The Standard Bank Fringe Ovation Awards winners

A panel of judges selected three Gold Ovation Award winners this year: jazz vocalist Asanda Mqiki, and two theatre productions: El Blanco: Tales of the Mariachi written by Gwydion Beynon and performed by James Cairns; and Greig Coetzee’s Johnny Boskak is Feeling Funny, directed by Roslyn Wood-Morris and performed by Craig Morris. Seven other productions were awarded Silver Awards.

“The Standard Bank Fringe Ovation Awards have earned a reputation as a credible reward for productions that raise the bar on excellence,” Festival artistic director Ismail Mahomed says.

During the 11 days of this year’s Festival, a total of 42 Ovation Awards were announced. “This is the highest number of awards since the inception of the Standard Bank Fringe Ovation Awards in 2010 – and is indicative of the high quality of productions on the Fringe,” Mahomed says.

The awards provide “a valuable incentive for artists on the Festival’s Fringe programme to strive for excellence, experiment with innovation and to challenge and shift the boundaries of creativity,” says Mahomed. “Audiences and visiting producers from other festivals enthusiastically look out for winning productions.”

After reviewing a show, a panel of experts – who remain anonymous until the end of the Festival – “robustly discuss” whether a show is deserving of a Standard Bank Ovation Award. Criteria considered include production values, the quality of performances, writing and direction, the conceptualisation, innovation and originality of a work, and the overall impact of the production.

“When a production is given an Award, it signals an optimism that the judges share about the potential that the production can enjoy growth and success beyond the Festival,” Mahomed says. “For artists, the stamp of approval opens doors to newer audiences, extended tours and, in some cases, even to funding.”

The winners of the Silver Ovation Awards are:

•  A Man And a Dog, a coming-of-age story about a young Zulu boy written and featuring Nhlanhla Mkhwanazi, directed by Penelope Youngelson.  
• The sold-out We Didn’t Come to Hell for Croissants: 7 Deadly New Stories for Consenting Adults. Featuring Jemma Kahn and Roberto Pombo, directed by Lindiwe Matshikiza.
• Morwa the Rising Sun, a solo piece written and featuring Tefo Paya, explores the challenges faced by young men in Africa.
• In Phala O Phala’s production of Kafka’s Ape, Tony Bonani Miyambo tells the tale of Red Peter, the ape who evolved into a human in five years.
• The darkly comedic physical theatre piece, Father, Father, Father!, directed by Toni Morkel.
• The dance piece Barbed Wire Wallpaper, choreographed and directed by Nondumiso Lwazi Msimanga. 
• Hatchetman, the folk-rock trio from Cape Town.