And the 2019 New Zealand Fringe Awards Winners Are!

The 2019 New Zealand Fringe Arts Festival has wrapped up another remarkable year. On Sunday evening the Fringe team and artists gathered together at our good friend’s Te Whaea Theatre in Newtown, to reflect on the power art has to transcend diversity, to give voice to all aspects of humanity, to bring people together, and to celebrate those that make it.

This year’s awards applauded outstanding work in production, design, and performance, all of which surprised and delighted us in 2019 Fringe Season. Never an easy task for the judges, this year was of course no different with an abundance of incredible new works to experience.

With a more than 30% increase in ticket sales across the festival featuring everything from minute nuanced finger puppetry to Russian feminist punks, the 2019 Fringe has been a success and the team thanked everyone involved in making it happen.

AWARD WINNERS

Best in Fringe

Supported by His Worship the Mayor Justin Lester

Nominees: That’s What Friends Are For, (I)sland T(rap): The Epic Remixology of the Odyssey, Fringe Wives Club: Glittery Clittery

Winner: Only Bones 1.0

Most Innovative Work

Supported by Wellington International Airport

Nominees: Watching Paint Dry, Coffee Bean-Queen Machine, Slow AntiHeroes

Winner: The Marvelous Musical Maiden

The Grand Design Award

Supported by Inject Design

Nominees: System, Nobody Hears the Axe Fall, The Universe is Pretty Big and I’m Afraid of Sex, Full Scale

Winner: Tell Me What Your Name Is

Outstanding Performer

Supported by Te Auaha

Nominees: Ella Gilbert (Soft Tissue/Cartoonaroony), Beth Kayes (Once There Was a Woman), Thom Monckton (Only Bones 1.0)

Winner: Austin Dean Ashford (I)sland T(rap): a Remixology of the Odyssey

Outstanding Ensemble

Supported by Gibson Sheat

Nominees: Missing Lids, That’s What Friends Are For, The Doubtful Sounds Go Underground

Winner: Au Ko Tuvalu

Most Promising Emerging Company

Supported by BATS Theatre

Nominees: Tangata Circus Company (REAL[ISE]), Ephemeral Theatre (period.), Soy People Productions (Some Sort of Boy), Well Fare State (Flying Down Sand Dunes)

Winner: Discotheque (Missing Lids)

Most Promising Emerging Artist

Supported by EAT

Nominees: Ella Gilbert (Soft Tissue/Cartoonaroony), Josh Davies (Josh Davies: Look! I’m Blind!) Maddy Warren (Dancing On My Own Because I Didn’t Invite Anyone Else), Jadwiga Green (Summer Camps)

Winner: Tavita Nielsen-Mamea (Au Ko Tuvalu)

Best Marketing

Supported by Phantom Billstickers

Nominees: Fringe Wives Club: Glittery Clittery, Slow Antiheroes, Waste Not Want Not Bethany’s Guide to the Thrift Life

Winner: Uther Dean Reads 300 Haiku

Spectacular Organised Chaos

Supported by Friends of the Fringe

Nominees: Bear North, “There are other worlds they have not told you of…”, Stack That Bass, Sweaty Pits - Pity Party!, Squirt

Winner: Auspicious Happening

Spirit of the Fringe

Presented by Creative Capital Arts Trust

Winners: Sameena Zehra, and Sophie Simons

The Parkin Development Award

Supported by Chris & Kathy Parkin

Winner: Flying Down Sand Dunes

Reciprocal touring awards:

Fringe in the ‘Stings

Winner: Squirt

Melbourne Fringe Festival

Winner: Say Something Nice

Sydney Fringe Festival

Winner: Say Something Nice

Adelaide Fringe Festival

Winner: HarleQueen

San Diego International Fringe Festival

Winner: REAL[ISE]

This year the Fringe started a new initiative, The Green Light List. A short list of works specifically to be celebrated for their mahi.

The 2019 Green Light List is:

Kōtuku and the Moon Child - Family Puppet Theatre

Massive Crushes

Adventures with Depression

HarleQueen

All Australian touring awards supported by the Australian High Commission

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