2017 Awards

The stand-out shows and performers from this year’s Brighton Fringe were recognised at the festival’s awards ceremony last night [4 June, 2017].

Children’s show The Tale of The Cockatrice by Mumblecrust Theatre scooped two awards – Voice’s Best Newcomer To Brighton Fringe and the International Youth Arts Festival: Best of Brighton Fringe Children and Family Show.

A total of 24 awards were presented at the ceremony, which took place at The Warren on the final evening of Brighton Fringe in front of a 250-strong audience made up of performers, journalists, venue representatives and leading figures from the arts industry. Fringe favourite Boogaloo Stu and Brighton Fringe’s Managing Director Julian Caddy oversaw proceedings.

Katie Underhay, of Mumblecrust Theatre, said:

“We’re so happy and surprised. The audiences at Brighton Fringe have been really lovely but we’ve now been recognised by the industry as well, which just feels crazy. We are absolutely in shock.

“We only managed to do this show by running a Kickstarter fundraising campaign, and the budget was tiny, but we threw our all into it. We’re planning on doing Edinburgh so we’re hoping the recognition here will really open doors for us.”

Other winners include Cinebra: A History of Horror, which won £2,500 to tour to an international Fringe festival as part of the Pebble Trust International Touring Award, plus nominations for the Radio Reverb LGBTQ Award and the Review’s Hub: Beyond the Fringe Award.

Teatro Pomodoro also won the opportunity to tour abroad. The company, which is part of the Brighton Fringe WINDOW programme for exceptional new work, has been selected to tour to two Fringes in the ‘Nordic network’ of Bergen, Gothenburg, Reykjavik and Stockholm next year.

The Heart FM Best Venue Audience Choice Award went to Junkyard Dogs on Edward Street, which is brand new to the Fringe this year. Kids With Beards won the Big Issue Audience Choice Award, voted by members of the public, for sketch show Fandango!, as well as being nominated for Best Newcomer to Brighton Fringe.

Narrowly missing out on wins but nominated multiple times were Happenings Theatre Company for 10 Steps To Happiness, Aća Theatre for Better Together, TRIBE// for Still I Rise and WINDOW show The Forecast by Limbik.

Each award category was judged by a different organisation with The Argus, Artist Open Houses, HOUSE, Gemini Print, Voice Magazine, the International Youth Arts Festival, Fringe Review, Broadway Baby, Latest, First and Foremost Entertainment, South East Dance, The Big Issue, Heart FM, Radio Reverb, New Writing South, Primary Times, ONCA, The Reviews Hub, Otherplace Productions, Stockholm Fringe and the Pebble Trust all involved.

The Spirit of the Fringe Award went to volunteer Steve Jeanes, from Brighton, for his exceptional and continued contribution to the festival.

Julian Caddy, Managing Director of Brighton Fringe, said: “Though it’s of course a grand celebration, it is always a humbling moment to attend the awards. It brings home all the hard work that goes in to making Brighton Fringe what it is.

“I would like to congratulate and thank not only all the winners and nominees, but also everyone who makes the Fringe happen: the artists, volunteers, technicians, front of house, box office, security, bar staff, as well as the tireless work of the venues and of course the Brighton Fringe core team. Every year it’s a miracle, but somehow we always manage to get away with it. Here’s to 2017 and roll on 2018.”

Each award winner receives free registration to next year’s Brighton Fringe, and some received additional prizes from their judging organisation.

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Brighton Fringe 2017 award nominees and winners:

The Argus Fringe Archangel Award

Winner: Brighton Little Theatre: Urinetown

The Brighton Fringe Visual Arts Award in Association with HOUSE and AOH

Winner: International HIV/AIDS Alliance: Love a Positive Life

Nominees: North Star Printmakers Studio: Art of Printmaking Open Studio; Phoenix Brighton: Open Studios; Tim Andrews: Over The Hill

Gemini Print: Best Design for Print

Winner: Richard Todd: Sellotape

Voice’s Best Newcomer to Brighton Fringe

Winner: Mumblecrust Theatre: The Tale of Cockatrice

Nominees: Blue Devil Theatre: The Ruffian on the Stair; Susan Earl: (Non) Violent Communication; Acá Theatre: Better Together; Moonshot Games: Werewolf: Live; Kids with Beards- Fandango!

