Total Theatre Awards 2017 have been announced!
The Total Theatre Awards, which have been running since 1997, recognise ‘innovative and artist-led performance at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe’. 28 peer assessors, who looked at 538 shows across the first 11 days of the festival. The nominees shortlist was announced on 17 August. The nominated shows were then viewed by a panel of 20 judges who gave seven awards across five categories, together with two special awards: the Judges’ Discretionary Award to Liz Aggiss, and the Significant Contribution award to journalist Lyn Gardner.
Awards were announced on Thursday 24 August at the Out of the Blue Drill Hall, and the ceremony was supported by Edinburgh Playhouse and hosted most admirably by Figs in Wigs.
Co-directors Jo Crowley and Becki Haines said: ‘This year’s awards recognise exceptional artists creating gentle, bold, risk-taking and visionary work that is diverse, inclusive and accessible. It highlights the vital role theatre plays in communicating, engaging and opening up space for shared experiences. The artistic voices across this festival continue to provide a lens for audiences to understand one another better in an increasingly divided world.’
The judging panel for this year’s awards included Donald Hutera (The Times dance critic), Adrian Berry (director, Jacksons Lane), Dorothy Max Prior (editor Total Theatre Magazine), Matt Trueman (writer and critic), Jessica Bowles (Royal Central School of Speech and Drama), Andy Roberts (Bootworks/University of Chichester), and a whole team of producers and programmers from venues, festivals, and arts organisations across the UK, including Home Manchester, and The Place London; together with a number of overseas judges, some of whom were there with support from the British Council.
The Total Theatre Awards are managed independently to Total Theatre Magazine.
For more information on Total Theatre Awards see: www.totaltheatrenetwork.org
Full list of Total Theatre Award winners as follows:
Total Theatre & Farnham Maltings Award for an Emerging Company / Artist
Five Encounters on a Site Called Craigslist
YesYesNoNo (England)
ZOO
Physical / Visual Theatre
Sigma
Gandini Juggling (England)
Assembly
Total Theatre & Jacksons Lane Award for Circus
Fauna
Fauna in association with Aurora Nova and Follow the Rabbit (Sweden)
Assembly
Total Theatre & The Place Award for Dance
Hope Hunt and the Ascension into Lazarus
Oona Doherty (Northern Ireland)
Dance Base
Innovation, Experimentation & Playing with Form
Palmyra
Bertrand Lesca & Nasi Voutsas (England)
Summerhall
salt.
Selina Thompson Ltd (England)
Northern Stage @ Summerhall
Our Carnal Hearts
Rachel Mars (England)
Summerhall
Judges Discretionary Award
Slap And Tickle
Liz Aggiss (England)
ZOO
Significant Contribution Award
Lyn Gardner
Featured image: Gandini Juggling: Sigma