FRINGE WORLD Awards Celebration
Posted in Media Releases
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.
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For all FRINGE WORLD Festival media enquiries, please contact:
BUZZ MARKETING
Claudia Firth
+61 8 9227 0588
0402 428 765