IYAF: Best of Brighton Fringe Comedy Award

Winner: Willis & Vere: The Starship Osiris

Nominees: Masie Adam: Living On The Edge- LIVE; Spilt Milk: Spilt Milk Presents…; Aća Theatre: Better Together; Happenings Theatre Company: 10 Steps To Happiness

IYAF: Best of Brighton Fringe Theatre Award

Winner: Put The Book Down: Mine

Nominees: Behind the Lines: Fall of Duty; Palmer Presents: Father God; Scratchworks Theatre Company: Great Train Robbery; Karen Houge: Undercover Refugee

IYAF: Best of Brighton Fringe Children and Family Show

Winner: Mumblecrust Theatre: The Tale of the Cockatrice

The Fringe Review Outstanding Theatre Award

Winners: Windmill Young Actors: Agamemnon

The Bobby: Best of the Festival Award

Winner: A&E Comedy: Enter the Dragons

Nominees: Wild Productions: Mary and Me; Sparkle and Dark Theatre Company: I AM BEAST; Turtle Key Arts: Open Sky present Scorched; Pretty Villain Productions: New York Stories

Latest Comedy Award

Winner: Alice Marshall: Blood

Nominees: Viggo Venn: The Life Of Pepito; Nick Revell: The True And Amazing Adventures Of Nick Revell On Planet Earth; Louise Reay: Hard Mode; Julie Jepson: Randomonium

Latest Live Music Award

Winner: Kemptown Carnival Fundraiser featuring The Resonators

Nominees: Avery*Sunshine & Yakul; ArtsLab Netowrk: The Brexorcist; The Greys Present: Folk It; Music at Saint Michael’s: Bach’s 6 Cello Suites & Beethoven’s 5 Cello Sonatas & Variations

Radio Reverb Out in Brighton LGBTQ Brighton Fringe Award

Winner: Harry Clayton-Wright: Sex Education

Nominees: Paul Diello Music: Epicene; Joe Black: Meet Me at The Eldorardo; Cinebra: A History of Horror; Jessica McKerlie: Gender Spanner

The First and Foremost Entertainment Cabaret Award

Winner: Christopher Green: Tina C’s President-C

Nominees: Scottish Comedy Agency: Oh My Dad! Christ on a Bike; The Sundaes: Diva Las Vegas; La Voix’s Red Hot Globe Trot

The Space to Dance Award from Southeast Dance

Winner: Rachael Young: Out

Nominees: Sarah Blanc: My Feminist Boner; TRIBE// Still I Rise; Outset Dance: Check Out My Shirt

The Heart FM Best Brighton Fringe Venue Award

Winner: Junkyard Dogs

Runner-up: Blueman

New Writing South’s Best New Play Award

Winner: Paul Macauley: Bug Camp

Nominees: Richard Hearn; The Missing Special; Helen Seymour: To Helen Back; Luke Ofield: The Writers’ Bloc; Jenna May Hobbs ReProduction

Primary Times Children’s Choice Award

Winner: Pocket Oxford Theatre Company: Macbeth

Nominees: Avva Laff Productions: Grimmest of Grimm Tales; Louis Pearl: Amazing Bubble Man; John Hinton: The Ensonglopedia of Science

ONCA Green Curtain Award

Winner: Jamal Harewood: The Privileged

Nominees: Goya Arts: The Last Honeypot; Luke Rollason: Planet Earth III

The Reviews Hub – Beyond the Fringe Award

Winner: Ditto Theatre Company: Ingos War

Nominees: Flugelman Productions: The Poetry We Make; Cinebra: A History of Horror; Limbik: The Forecast; MoMentum: A Motivational Mindreading Experience

Balkan/Otherplace Award

Winner: Fat Rascal (Buzz)

Nominees: Stamptown (Zach and Viggo); Igor Vrebak (Macho Macho); Fledgling Theatre Co (They Built it No One Came); Smokescreen Productions (Shell Shock)

Nordic Fringe Network Award

Winner: Teatro Pomodoro: Cabaret from the Shadows

Nominees: Octopus Soup Theatre: Network Diagnostics; Limbik: The Forecast

The Big Issue Audience Choice Award

Winner: Kids With Beards: Fandango!

Runner-up: Happenings Theatre Company: 10 Steps To Happiness

The Brighton Fringe International Touring Bursary in Association with The Pebble Trust

Winner: Cinebra: A History of Horror

Nominees: Happenings Theatre Company: 10 Steps to Happiness; TRIBE//: Still I Rise; Katrina Quinn: Individual Medley

The Spirit of the Fringe Award

Steve Jeanes, Brighton Fringe volunteer