The Victoria Fringe Festival wrapped its 12-day run on Sunday, culminating with some of the best audience totals in the 33-year history of the alternative theatre festival. That buzz carried over to the Pick of the Fringe Awards, which are tabulated from votes casts by audience members. A record number of Pick of the Fringe votes were also cast this year, according to the Intrepid Theatre Society, which announced the award winners during the festival’s closing-night gala.
Josephine — a solo show about entertainer and civil rights activist Josephine Baker — was the big winner with three awards. The production by Florida’s Dynamite Lunchbox theatre company took home top honours as the Overall Pick of the Fringe, in addition to the title of Favourite Solo Show. The show’s star, Tymisha Harris, shared the award for Favourite Performer with False Profits star Jeff Leard.
Only three other productions won more than one award. Pointe Tango of Montreal took home Favourite Duo and Favourite Dance/Physical Theatre/Puppetry for Into the Tango, while two Victoria-based productions — Collectivus Theatre’s Summer Bucket List (Favourite Drama and Favourite Original New Work) and Salty Broad Productions’s GRL PWR (Favourite Cabaret/Variety/Musical and Favourite Ensemble) — were also twice victorious.
Winners of 2019 Victoria Fringe Festival awards
Overall favourite show
Josephine, performed by Tymisha Harris
Favourite comedy
5-Step Guide to Being German 2.0, Paco Erhard
Favourite dance/physical theatre/puppetry
Into the Tango, Erin Scott-Kafadar and Alexander Richardson
Favourite drama
Summer Bucket List, Collectivus Theatre
Favourite cabaret/variety/musical
GRL PWR: A Musical History of 90s Girl Group Feminism, Salty Broad Productions
Favourite experimental
Let’s Prank Call Each Other, zack dorn
Favourite spoken word/storytelling
Jon Bennett: Playing with Men
Favourite ensemble
GRL PWR: A Musical History of 90s Girl Group Feminism, Salty Broad Productions
Favourite duo
Into the Tango, Erin Scott-Kafadar and Alexander Richardson
Favourite solo show
Josephine, Tymisha Harris
Most audacious artist (artistic risk taker)
LUB DUB, Rage Sweater Theatre Productions
Best performance by a Fringe artist
Tymisha Harris in Josephine
Jeff Leard in False Profits
Favourite show design
Nevermore, for lighting
Favourite family-friendly show
Ingenue, Melanie Gall
Favourite original new work
Summer Bucket List, Collectivus Theatre
