Brighton Lions Bursary
We are pleased to announce that this year’s Brighton Lions Bursary winners have been chosen. Awarded by the Brighton Lions, this bursary covers the registration fees of five different winners, and is specifically designed to support acts aged over 60, in order to encourage older performers to join in with Brighton Fringe.
This year’s winners are:
Belladonna
The Lions Bursary has been a great help to Belladonna - a classical music group based at St. Lawrence Church. With the bursary, the group have said they will be able to make their programme, and their performance on 11 of May, better than ever. “There will be something for everyone in this programme!” (Belladonna)
Good Grief
The last time this theatre production attended Brighton Fringe (back in 2015), they were awarded runners-up in the Audience Choice Awards. This year Swallows Theatre are back with their play Good Grief, and have been awarded the Brighton Lions Bursary to help in their performance from 20-26 of May. “We hope this will help us prove again that a well-crafted drama, with actors of all ages, should be on everybody’s must-see list!” (Good Grief)
Wolf Tamer
Thanks to the Lions bursary, Savage Heart production are able to bring the autobiographical play known as Wolf Tamer to Brighton Fringe. Exploring themes of grief, loss, adventure, and the power of storytelling, the humour laced dark tale will be performed from 13-19 May. "A very moving account of a dark experience interlaced with innocent joy and humour." (Audience feedback)
Four Thieves Vinegar
Without the bursary, FourTails Company wouldn’t be able to bring Four Thieves Vinegar to Brighton Fringe. Performing at the Rialto Theatre from the 4-5 of May, and again from the 1-2 of June, the black comedy centres on the story of three prisoners and a jailer as they try their best to escape the black plague. “I’d always dreamed of having my own production, but it likely would not have been possible without this generous award from Brighton Lions.” (Four Thieves Vinegar)
The Blues Corporation Rides Out
Complete with full horn section and harmonica, the 9 piece band The Blues Corporation are riding out with a performance at Fringe on the 18 of May. With help from some of the very best musicians in the genre, The Blues Corporation Rides Out will include arrangements of classics from James Brown, Big Joe Turner, Donnie Hathaway, and more, as well as the groups own fusion of blues and soul. With the bursary, the band hope to increase their performance opportunities. “The award will really help us to maximise our potential to take our show to the next level and hopefully enable us to secure gigs at other festivals and venues around the UK.” (The Blues Corporation Rides Out)
BN1 Bursary
Awarded by BN1 Magazine to a Brighton Fringe Act, the bursary offers much more to its winner than finances. As well as paying for the winner’s registration fees, the BN1 bursary pays £100 towards the cost of print advertisements, and offers aid in the marketing of the winning performance. Winners will also be seen in multiple features across BN1 Magazine, and will receive advice regarding press, social media, and exposure.
This year’s winner is:
How Disabled Are You?
With How Disabled Are You?, Tommy Gwatkin takes the stage to explore the preconceptions and judgments that many people have around people with disabilities, and those that claim benefits. By inviting three disabled people, that have never performed before, up on to the stage to discuss the repercussions of people’s negative attitudes towards disability benefits, he aims to give back a voice to these groups. “It’s important that voices and stories such as Tommy’s are heard in theatre” (A Younger Theatre)
South East Dance Bursary
Each year, the Brighton-based dance company South East Dance award winners of their bursary £300 cash support, and social media mentoring. As well as this, the company pays for the winner’s registration fees, and offers them artist advisory.
This year’s winner is:
As a Tiger in the Jungle
Fusing together Spoken word, Circus, Movement, and Ceremony, As a Tiger in the Jungle follows three performers from Nepal as they recall their miraculous life stories of overcoming the odds and surviving childhood. Holding life, entertainment and reflection at its very core, the show raises questions about love, life, poverty and greed, as each performer relives the fight they had to face in order to forge their own destinies. “We hope the award will highlight the importance of the work and help us stand out from the enormous crowd of talent programmed at the Fringe.” (As a Tiger in the Jungle)
Irene Mensah Bursary
The Irene Mensah Bursary is awarded to performers that display a full commitment to cultural diversity and social inclusion in the arts. Focused in Brighton and Hove, the bursary also offers payment for winner’s registration fees.
