ONE HUNDRED productions and 460 performances later, the 2010 Dublin Fringe Festival wound up last night with an award ceremony at the Absolut Fringe Factory on Liffey Street, the festival’s late-night home for the past two weeks.
More than 50,000 people attended this year’s festival, which brought more shows than ever onto the street. Most memorable of the many free, public events was the breathtaking Macnas spectacle at the National Museum, Collins Barracks on the festival’s opening night. Designer Noeline Kavanagh, was rewarded with the award for best design.
Aonghus Óg McAnally received the award for best male performer for his performance in the physically expressive production Fight Night, and the Bewley's Cafe Theatre Award, which will give him the opportunity of a two-week run at the lunchtime theatre.
HotForTheatre was also a double-winner, scooping the prize for best female performer for Claire Barrett and the Fishamble New Writing Award for Amy Conroy, writer of I Heart Alice Heart I,the company's complex documentary theatre performance.
The Spirit of the Fringe commissioning award went to THEATREClub for the gritty Heroin.The best production title went to The Company for its Joyce-inspired love-letter to Dublin, As You Are Now So Once Were We, while choreographer Emma Martin received the audience-nominated wild card award for the emotionally affecting Listowel Syndrome. The award for best off-site production went to Anu Productions for the extraordinary World's End Laneat the LAB on Foley Street, which brought to light hidden histories of a long-neglected part of Dublin.
