Three of the "most innovative theatre makers" at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe this year were announced as winners of the Edinburgh International Festival Fringe Prize 2009 today. The three are The River People, David Leddy (pictured), and Inspector Sands.
The Festival Fringe prize takes the form of an invitation to present a work in progress as part of the Edinburgh International Festival's Behind the Scenes programme in 2010.
Festival Director Jonathan Mills said: ‘By all accounts it has been a fantastic year for the Fringe especially for theatre, I am excited by the recommendations. I've met with the groups and I am impressed by the descriptions of their work. I am looking forward to a broader engagement with them in 2010.'
About the actors
With their gothic puppet play, Lilly Through the Dark, The River People conjure a theatrical world infused with myth and fairytale, which appeals to both adults and children alike. The River People are based in Hampshire and formed in 2004 with the aim of creating accessible, innovative and original performance work.
Glasgow based playwright and director, David Leddy is a leading specialist in site specific theatre in Scotland. His production of White Tea, set in a tiny Japanese tearoom, invites its audience to wear paper kimonos and drink tea during the performance which combines live storytelling with video and photographic projections. David has been awarded a Scotsman Fringe First 2009 for White Tea and Susurrus, which are presented as a double bill at Assembly Rooms venues.
If That All There Is, devised by the award winning Inspector Sands theatre company, is a blistering comedy drama about a couple on the brink of marriage. Inspector Sands is committed to creating outstanding, playful and compelling theatre which provokes and entertains.
The judges
Edinburgh International Festival Director Jonathan Mills has chosen the winners of the prize based on the recommendations of the judging panel.
This year's panelists were Graham Whybrow, former Literary Manager of the Royal Court Theatre, London; Lyn Gardner, theatre critic, the Guardian; Tony Reekie, the Director of Imaginate - the Bank of Scotland's Children's International Theatre Festival; Mary Brennan, dance critic, The Herald; and Sally Hobson, Head of Programme Development at the Edinburgh International Festival.
Theatre company Belt Up (nothing to see/hear) were the winners of the Prize in 2008. At Edinburgh International Festival 2009, Belt Up presented an intimate workshop Léasspell in The Hub placing the audience at the centre of the performance. They are also back at the Fringe with The Tartuffe, which EdinburghGuide.com's reviewer awarded 5 stars.