PRESS RELEASE
FRINGE FIRST AWARD FOR ENDA WALSH AND DRUID AT EDINBURGH FESTIVAL FRINGE
Enda Walsh and Druid were today awarded a prestigious Scotsman Fringe First award at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival for The New Electric Ballroom. These awards are given to outstanding new writing premiered on the Fringe, having been highly recommended by the Fringe’s panel of experienced critics and arts journalists. Druid’s second visit to the Traverse in Edinburgh is once again generously supported by Culture Ireland.
This award follows on from Druid’s and Enda’s success at last year’s Edinburgh Festival when The Walworth Farce also received a Scotsman Fringe First Award.
Writer and Director of The New Electric Ballroom, Enda Walsh, had this to say upon receiving the award - “I'm delighted with the critical and audience response to The New Electric Ballroom and this second Fringe First Award in two years is a recognition of Druid's care and delivery of production. To all crew involved I wish to offer my thanks. We were very fortunate to secure four extraordinary actors for this production and with a little luck their performances will be seen in many more places. My congratulations to my creative team in design, lights and sound for a job well done. It's great news.”
The New Electric Ballroom has been described as a coiled, dark, glitter-dusted fable of the emotionally stultifying effects of small town life and centres around three sisters in a remote fishing village, living in a world shaped by memories and trapped by their narrative of a single night at the New Electric Ballroom.
Eugene Downes, Chief Executive of Culture Ireland, commended Druid and Enda on their achievement - “Hats off to Druid and Enda Walsh on back to back Fringe Firsts. In the global spotlight of Edinburgh, Enda is being recognised as one of the great playwrights of his generation.”
Minister for Arts, Sports and Tourism Martin Cullen TD said: “I am delighted to add my congratulations to Druid Theatre and Enda Walsh on achieving the Edinburgh Fringe First Award. This well deserved acknowledgement demonstrates the professional and artistic success of Druid and Enda Walsh in representing Irish theatre abroad.”
Tim Smith, Druid’s General Manager commenting on the award – “We are delighted that after its run at Galway Arts Festival that The New Electric Ballroom has garnered such success at Edinburgh. Coming after last year's Fringe First Award for The Walworth Farce it is recognition of the terrific work of a great cast, a most brilliant writer and director and a talented creative team. It is also a great testament to the strength of Irish theatre on the Fringe in general this year. We are very grateful to Culture Ireland for their support and the opportunity to return to the Traverse with another masterpiece from Enda.”
Enda Walsh has also won a Fringe First for Bedbound in 2001 and the Critic’s Choice Award for Disco Pigs in 1997.
This production at the Fringe, which is supported by Culture Ireland, has brought an exciting creative team to Traverse – Writer/Director Enda Walsh, Designer Sabine Dargent (Irish Times Award 2007 for Best Set Design, The Walworth Farce), Lighting Designer Sinead McKenna, Sound Designer Gregory Clarke and cast Val Lilley, Rosaleen Linehan, Mikel Murfi and Catherine Walsh.
The production runs until August 24th at the Traverse Theatre in Edinburgh.www.traverse.co.uk
What the critics are saying about The New Electric Ballroom
The Scotsman Joyce McMillan
*****
“shatteringly fine theatre, directed by Walsh himself with an explosive theatrical energy that puts most British theatre work to shame”
“a breathtaking series of performances”
“that most explosively brilliant of modern Irish stage poets, Enda Walsh”
The Times Benedict Nightingale
****
“Walsh writes with an invention and verve all his own”
The Guardian Lyn Gardner
****
“Walsh confirms himself as one of the most dazzling wordsmiths of contemporary theatre”
“a beautiful and devastating play”
The Guardian Online Michael Billington
“Walsh’s play triumphantly creates its own world”
“mixture of fizzling originality and invocation of past masters”
Variety Helen Meany
“Walsh goes beyond Beckett and creates his own brilliantly skewed world”
The Irish Times Peter Crawley
“darkly universal: in short, the story of our lives”
For more details on The New Electric Ballroom, visit www.druid.ie or for details of the Traverse Programme at Edinburgh Fringe Festival www.traverse.co.uk
For further media information please contact Kate at Kate Bowe PR Tel: 01-652 0143 E-mail: kate@katebowepr.ie