March 24, 2014

DUNEDIN FRINGE 2014 AWARDS  

The 2014 Dunedin Fringe Festival has ended on a high note with an elaborate Awards Night at the Dunedin Railway Station.  14 awards were handed out at the ceremony that acknowledged the achievements of hundreds of participating artists.  

Increased ticket sales and a number of sold out shows has left Festival organisers up-beat about the future of the Festival.  

Thousands of Festival-goers enjoyed over 40 events involving over 200 artists with a range of shows selling out completely, including Puppet Fiction, This Is My Real Job, Nick Rado, James Nokise, Streets and Lures, Nosferatu, Cut.Paste.Collaborate, and The Bookbinder by Trick of The Light Theatre, who added another two shows due to popular demand.

Festival Director, Paul Smith said he was thrilled with the profile of the Festival and the level of public engagement. “This was a fantastic Festival that presented a quality programme that engaged a wide audience. The feedback has been very positive and we look forward to building on the success of this year’s Festival.”

Online ticket sales have increased by 56% on the previous year as a result of the Festival’s discounting for the purchase of advance ticket sales. “This was something new that we tried and while we are still to decide if we will have the same pricing structure next year we are stoked that audiences responded to the idea.”

Fourteen awards were distributed to artists at an awards ceremony held at the Dunedin Railway Station last night. Expert judges had attended all events with awards for each art form as well as a Best of Fringe Award. The criteria for the awards included the level of innovation, experimentation, standard of presentation and audience engagement.

“It is important to acknowledge the artists who made an outstanding contribution to the Festival and those work stood out as being high quality,” said Mr. Smith. “These artists have worked incredibly hard and they deserve to be recognized. An award or nomination is also important to be able to promote their work as many events go on to tour to other Festivals in New Zealand and around the world.”

“We have heard from the Fringe judges but we are very keen to hear from audiences about what they thought of the Festival,” said Smith. “It is really important that we get this feedback so we can keep improving the Festival.”

An audience survey can be found on the Festival website: www.dunedinfringe.org.nz 

FESTIVAL AWARDS 

Best Comedy: …Let’s Talk About the Golliwogs by James Nokise (Wgtn) 

Best Dance & Circus: Carousel and Clothesline by Vague de Cirque (Montreal) 

Best Music & Cabaret: Streets and Lures by Leyton Glen (Dun) 

Best Theatre: MilkMilkLemonade by Hurdy Dur Productions (Dun) 

Best Visual Art & Film: Never and Forever by Anya Sinclair (Dun) 

General Awards:

Best Reels on Wheels Short Film: Light by Jade Streat (Dun)

Best Poster Design: Bromance Tour by Hair of The Dog Productions (Wgtn)

Most Original Concept: The Road Less Travelled by the Margaret Freeman Gallery

Most Tour Ready: Finding Hephzibah by Urban Heart Productions (Dun)

Most Promising Work: Welcome to Erection Capital by The Plot Holes (Gore)

Community Engagement: Elephants in the Garden of Gethsemane: A Play by Jay Williams performed by Phoenix NZ Performing Arts (Akld)

Stand Out Performer: Samin Son from Work & Play (Wgtn)

Best Production Design: Streets and Lures by Leyton Glen (Dun)

Best of Fringe: Carousel and Clothesline by Vague de Cirque (Montreal)