THE WRITERS' GUILD
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[1'1 I‘I'ZIIZ'It'ILZIL'EJ
Words of Wisdom
ur List/Writers” (iuild l‘estival awards scheme. which celebrates the quality of writing in l’ringe comedy and theatre. begins this year. Here. we present our first winners.
We subjected then to hundreds of hours in dark. sweaty rooms. watching some of the very worst as well as the very best of this year's comedy and theatre. But the judges emerged from the warren ol performance spaces across lidinburgh and went straight into another dark room this time in order to battle their way to a verdict. l‘our writers are today a little better off thanks to the recognition that the awards will bring and of course thanks to the prize money that was a key part of deciding to inaugurate this new Festival award scheme.
Strangely enough. despite the abundance of awards at the lidinburgh l‘estival. hardly any hand out money to their winners. (iiven the vast financial pressures on any l‘ringe performer. The List and the Writers (iuild of (ireat Britain were determined that winning an award should immediately help offset some of the costs of staging a show in lidinburgh. There are pri/es of’ £500 for each of the main winners. and £250 for each of the newcomers. as well as mentoring schemes through the BBC Writing Room project and a year's membership of the \‘v'riters‘ (iuild.
The winners of this award received their pri/es on 'l‘uesday at an awards ceremony presented by comedian Arthur Smith and writer .\lark Ravenhill.
A huge thank you to everyone who has worked so hard to make the new scheme possible. to our hard working scouts and judges. and in particular to our indefatigable awards organiser. Dave ('ohen. (Nick Barley)
WINNER:
BEST COMEDY WRITING
DAN TETSELL
Also shortlisted: Rhod Gilbert, Robert Newman.
lhere can't be too many comics '.'/ho would dare to focus a full one hour set on the Sins of Hitler's Germany 'illl Dan letsell rs in the unrgue positron wrthrn the funny fraternity of having a grandfather. Kurt Martens. who was a member of the a wrllrng devotee of Na/rsm and a possible participant in bloody slaughter.
FestivaIAwards
Fr'eguently raising guestions for which there are no srrnple answers ‘r.r'.'as his other granddad. an errant parent and general allround ‘cunt'. a better or v'xorse human being than hrs mother 's lather"? What x'rould Tetsell have done ll he had been in Martens shoes’% and usrrxg '(3o::ard of the County as hts benchmark for moral gurdance. fifth; of the (-irt'r/rdfathe/s rs (I()lt§3|f§f(fl‘.ll'~,' furr'ry. often challenging and. rare“; rrr the l‘rrrrge comedy \.'-./or‘ld. actually gulfe nrovrng. lBr‘ran Donaldson,
WINNER:
BEST COMEDY NEWCOMER JASON MANFORD
Also shortlisted: Penny Spubb’s Party (Katy Wix and Anna Crilly).
\."\.’-::-".e all seen comedy r'orrt'nes tl‘a'. you tee! ‘.'.’()tr":l go (lexxn a storrr: .f you heard them dent: tl‘e ::.rb. l'lvf; can o"t-::-" seem like a :trrttcrs'r‘. but zahrte Mar‘ftlrd's Ur‘bar‘ l eger‘d "eeks of bar banter. hrs srmpie sty'e and gur'ky wrtrrrg raises tl‘at srandard. \'\.’e'd myths and shocking r'urrrour seduce everyone and this arnrable cornrc uses the mysterious tales of folklore and traces thern back centuries to show that history often repeats itself
Slt()\.'.’l)llf;llKEESES rs often a \.=.rrndo\.'.' against which our biggest tears and :-ssrorrs are reflected. so Manlor'd tries to lay forever the speculation of whether some of llo||y\.".'ood's most famous animated movies were pr‘orrrotrng frlth and fascism lniaybei and '.'.’he‘.i2er that really rs a ghost standing in a corner (ltllt"t) Three Men and a Habv lrt':‘ notl. A thorougth entertarnrng and tightly scripted piece. rt marks out Marrtord as a clear star rn the rrrakrrrg. (Brian Donaldsonl
obs
WINNER:
BEST THEATRE WRITING TRAD
Also shortlisted: The Devil’s Larder (writer: Ben Harrison); The Riot Group: Switch Triptych (writer: Adriano Shaplin).
Brought to us by the (ialway Arts lestrval. had contains a sly Beckettran wit as well as a '\.'.'ar'mth and charm that mrglit play beautifully before any audience Mark Dollerty's narrative features a lit() year old man. hrs 100 year old son. and then guest for the latte ‘s son. ll()\.‘.’ ft), and unseen since hrs birth. lhe strange. stylrsed and surreal cttect oi this might be apparent
It“ Ara: 8 Sep
Festival Agenda
to
you. yet there rs a metaphysical and physical JOUl’lTOy taken in the piece. which would engage young and old. Along the way there's a gentle. never really confrontational guestronrng of the value of tradition, be rt that ".VlllCll exists wrthin the lar‘rrly or that of church and state. lSteye Cramerr
WINNER:
BEST THEATRE NEWCOMER EAST COAST CHICKEN SUPPER
Also shortlisted: 1000 Natural
Shocks (writers: the TEAM).
It's hard to rrnagine the norves faced by a newcomer to the Edinburgh Fringe. The scale of this mighty creative enterprise rs enoogh to cow even old hands. so artists on their first visit rnrght easily be tr'o/en by a premiere here. Not so Martin J Taylor. whose play East Coast Chicken Supper seemed as at ease wrth its audience as they were wrth it. The story of three Frte drug dealers and a local hard man might inspire visions of the IrVrne Welsh approach to theatre. yet this piece is as warm and cuddly an evening's entertainment as you're Irker to encounter this Fringe.
Taylor's script shows a meticulous ear for collogural discourse. as well as a strong eye for theatrical dynamics. As much about frrendshrp as conflict or come. this piece has a lrkeable quality that might put rt on the West End in the future. Once again. this award was decided after much trerce debate among the Judges. but the play represents a level of entertainment that rs worthy of attention. (Steve Cramer)
THIS YEAR’S JUDGES Sally Avens BBC drama producer
Dave Cohen Comedy writer whose credits include Have I Got News for You
Steve Cramer Theatre editor of The List
Brian Donaldson Deputy editor and comedy editor of The List Victoria Lloyd BBC radio comedy producer
Laurence Marks and Maurice Gran Writers whose credits include Birds of a Feather and Shine On Harvey Moon
ti) THE LIST FESTIVAL MAGAZINE 71