March 19, 2018

DUNEDIN FRINGE AWARDS NIGHT CELEBRATES SUCCESS

After an eleven day whirlwind of non-stop arts and entertainment, the 2018 Dunedin Fringe Festival concluded with the official Festival Awards last night. The event was held at the Emerson’s Festival Club in the Dunedin Community Gallery and was attended by artists, volunteers, staff and supporters of the Fringe.

Fifteen awards were presented to artists from Dunedin and around New Zealand. Festival Director Gareth McMillan said the night was a “celebration of the quality and diversity of the 2018 Fringe artists” and that “the festival was going from strength to strength, with numerous sell-out shows – some festival favourites, and some fresh and emerging talent.”

The big winner on the night was Pati Solomon Tyrell’s Fāgogo – an exhibition, performance, and documentary film presented in partnership with the Blue Oyster Gallery and the Dunedin Public Art Gallery, which explored ‘the colonial gaze placed on queer brown bodies to return gender and sexually diverse identities back to their oracle status.’ Fāgogo took out the awards for Best Visual or Performance Art, Best in Fringe, and the Warwick Broadhead Memorial Award.

The Awards Night concluded the eleven-day Festival, which featured over 100 events throughout the city. The awards were decided by a panel of judges selected by the Festival. The full list of award winners and nominees follows.

CATEGORY AWARDS

BEST COMEDY

Nominees:

• Camp Binch
• Aunty
• Fruitcake
• Dead Dad’s Club

Winner: Camp Binch

BEST DANCE

Nominees:

• Saudade
• Dance Revolution Dance

Winner: Saudade

BEST MUSIC OR SOUND

Nominees:

• Form and compression 2.0
• Drawn to music
• 10 Mozart Masterpieces
• The David Merritt Poetry Experience

Winner: The David Merritt Poetry Experience

BEST THEATRE

Nominees:

• How to be a Stripper
• Elemental
• Medea

Winner: How to be a Stripper

BEST VISUAL OR PERFORMANCE ART

Nominees:

• Frankensplurta
• Pati Solomona Tyrell – ‘Fāgogo’
• How did I get

Winner: Pati Solomona Tyrell – ‘Fāgogo’ 

GENERAL AWARDS

OUTSTANDING DESIGN IN ASSOCIATION WITH SOUTHERN LIGHTS & SERVICES 

Nominees:

• Elemental
• Frankensplurta
• Pati Solomona Tyrell – ‘Fāgogo’

Winner: Frankensplurta

OUTSTANDING TECHNICAL ACHIEVEMENT IN ASSOCIATION WITH STRAWBERRY SOUND 

Nominees:

• Form and Compression 2.0
• Frankensplurta
• The Motorway

Winner: Form and Compression 2.0

CITY OF LITERATURE BEYOND WORDS AWARD IN ASSOCIATION WITH DUNEDIN UNESCO CITY OF LITERATURE 

Nominees:

• Dark Dunedin: Heaven Looks On
• Dunedin Gothic
• The David Merritt Poetry Experience

Winner: Dark Dunedin: Heaven Looks On 

MOST ORIGINAL CONCEPT

Nominees:

• Aunty
• Boy Braille
• A1 The No Show

Winner: A1 The No Show

OUTSTANDING EMERGING TALENT AWARD IN ASSOCIATION WITH THE DUNEDIN SCHOOL OF ART AT OTAGO POLYTECHNIC                        

Nominees:

• Ally Baharoon
• Cast of Hands!: Pip Smith, Matty Taylor
• James Mustapic
• William

Winner: James Mustapic

OUTSTANDING PERFORMER(S)

Nominees:

• Sydney Manowitz & Donald Cullington (10 Mozart Masterpieces)
• Johanna Cosgrove (Aunty)
• Moira Fortin (The Motorway & The Subterraneans)
• Clare Waldron (Stupid Bitch)

Winner: Johanna Cosgrove

BEST IN FRINGE IN ASSOCIATION WITH THE DUNEDIN PUBLIC ART GALLERY

Nominees:

• Elemental
• Frankensplurta
• Pati Solomona Tyrell – ‘Fāgogo’

Winner: Pati Solomona Tyrell – ‘Fāgogo’ 

FESTIVAL DIRECTOR AWARDS

BEST POSTER AWARD IN ASSOCIATION WITH PHANTOM BILLSTICKERS

PRIZE: $500 VOUCHER FOR YOUR NEXT POSTER CAMPAIGN THANKS TO PHANTOM BILLSTICKERS

DIRECTOR DECISION: Elemental

SPECIAL CONTRIBUTION TO FESTIVAL LIFE

DIRECTOR DECISION: Stephen Hall Jones

WARWICK BROADHEAD MEMORIAL AWARD

DIRECTOR DECISION: Pati Solomona Tyrell – ‘Fāgogo’