This year’s winner is:
Son of an African
Through the story of a 10 year old slave boy and the 11 year old girl, whose illegitimacy has blighted her young life, he meets when he is taken to Brighton, the play Son of an African explores displacement within society in 1868. Thanks to the award, the moving play can be brought to Brighton Fringe from the 23-29 May. “Because of this prestigious award, I am now able to start the ball rolling properly and take part in the next Brighton Fringe.”
IN:tro Award
Available via invitation, the IN:tro award is offered to Brighton-based artists aged 18-25. Winners of the award are treated to Brighton Fringe registration, as well as a bespoke mentoring package which consists of 5 consultation sessions that are tailored to meet individual, creative, and professional development needs.
This year’s winner is:
What Doesn’t Make the Cut
As an exploration into the effects of social media and the pressures created by constant scrutinisation on a young female generation, the dynamic new dance production What Doesn’t Make the Cut asks “What really lies behind the screen, when the mask of perfection is removed?”
Encore Insure Bursary
The Encore Insure bursary is awarded to any acts that have more than 6 dates at Brighton Fringe, and fall under the categories of Dance, Theatre, Spoken Word, Physical Theatre or Literature.
This year’s winners include:
Sh*t Scripts: Bad Manors
First written by Zach when he was a creative 15 year old, Sh*t Scripts: Bad Manors sees the now 30 year old office worker’s old dream revisited. With performances from 13-16 May, the show turns the forgotten script of Bad Manors into a fully realized production, in order to celebrate the creativity that can often get left behind by adult life. “We’re so excited to bring our work to the famously incredible Brighton audiences.” (Sh*t Scripts: Bad Manors)
He Shot, He Scored
He shot, He Scored is the perfect play for Brighton & Hove Albion fans. This one-man show follows the team and the continual devotion to the Seagulls by the city of Brighton & Hove though thick and thin. “Winning the Encore Insure bursary has been a real boost to us as we prepare for our first Brighton Fringe” (He Shot, He Scored)
WATCHING: Ceci n'est pas de Deux
Puppetry, dance and theatre fuse together in this entrancing, humour laced, horror filled show that delves deep into one women’s fears and desires. “… Winning the Encore Insure bursary has opened great opportunities like being able to create a show with the support of a wider network.” (WATCHING: Ceci n'est pas de Deux)
Sary
Based on a 19th century Sussex tale, this piece of English Eerie explores themes of female sexuality, ageing, and loss, as kinds of alchemy. “Of course the money is very welcome, as every penny counts with a low budget production like this. But even more important is the vote of confidence in our work that the award represents.” (Sary)
The Beautiful Dance of Life and Death
As she fights against a mysterious illness, one women must dance the fine line between living and dying. Based on a true story, this imaginative new drama explores the themes of politics affecting medical care, as the former dancer and her bohemian roommate fight to survive, with help from a young astronaut and a fallen star. Will they survive, or be captured and tortured with no end in sight? “Receiving this year’s Brighton Fringe Award is an honor. As a young company, not only does it help in bringing our story all the way from the central U.S. but it further encourages our mission of sharing the stories we do not often see on stage” (The Beautiful Dance of Life and Death)
The Pebble Trust Awards
The Pebble Trust Awards offers winners a bursary that includes a minimum of £300 towards production costs (for venue or equipment hire, marketing, props etc.), and covers the registration fees for Brighton Fringe. Winners will also receive up to 3 mentoring sessions with one of the judges of the awards.
This year’s award winners include:
Coming Home with Me
Influenced by real life news stories and verbatim testimony, this theatre production is exploring the grimy underbelly of a girl’s night out. Despite the tackling of such dark and deeply human perils, the Brighton-based theatre company Girl Code are offering a sense of hope with their entertaining rendition. Coming Home with Me are fighting the patriarchy and lad culture, one creep at a time.
Forgotten Dialogue
Inspired by the anonymity granted by a public toilet cubical, this experimental physical theatre piece explores the relationship between words and space, asking: “what happens when we leave our words behind?”
The Pebble Trust International Touring Bursary
The Pebble Trust International Touring Bursary is given to an international act, in attempts to bring a wide audience from all across the globe to Brighton Fringe.
This year’s winner is:
Sullied
Through Spoken word and dance, this South African physical theatre group deconstructs the politics around our bodies, and challenges us to question the widespread acceptance to endure abuse, suffering and pain. Diving deep into the world of rape culture, sexuality, gender identity, race polarization and religion, the erudite piece hacks away at misogyny, and interrogates the effects that patriarchal ideologies have on the human psyche.