival, we have a fervent belief in developing the Fringe as a creative centre that encourages innovation, discourse and positive engagement. During our 12-day long festival, artists, audience, sponsors and partners share and participate in this celebration of creativity and connection with the community. The 2025 Fringe reached out to 2,091 audience members through seven events, and attained an average 71% house. We aim to attain the same audienceship—if not more—for future editions of the Fringe, with diverse programming that continues to entertain and challenge audiences.
In order to do so, aside from having a thrilling line-up for programmes, the Singapore Fringe Festival also runs an exciting and highly visible marketing and communications campaign from November to January each year.
Our extensive, nation-wide media relations campaign goes hand-in-hand with our comprehensive and highly visible marketing drive which often includes:
- An accessible Festival website at SingaporeFringe.com;
- A robust social media marketing presence via various platforms, including Facebook, Instagram, and LinkedIn, to engage audiences;
- Collaterals for individual productions;
- Press releases;
- Front-of-house displays, where applicable;
- EDMs to Fringe's local and international database, as well as the databases of our sponsors and partners;
- Onsite and venue marketing collaterals which may include floor stickers, posters, banners, foyerboards, calendar listings, etc.;
- And pre-show announcements at every performance at the Fringe, where applicable;
The Fringe's marketing campaign may vary depending on the programme each year. Nevertheless, the title donor and all sponsors and partners are always acknowledged in our collaterals, based on your level of investment.
We need your help to keep alive the spirit of independent artists. Contribute to the Stand with the Fringe fund. Only with your support can we continue to programme the festival in 2027 and beyond.
To join us as a title donor or sponsor of the Singapore Fringe Festival, please contact The Necessary Stage’s General Manager Melissa Lim at melissa@necessary.org.Photo by CRISPIAN CHAN
A Lesbian Love Story: The Musical by Woody Avenue (Australia, Singapore and United Kingdom)
Image Description:
A publicity photo of A Lesbian Love Story: The Musical with a young Asian woman laughingly piggybacking another young Asian woman. The pink background provides a cheerful vibe. The woman at the bottom has light-tone skin, dark hair and light makeup. She wears a bright pink shirt with a fuschia top underneath, and pale blue jeans. She is laughing as she looks up at the woman she is carrying. On the top is a woman with light-tone skin, dark hair and smoky eye makeup. She wears an orange denim vest and dark blue denim jorts. She has both hands outstretched in a flying pose as she smiles at the camera.
Be a Volunteer
We are looking for
- Front-of-house volunteers.
Volunteering with the Fringe is a fabulous way to meet new people and artists, learn what happens behind the scenes of running a fringe festival, and get involved with one of the most dynamic events in town!
The commitment periods range from four-hour blocks to a few months. No prior experience is required for most positions, though you should have a keen interest in the arts and meeting people from all around the world.
For more information on volunteering with the M1 Singapore Fringe Festival, please email us at info@singaporefringe.com.
Your volunteering can be acknowledged as CIP hours upon request.
Join our mailing list for volunteers here:
Invisible by ART:DIS & The Necessary Stage (Singapore)
Image Description:
A production photo of Invisible with three Asian women. Two of them are laughing teasingly while the woman on the right appears to be shocked by them. There are two white wire mesh screens as part of the set. The woman on the right is a middle-aged Southeast Asian woman with light-tone skin. She is wearing a staff uniform of maroon long-sleeved shirt with a grey tudung. The other two women are dressed in black t-shirts and bottoms. The woman in the middle is a young East Asian woman with light-tone skin and short black wavy hair. She stands partially behind one of the white wire mesh screens and is laughing heartily. On the left and in front of the screen is a middle-aged South Asian woman. She has medium-tone skin, with straight black hair in a bob. She spreads her arms wide open in a shrug teasingly.