The Conveyor is again proud to announce our Awards of Excellence for the 2010 Cincinnati Fringe Festival. This year's festival continues to possess a consistent high level of quality. After seeing about as much Fringe as is humanly possible (but not every show!), we wanted to give our opinion on the best. Using a set of categories and groupings we created to best compare all of the varied types and genre of performance, we have come up with what we believe represents the best of the festival. First we considered the 1 production that stood about all of the rest:
Best Overall Fringe Production
Aberrant Reflections on the Barbarism of You & I
The Top Tier by Genre – The shows listed below in each grouping represent the best of the festival. Each genre, as defined by our reviewers, breaks the festival out into comparable categories. In each genre we have listed, in alphabetical order, the shows that stand out as exceptional.
Best Narrative
Harold
The Council
Medea
Best Non-Narrative Theatrical
Aberrant Reflections on the Barbarism of You & I
A Short Lecture of a Different Time
Tantric Acting at the Holiday Inn
The Finkles' Theater Show
Best Movement/Dance/Interdisciplinary
Just Say Know
Money Back Guarantee
That One Show
Best Story Telling/One-Person Show
A Brief History of Petty Crime
A Night of Well Adjust Ladies
Ain't That Good News
Blue Collar Diaries
Another way we want to honor the people and teams in this year's Cincinnati Fringe Festival is by identifying many elements of each production that deserve recognition. We’ve created awards, as listed below, which point out individuals and elements of shows that stood out. They are ranked in order.
Best Individual Performers
Jason Ballweber as Harold in Harold
Chris Wesselman in Aberrant Reflections on the Barbarism of You & I
Taylor Cloyes as Willow/Rose in Sophie's Dream
Best Ensemble
Harold
Aberrant Reflections on the Barbarism of You & I
Madea
Funniest Show
Tantric Acting at the Holiday Inn
The Council
Soul Juice
A Night of Well Adjusted Ladies
Best Script
Michael Comstock for Tantric Acting at the Holiday Inn
Nick Ryan for Harold
Christopher Karr, Mike Miller & Chris Wesselman for Aberrant Reflections on the Barbarism of You & I
Best Musical Moments
Ain't That Good News
Sophie's Dream
Soul Juice
Best Overall Moment
Oklahomahatma in Tantric Acting at the Holiday Inn
The visualization of the Murder of Madea's Children in Madea The Historian becoming digital in A Short Lecture of a Different Time
Banging the Gong with the head of a dead councilmember in The Council
One Phrase: Scarecrow Fucker from Harold
Most Fringey Show
The Finkles' Theater Show
A Short Lecture of Different Time
The Council
I think it’s great that you
I think it's great that you acknowledge your favorites of the Fringe, but I'm a little confused by your distinction between "narrative" and "non-narrative" pieces.
All of the shows that you cite as being non-narrative have a clear narrative through-line. "Aberrant Reflections" could conceivably be considered non-narrative were it just the series of skits, but there's a strong primary storyline in the interstitial material. Short Lecture is nothing but narration of a single story.
Really, when I think of non-narrative theatre, the things that spring to mind are shows that indulge primarily in the visual (a number of Robert Wilson's shows, for example).
So I appreciate that you were looking for a way to honor more shows, but maybe there should be a different way to demarcate the groups.
Thanks again for your enthusiastic support of the Fringe, and for coming to see all these shows. Sorry for being a pedant.