3.34°C For ten days, from 25 October to 3 November 2024, Colchester became Fringe City, as the fourth and biggest Colchester Fringe Festival took over a range of venues, welcoming artists from around the globe, the UK, and locally. Sixty-seven productions, over 200 artists, and, in terms of ticket sales, the most successful festival yet! I saw 35 shows, and the standard was phenomenally high. At the awards ceremony to close the festival, a number of shows were honoured. Here are my picks and reflections on the Fringe.
THE KEEP COLCHESTER COOL AWARD FOR THE BEST COLCHESTER-BASED COMPANY OR PERFORMER
I was delighted to be asked to select the winner, and it went to 3 Wishes Theatre Company for their haunting, highly emotional production of Sarah Kane’s 4.48 Psychosis. It opened on the first weekend and was still vivid in my memory at the close of the festival.
PICK OF THE FRINGE (INTERNATIONAL): The Real Black Swann: Confessions of America’s First Black Drag Queen. Not only did it educate us about this little-known first US gay activist, but the piece also screamed relevance in light of current US politics. Superb work from Les Kurkendaal.
PICK OF THE FRINGE (NATIONAL): The hilarious King John, a fast-paced adaptation of Shakespeare’s “worst” play, which also won the Volunteer Pick of the Fringe Award.
PICK OF THE FRINGE (LOCAL): Hide My Porn, created and performed by Joseph Rawlings about his cancer battle. Funny, humane, and inspiring, it was my personal favourite of the 35 shows I saw.
BEST LGBTQ+ SHOW: Two Come Home. Joe Eason’s remarkable play, performed by an outstanding cast, sold out all its performances at the Mercury Studio, gripping audiences with its live soundtrack.
OUTSTANDING SOLO PERFORMANCE AWARD: Mr. Bloom. It was an absolute privilege to watch the mime and physical skills of Antonio Brugnano from Italy.
OUTSTANDING SHOW WITH MOVEMENT: Flowers, by Japanese company Gumbo, is an excellent piece that challenges notions of femininity in modern Japan. It also won the Artists’ Pick Award.
THE COMEDY AWARD: CS Improvisation, a perfect example of the genre. A different show every time, created from audience suggestions and choices.
FRINGE OF THE FRINGE AWARD: The mighty Gumbo from Japan, whose wild and raunchy show was like no other. They also won the Spirit of the Fringe Award.
Other notable winners were:
- AUDIENCE CHOICE AWARD: I Deleted Hinge For Deliveroo.
- MUSIC AWARD: Hebridean Fire.
- BEST CHILDREN’S SHOW AWARD: Captain Zak’s Space Pirate Problems.
Among my personal favourites was Minty Spectre’s wonderful Poop Poop!, an adaptation of Wind in the Willows that transported me back to my childhood. I also loved drag queen Aria Close and drag king Frankie Heartless battling it out in the violin duet show No Strings Attached, Sexy Rude Harp Concert, which delivered exactly what the title promised, and the work of local actors in the Stage Craft and Act V productions.
Huge congratulations to creator and artistic director Cameron Abbott-Betts, who has grown the Fringe from a weekend event four years ago to the phenomenon it is now, with more to come! He was also awarded his PhD from the University of Essex this year and really should be given the Freedom of the City for his contributions to the local arts scene and economy – thousands of people visited the Fringe!
Planning for next year is already underway, so here’s to Fringe Five!
Paul T. Davies
