The 2023 Tucson Fringe Festival “Best of” Awards
It’s time to announce the best shows we had during our festival last week. Normally we make this announcement during the festival weekend, but as we’ve been short staffed this year, it took a little longer. We based the decisions on these awards by looking at attendance numbers and any comments by audiences and other artists. Shows are not granted multiple awards with the exception of Best Local Show and Best Out-of-Town Show as these categories are very specific. Some shows may qualify for multiple awards in other categories, but they are only awarded for one category.
If you would like to learn how you can support artists directly, please fill out the form on our Contact Page. And a big shout out to all the shows who were in our festival this year. Each one was an amazing show in its own right, but we only have so many awards to offer. Finally, here are the Best of the 2023 Tucson Fringe Festival.
Best Local Show – “The Singularity of the Machine” by The Spider Silk Circus; Tucson, AZ.
Best Out-of-Town Show – “Big Dad Energy” by Jamie Campbell; Kansas City, KS.
Best Drama – “Jeanette Rankin: Champion of Persistence” by J Emily Peabody; Minneapolis, MN
Best Comedy – “Big Dad Energy” by Jamie Campbell; Kansas City, KS.
Best Dance/Physical Movement Show – “The Singularity of the Machine” by The Spider Silk Circus; Tucson, AZ.
Best Musical or Show Featuring Music – “Futakuchi Onna” by Kristin Moran; Phoenix, AZ.
Best Ensemble – “Desperate to be Seen; Horrified of Being Known: A Ghost Story” by Vic Terry and Michael Simpson; San Diego, CA.
Best Solo Show – “A Scar is Born” by Lorelei Zarifian, Melbourne, FL.
The next two awards were not decided by attendance numbers or audience comments. These two awards are special and specific. The Beyond Border(land)s Award is given to a show who’s performer(s) are from a traditionally underrepresented population. Traditionally underrepresented populations can include, but are not limited to; women, people of color, or anyone from the LGBTQIA+ community. The Spirit of the Fringe Award is given to a show that embodies the essence of Fringe. Anything that is not a traditional theatrical show can win this award. This could be a show that’s a little more avant-garde or unique.
Beyond Border(land)s – “Mafia Anonymous: The Women Speak” by Pina, Phoenix, AZ.
The Spirit of the Fringe – “Let Me Say This About That” by Danna Sheridan and Heather Meyer, Minneapolis, MN.
Thank you everyone who attended the festival and thank you to all the amazing artists who performed for us this year. We’ll have more details of our next events, so be sure to check back regularly.