FRINGE WORLD Awards Celebration

Published: Sun, Feb 25 2018
Posted in Media Releases
FRINGE WORLD Awards Celebration

Perth’s popular Fringe Festival has had a final 2018 celebration with the FRINGE WORLD Awards ceremony held tonight at The Edith Spiegeltent.

The third largest Fringe in the world, FRINGE WORLD is a broad community celebration of more than 750 events from international and local artists performing at almost 130 venues across the city.

The 2018 Festival sold more than 360,000 tickets and generated box office sales of almost $10 million. Total ticketed and non-ticketed attendance was more than 800,000 with audiences devouring cultural and entertainment offerings throughout the 31 day festival.

Amber Hasler, FRINGE WORLD Festival Director said that the Festival was pleased with the growth in attendance from families with young children, proving that you’re never too young to enjoy the Fringe!

“Our hubs in Northbridge including The Pleasure Garden and FRINGE Central at The Perth Cultural Centre have been warm and welcoming spaces for people of all ages and we foresee that our family programming will continue to grow in the years to come,” Ms Hasler said.

Festival highlights included the cabaret program at His Majesty’s Theatre, Leedypalooza in Leederville, The Pickled Swan in Midland and the City of Perth FRINGE WORLD Buskers Weekender.

The Fringe brought new and surprising offerings in 2018, including The Showman’s Fair at the Urban Orchard, which was unlike anything seen in Perth before. The wild Dutch mini-festival thrilled audiences with live music, mini-shows and a long table dining experience that will be talked about for years to come.

FRINGE WORLD is the platform for talented local artists and performers - our Homegrown Heroes - to showcase their wares to WA audiences and 61% of the more than 3,700 artists participating in 2018 were Western Australian.

The Festival Awards round out what has been an incredible program of events. Fringe proudly presents the most generous Awards of any Fringe festival in the world.

FRINGE WORLD Awards are given to the best shows in each genre category, plus there are a bunch of special awards, with winners receiving cash, development support and direct touring opportunities.

The Martin Sims Award is the top prize of the Festival, recognising the best new Western Australian work that is destined to succeed on the world’s stage.

The 2018 Festival Martin Sims Award goes to What Doesn’t Kill You (Blah Blah) Stronger, which will receive $10,000 and touring opportunities to other Fringe Festivals through the World Fringe Alliance.

The wickedly funny new cabaret What Doesn’t Kill You (Blah Blah) Stronger features bizarre and extraordinary tales of survival from all over the world and is presented by Holland St Productions, creators of 2014 Martin Sims Award Winner, Point & Shoot.

The full list of award winners for 2018 is as follows;

 

Martin Sims Award

Presented by FRINGE WORLD

Winner: What Doesn't Kill You (Blah Blah) Stronger

Finalists:

The Three Deaths of Ebony Black

Anyman

Find the Lady

Syncope

 

The Blaz Award

Presented to the best writing for performance by a WA writer. The Award honours Perth playwright George Blazevich who passed away in 2016.

Winner: Matt Penny’s Find the Lady

 

Cabaret Award

Presented by Kleenheat

Winner: Betty Grumble LOVE ANGER (or Sex Clown Saves the World AGAIN!)

WA Winner: Backdoor Cabaret

 

Children’s Award

Presented by FRINGE WORLD

Winner: Children are Stinky

WA Winner: Mr. Ricochet's Family Circus Show

 

Circus Award

Presented by MadFish Wines

Winner: Briefs: Close Encounters

WA Winner: Lunar Circus presents The Circus Cabaret

 

Comedy Award

Presented by Gage Roads Brewing Co.

Winner: Super Woman Money Program

WA Winner: Luke Bolland - Name Dropper

 

Dance & Physical Theatre Award

Presented by K&L Gates

Winner: The Honeymoon Suite

 

Film & Multimedia Award

Presented by Channel Nine

Winner: 12 Films Heart

 

Free & Community Award

Presented by Lotterywest

Winner: Leedypalooza - Dancin' in the Street

 

Music & Musicals Award

Presented by Nova 93.7

Winner: Jessie Gordon is Ruining Your Night

 

Theatre Award

Presented by ABC Radio Perth

Winner (joint):

ANYMAN

Artifice with Stuart Lightbody

 

Visual Arts Award

Presented by FRINGE WORLD Festival

Winner: making place

 

Street Performance & Buskers Award

Presented by City of Perth

Winner: Head First Acrobats

 

The West Australian Arts Editor Award

Presented by The West Australian

Winner: A Simple Space

WA Winner: What Doesn't Kill you (Blah Blah) Stronger

 

ECU Performing Arts Award

Presented by Edith Cowan University

Winner: WA Youth Theatre Company for yourseven

 

WA Emerging Artist Award

Presented by Woodside

Winner: WA Youth Theatre Company for yourseven

 

Spirit of the Fringe Award

Presented by MRA

Winner (joint):

Intra Herena

Mr Ivan King

 

Independent Program Award

Presented by: oOh! Media

Winner: Summer Nights

 

Independent Venue Award

Presented by: oOh! Media

Winner: The Blue Room Theatre

 

Melbourne Fringe Tour Ready Award

Winner: Future’s Eve

 

Adelaide Fringe Tour Ready Award

Winner: The Cockburn Incident

 

Sydney Fringe Tour Ready Award

Winner: How to Period Like a Unicorn

 

For the full list of nominees and more information on the shows click here.

FRINGE WORLD gratefully recognises the support of its partners including: Principal Supporter: Lotterywest; Government Partners The Department of Local Government, Sport and Cultural Industries; City of Perth, Metropolitan Redevelopment Authority; and Principal Partners Woodside, Gage Roads Brewing Co and oOh! Media.

 

- ENDS -

 

For all FRINGE WORLD Festival media enquiries, please contact:

 

BUZZ MARKETING

Claudia Firth

+61 8 9227 0588

0402 428 765

cfirth@buzzmarketing.com.au

 

 

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