Mervyn Stutter's Spirit of the Fringe Awards
Saturday 26th August 2023
The Mervyn Stutter 'Spirit of the Fringe' Awards (aka ‘The MERVs’), along with Mervyn's regular 'Pick of the Fringe' show, are this year celebrating their 30th anniversary which makes them one of the oldest Awards on the Fringe.
Seven Awards are given in this special ‘Spirit of the Fringe Awards’ show which is always the final show each year (this year, Saturday 26th Aug 2023). These Awards acknowledge and celebrate the talent, hard work, pluck and sheer doggedness demanded of performers from all genres on the Fringe to make a show a success.
Winners of a MERV are chosen from the 133 amazing shows that have been highlighted during the regular 2023 'Pick of the Fringe' showcases, so it is fair to say that the winners are the crème de la crème. Given this, it could justifiably be argued that this is the best show of the whole ‘Pick of the Fringe’ run. The 'Spirit of the Fringe' Awards were created to recognise those who show commitment in the face of little support or funding or those who have consistently provided audiences with quality entertainment over the years.
Previous Winners of a MERV
2022
THE MISTAKE
BALLET FREEDOM
THE TIGER LILLIES
MADE IN INDIAN/BRITAIN
TAIWAN SEASON: SEE YOU
AURIE STYLA: GREEN
SK SHLOMO: BREATHE: THE PLAY THAT BECOME A RAVE
BLACK IS THE COLOR OF MY VOICE
2019
CLEOPATRA HIGGINS (for Tina Turner and Aretha Franklin Story)
TAIWAN SEASON: FLOATING FLOWERS
WHO CARES
INTERBEING - Stories from a Current War
DIVET SHOW: THE GREATEST DIVAS
TOM STADE: YOU AIN'T SEEN NOTHING YET
HAVANA AFTER DARK
2018
BOWJANGLES: EXCALIBOW
JIM TAVARE: FROM DEADPAN TO BEDPAN
FREEMAN
BEN HART: THE NUTSHELL
FRINGE WIVES CLUB: GLITTERY CLITTERY
MATT FORDE: BREXIT THROUGH THE GIFT SHOP
MISHA'S GANG
2017
CHRISTINE BOVILL
MANDY KNIGHT - THE DARK KNIGHT
MATT PANESH
DESCENT
SLEEPING TREES AT THE MOVIES
JO CAULFIELD: OLDER. WISER. SMARTER. MEANER.
WERELDBAND: SLAPSTICK
2016
MICHAEL ROULSTON
PAUL FOOT: 'Tis a Pity She's a Piglet
JOAN
PETE FIRMAN - TriX
BUCKET LIST - Theatre Ad Infinitum
THE TAP PACK
JunNk
2015
SPENCER JONES
ECHOES by HENRY NAYLOR
JESS ROBINSON
FILLS MONKEY
GEORGE EGG
1972: The Future of Sex
LE HAGGIS
2014
THE TARZAN MONOLOGUES
MS SAMANTHA MANN
CHRISTIAN REILLY
ARCOS DANCE
KRAKEN (TRIGVEE WAKENSHAW)
CROFT AND PEARCE
THIS IS BRASIL
BARRY FERNS
2013
LADY RIZO
LIGHTS CAMERA IMPROVISE
TANGRAM
SMOOTH FACED GENTLEMEN - TITUS ANDRONICUS
MARCEL LUCONT
BANGALORE ROCK
2012
KATE DAISY GRANT
A SOLDIER’S SONG
SCHOOL OF NIGHT
TIFFANY STEVENSON
TOM FLANAGAN in KAPUT!
DAVID BATES - FAMOUS SPIEGELTENT
FELIPE - BLUES!
