Around the Fringe in 80 Shows (Wrap Up)

It's over! I suck! I didn't even get close to 80 shows! I noticed that my tally in regard to my goal was reasonably close to the Golden Ratio of the ancients however and feel the warm glow of classical approval. It's like Euclid is resting a fuzzy hand on my shoulder and muttering encouraging words through his tzatziki-flecked beard.

"MATHEMATICALLY APPROVED"

The Fringe award winners were a unanimously deserving bunch:

Best Special Event: Fringe Garden

Best Performance: Rawcus Theatre Company and Restless Dance Company for The Heart of Another is a Dark Forest

Best Dance/Movement: Kate Stanley and Fiona Bryant for Max

Best Circus: Strangers in the Light

Best Comedy: Celia Pacquola for Am I Strange

Best Cabaret: Jacob Diefenbach for Jason Diefenbach 'Master of Disguise'

Best Music: Rowan Vince for VIR 2008

Best Visual Arts: Claire Mooney, Mary Newsome, Patrick Pound, Heather Shimmen and Masato Takasaka for Postcards

Best School Holiday Program Award: Curious Legends and Company Gongoma for Mermaids Daughter

Best Venue: Bella Union, Trades Hall

Melbourne International Arts Festival Award: Jodie Ahrens for Deceased Estate

VicHealth Community Cultural Development Award: Fringe Garden

The Melbourne Dramatists Award for New Writing: Alison Mann for Tabula Rasa

The Melbourne Airport Award for Outstanding Newcomer: Felicity Ward's Ugly As A Child Variety Show

The Adelaide Fringe Festival Awards: Elbow Room for There (performance); Ahmarnya Price for Just Me And Yoko Ono (visual arts)

Auspicious Arts Award for Best Emerging Producer: Richard Higgins and Matt Kelly for The List Operators

Gasworks Award: Michelle Slater and Phillip Haddad for Rhythm and Runners

Linden Award for an outstanding visual artist: Antonia Goodfellow for Empyrean

The Falls Festival Award: Brydie Dyson, Set Designer of Darlington Garage Presents

The 2008 Wilin Centre Award for Indigenous Fringe Artist of the Year: Nikki Ashby for Deaf Can Dance

The Circus Oz / ACAPTA Award: Farhad Ahadi (Circus Trick Tease)

The Village Award: Skye Gellmann, Terri Cat Silvertree and Alex Gellmann for Scattered Tacks

Fringe Furniture People’s Choice Award: Yoshio Takagi for Molentje

Fringe Dwellers People’s Choice Award: Circus Trick Tease

And now, dagnabbit if I'm not glad the festival is over and I can get back to a placid, non-festival existence of quiet contemplation and cheese eating.

AWWW CRAP.