First winners of 'The Besties' - The Skinny-Fest Festival Awards (for festivals)

The first week of the inaugural Skinny-Fest Festival Awards aka The Besties are here! 

The winners of Edinburgh's newest awards show, The Skinny-Fest Festival Awards (for festivals) or The Besties received their awards at the Festival Theatre this morning. The winners were chosen by the editorial teams of The Skinny and Fest, drawing on their cross-festival expertise to celebrate the best work happening anywhere in the festivals. The first seven categories reflect the diversity of the magazines’ coverage.

The award ceremony was hosted by Australian comedian Michelle Brasier whose show Legacy is at the Gilded Balloon. The cast of A History of Paper, a Dundee Rep and Traverse Theatre co-production being staged at the Traverse also treated guests and winners to a performance. 

What our judges had to say:

The Kids Award
(chosen by the Fest Kid Critics)
Garry Starr - Monkeys Everywhere
This show was highly rated by all of Fest’s kid critic review team who saw it. Described by one parent as “The only kids show I have ever actually enjoyed,” Monkeys Everywhere achieves the rare feat of being entertaining for both children and adults.

The Outwith Award
for international talent
Lou Wall - The Bisexual’s Lament
Reviewers from both publications highly rated Lou Wall’s high energy show with unapologetic silliness. Fest deputy editor Ben Venables says “They can play the internet like it’s a musical instrument.”

Emerging Talent Award
Kim Blythe - Might As Well Comedy
The most emerging of emerging talent, this was the TikTok comedian's debut hour and our team felt it shows that she's the real deal.

The Night Owl Award
John Norris for Mr Chonkers, Piggy Time
We wanted to celebrate John Norris for his shows and also his commitment to demonstrating the spirit of the Fringe. He’s selected for doing good, supportive and genuinely ‘Fringe’ things in a late night slot.

The Sexy Award for Sexiness
Penthesilea
We introduced this award because depicting eroticism in all its messiness, immediacy, and
intensity is one of the most difficult and exhilarating things that live theatre can do. We were
blown away by the Internationaal Theater Amsterdam’s production of Penthesilea, a
blood-soaked punk adaptation of the Heinrich von Kleist’s play, in which sex is as visceral as
war and mythic battles become a cipher for states of impossible desire.

Radgie of the Fringe Award
Frankie Monroe
We can’t think of anyone better to win the inaugural radgie than the character created by Joe
Kent-Walters. Fest’s reviewer asked “What is this greasepaint-faced northern ghoul scuttling up
to the stage? Why is he at once thoroughly disgusting, and yet strangely pitiable? Why are we
laughing quite so hard at his special trowel?

New Writing Award
The Chaos That Has Been and Will No Doubt Return
Chalk Line Theatre regularly produce some of the most incisive writing that comes out of the
Fringe. Their new production, The Chaos That Has Been and Will No Doubt Return, takes as its
subject one of the UK’s most economically deprived and politically neglected towns, bringing
noughties Luton to life in a script that vibrates with wit, charm, and anger.

Complete list of winners:

🏆 The Outwith Award (for best international artist/production) for Lou Wall’s The Bisexual Lament at Pleasance Courtyard (Edinburgh Festival Fringe) 

🏆 Radgie of the Festivals (for boldest performance/behaviour) for Joe Kent-Walters is Frankie Monroe: LIVE!!! at The Monkey Barrel Comedy (Edinburgh Festival Fringe) 

🏆 The Sexy Award for Sexiness to Internationaal Theater Amsterdam’s Penthesilea, Royal Lyceum Theatre Edinburgh (Edinburgh International Festival) 

🏆 Night Owl (for a late night show) to John Norris for Mr Chonkers / Mr Chonkers Presents…Piggy Time at Monkey Barrel Comedy (Edinburgh Festival Fringe) 

🏆 Best Kids Show for Garry Starr’s Monkeys Everywhere at The Pleasance (Edinburgh Festival Fringe) 

🏆 Next Big Thing Award for Emergent Talent for Kim Blyth’s Might As Well at Gilded Balloon (Edinburgh Festival Fringe) 

🏆 New Writing Award for The Chaos That Has Been and Will No Doubt Return at Summerhall (Edinburgh Festival Fringe) 

The next two ceremonies will take place on Saturday 17th and 24th August.  

Keep an eye on Capital Theatre’s channels throughout August to see more about The Besties, produced in partnership with The Skinny, Fest Magazine and Premier Scotland.