-

Organisers welcomed creative talents from across the packed festival programme to the awards ceremony in a cosy polytunnel at the Serpentine Community Garden on Sunday, July 26.

After two years of disruption, Fringe chairman Stephen Walker told the audience that it had been “wonderful to be back to full strength” as a despite the ongoing challenge of Covid, and he thanked everyone involved in entertaining audiences across some 170 performances, exhibitions and events.

As well as the artists involved, Stephen highlighted the vital contributions of committee members, venues, volunteers and supporters and financial backer High Peak Borough Council, amongst many, many others.

He also paid an emotional tribute to former vice chair Viv Marriott and former chair Keith Savage, both of whom died in the last year.

Stephen said: “Viv was endlessly enthusiastic and encouraging and a great supporter of youth theatre. Keith was ‘Mr Fringe’ in many people’s eyes and an unflappable, good-humoured and a deeply kind man.

“Keith said leading the Fringe was the honour of his life and that resonated with me. It is an honour to lead this team and to succeed such a great man.”

There were more memorial acts, as the youth theatre award was dedicated to Viv as it was handed to Nottingham production company Shadow Syndicate.

The ‘spirit of the Fringe’ prize was presented in tribute to Keith to Buxton’s own Shakespeare Jukebox.

There were more awards for hometown acts, as Luke Wilkinson picked up the children’s events prize for Wilbur the Worst Explorer, and Haus of Dench’s Drag Queen Vs Zombies, featuring local star Kate Butch, won the comedy show award.

Peak District poet Mark Gwynne Jones won the spoken word category and Buxton Museum was honoured twice as the Derbyshire Open won visual arts event and Sarah Keast won best artist for her Tipping Points exhibition there.

Flame-haired television comic Alasdair Beckett-King claimed the stand-up comedy award, while Runny Honey saw Spanner in the Works Theatre Company take a theatre award home to Belfast for the second consecutive year, this time for production.

The John Beecher Memorial Award for original, challenging work with high production values went to comedian Luke Rollason’s Bowerbird show, and PJ Vickers, from north Wales, won the new writing prize for ZAV.

Ashlea Kaye, who appeared in the Little Prince, won the female actor award, and Tim Hardy took the male acting title for his turn in the Trials of Galileo.

Music awards went to the large ensemble Ordsall Acappella Singers, small vocal ensemble the Close Enough Barbershop Quartet, small instrumental ensemble Henrietta Hill and Friends, and Egriega for his solo show Adventures in Light and Sound.

For more details on all the winners, see https://bit.ly/3S0AdXG.