RHYTHMIC CIRCUS
2011
TECHNODELIC COMEDY
THE ADVENTURES OF ALVIN SPUTNIK
IVOR DEMBINA
BANE 1 2 & 3
KEV ORKIAN
SOWETO ENTSHA
2010
ARTHUR SMITH
STICK STONES BROKEN BONES
SARAH LOUISE YOUNG
FRAGILITY OF XTOM ADAMS
HENNING WEHN
THE MAGNETS
2009
OUT OF THE BLUE
SIMON MUNNERY
STALAG HAPPY
FELICITY WARD
CHICKENSHED
SHOWSTOPPER - THE MUSICAL
CHARLIE BAKER
MERCY MADONNA IN MALAWI
2008
RICARDO GARCIA’S FLAMENCO FLOW
GRAHAM ELWELL
THE REBEL CELL
ZOE GARDNER
STEWART LEE
GREYFRIARS TWISTED TALES
2007
TRIPOD
TIM FITZHIGHAM
FAUSTUS
JOSEY LONG
IVAN BRACKENBURY (aka TOM BINNS)
CAMILLE
2006
WOMEN WITH STANDARDS
OWEN O’NEILL
CAL McCRYSTAL
HELLO DALA
ANDY ZALTZMAN
THE 4 NOELS
NEIL EDMOND
MICK AND PHIL MORIARTY
2005
JANE BOM-BANE
NICK PYNN
DAVID SANT
KAHLIL ASHANTI
TRICKLOCK
PHIL NICHOL
PRIORITE A GAUCHE
CHILDREN OF THE SEA
2004
PLUCK
PETER ATERMAN
MARK WATSON
NEW INTERNATIONAL ENCOUNTER
LONG JOURNEY HOME
SABOTAGE
MIKE BLAHA and NIGEL MILES-THOMPSON
WE ARE KLANG
BONGO FURY
2003
GUY MASTERSON
FASCINATING AIDA
DAVID O’DOHERTY
TRICK BOXING
SOL BERNSTEIN
MIKELANGELO & THE BLACK SEA GENTLEMEN
2002
TERRA FOLK
A NIGHT IN NOVEMBER
FLIGHT OF THE CONCHORDS
WHITE SIDE STORY
VELOCITY
GOGO THE BOY WITH THE MAGIC FEET
2001
DOUBLE EDGE DRAMA
RUSSELL CHURNEY
PHIL NICHOL
MICHELLE BUXTON
LINDA MARLOWE
PEEPOLYKUS
ANTONIO FORCIONE
MAC TONTOH AND THE KETE WARRIORS
2000
BLUE GRASSY KNOLL
ROBERT FARQUHAR
OVER THE EDGE
INFINITE NUMBER OF MONKEYS DO GRAVITY
EARL OKIN
ROSS NOBLE
JIVE JUNKIES
1999
TIM VINE
BARB JUNGR
OMID DJALILI
BRUTAL TELLING
SAMUEL ZUCKERMAN’S WARHORSE
TREE HOUSE
GENTLEMEN VOLUNTEERS
1998
HUUN HUUN TU
SHAKTI(GARAGE)
YAMATO
DAVE JOHNS
MONKEY AND THE WATERFALL
TALL STORIES
JIVING LINDYHOPPERS
BOOTHBY GRAFFOE
1997
PIP UTTON
YLLANA (GLUB GLUB)
SHELAGH MARTIN
CRYING IN PUBLIC PLACES (JUMP)
PETER STRAKER
HUMOURBEASTS
RED SOX (PIGSTY)
1996
ED BYRNE
LEAGUE OF GENTLEMEN
DAVID BENSON
BROKEN DREAMS THEATRE CO.
PHILIP JEAYS
LEGS ON THE WALL
1995
WILL GAINES
THE SECOND CITY
REJECTS REVENGE
IVAN HENG
MICHAEL MEARS
1994
EARL OKIN
OMID DJALILI
MAGDELENA BUZNEA
SCOTT CAPURRO
UMBILICAL BROS
HONKIN’ HEP CATS
1993
SIBIKWA PLAYERS
GARY DRABWELL
THEATRE SANS FRONTIERES
THE CAGE
WOODY BOP MUDDY
HE HAN (From ZHANG HOUDE TROUPE)
