WINNERS ANNOUNCED FOR THE MUSICAL THEATRE AWARDS AT THE
EDINBURGH
FESTIVAL FRINGE
The winners
have been announced for the second annual Musical Theatre Awards at Edinburgh's Festival
Fringe. The ceremony took place at 10am in the Music Hall at Assembly @
George
Street in front of a full audience, where several
other awards (including the Scotsman's final Fringe Firsts) were also announced.
The MTM:UK segment was
presented by Dr. Nick Phillips, Head of Musical Theatre at the Liverpool
Institute of Performing Arts, and West End star
Frances Ruffelle.
One production
- BARBERSHOPERA! - walked away with
two awards: the MTM:UK Award for Best Lyrics in a New Musical and the
prestigious OD Musical Award for Most Promising New Musical. Two other award
winners were also announced - DEPARTURE
LOUNGE won the MTM:UK Award for Best Music in a New Musical (music by Dougal
Irvine), and FUNK IT UP ABOUT
NOTHIN' received the Dress Circle Award for Best Musical Production. They
also closed the whole ceremony with a performance of their rap title
song.
The judging
panel, this year, decided not to give an award in the Best Book for a New
Musical. Whilst a highly unusual decision, the judges felt that there were no
Musicals with a book of a high enough quality at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe
2008. Instead, the move to withhold the Best Book award is hoped to be seen to
set a certain level for next year which we hope companies, bringing Musical
Theatre to next year's festival, will feel challenged to strive to
achieve.
Last year's
award winners have since had big successes with; Eurobeat (which won the Best Musical
Production award) just about to head into the West End after a major tour; Truth In Translation (for which Hugh
Masekela won Best Composer) which received a lengthy US tour last year and
embarks on a Balkan tour in September 2008; and Tir Nan Og (which won the Dress Circle Award
for Best New Musical) transferred to London as part of the Perfect Pitch
festival of new Musicals and received a highly successful tour of
Scotland.
This year,
we're proud to be associated with our sponsors, OD Musical (Korea) and Dress Circle in London.
Winners
highlighted in yellow with asteriks within each category
below.
MTM:UK Award for BEST BOOK for a NEW
MUSICAL
DEPARTURE LOUNGE - Dougal
Irvine
THE
JONAH BOY -
Jane Buckler
ON THE ISLAND OF AARS - Chris
Larner
**NOT
AWARDED (see above)
MTM:UK Award for BEST LYRICS for a NEW
MUSICAL
**BARBERSHOPERA!
- Tom
Green and Rob Castell
DEPARTURE LOUNGE - Dougal
Irvine
ON THE ISLAND OF AARS - Chris
Larner
TONY OF ARABIA - Chris Bush
MTM:UK Award for BEST MUSIC for a NEW
MUSICAL
**DEPARTURE
LOUNGE - Dougal
Irvine
THE
JONAH BOY -
Richard Taylor
ONLY THE BRAVE - Matthew
Brind
ON THE ISLAND OF AARS - Mark
Stevens
OD Musical
Award for MOST PROMISING NEW MUSICAL
**BARBERSHOPERA!
- Tom
Green and Rob Castell
DEPARTURE LOUNGE - Dougal Irvine
ONLY THE BRAVE - Matthew Brind
(music/lyrics), Stephen Coleman (book/lyrics) and Rachel Wagstaff
(book)
ON THE ISLAND OF AARS - Mark Stevens
(music) and Chris Larner
(book/lyrics)
Dress Circle Award
for BEST MUSICAL PRODUCTION
BARBERSHOPERA! - Rob Castell, Tom
Green and Sarah Tipple
DEPARTURE LOUNGE - West
End
International, Newpalm Productions & Andy Barnes
Productions
**FUNK
IT UP ABOUT NOTHIN' - Chicago
Shakespeare Theater
ON THE ISLAND OF AARS - Quuup Productions
and James Seabright for Festival
Highlights
In addition to
the formal winner announcements, above, the panel wished to make the following
commendations:
- Reiterating the special mention at the nominations
announcements, the judges wish to recognise the promise in the theatre
songwriting and writing team of Pippa Cleary and Jake Brunger for JET SET
GO! as well as the work of director, Luke Sheppard, and the Producer, Margot
Johnston, in presenting the season of work by Take Note Theatre at George
2.
- The performance by DARREN BROWNLIE in The Jonah Boy at George 4.
- The performance by LAURA MAIN in On The Island of Aars at Pleasance
Courtyard.
There were 49
new Musicals which were assessed and reviewed by a team of 10 assessors over the
first two weeks of the festival. A panel of 6 judges then had just four days to
see the 7 nominated productions prior to a private discussion session when the
winners were decided, 24 hours before the official
ceremony.
Musical Theatre Matters
(MTM:UK) is a not-for-profit
organisation established in the UK by and for professional theatre
creatives/producers wishing to develop and champion new musicals, new
opportunities and new writers throughout the UK. These awards
are now in their second year, having been launched in 2007 to celebrate the
creativity of the Fringe and the potential of those creating work in
Britain today.
For more
information contact:
Tom
Atkins, [email protected], 07984
773693
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