The shortlist has been announced for the sixth annual (Edinburgh) Fringe Sustainable Practice Award (FSPA), with the overall winner to be awarded in a ceremony on Friday 28 August.
The FSPA is awarded to the Edinburgh Fringe production that best engages with sustainability issues, whether in the content of the work or the nature of the artists’ practice. Previous winners have included a satirical comedy on commercialism and the food industry (The Pantry Shelf, 2010); a show with a real allotment for a set (Allotment, 2011); an allegorical puppet-show version of beloved tale The Man Who Planted Trees (2012); and a playful look at political protest (How to Occupy an Oil Rig, 2013).
Last year’s winner was a version of the Shakespeare classic A Comedy of Errors, performed by a troupe of cycling thespians (The HandleBards, pictured above) that was praised for ‘showcasing exemplary touring and set-design methods’.
2015’s shortlist consists of 21 shows, selected from the highest number of applications to date. Creative Carbon Scotland say it showcases ‘a rich variety of talent…from sombre plays to comedic poetry, satirical musicals to science fiction, recycled sets to taxidermy road-kill puppets, there’s something to suit even the most eclectic of tastes.’
The full shortlist is as follows:
- A Cinema in South Georgia
- Atomkraft
- Bayou Blues,
- Calton Hill Geology Walk
- Current Location
- Frankenstein
- Fraxi Queen of the Forest
- Garden
- Green Poems for a Blue Planet
- Lungs
- Maiden: A Recycled Fairy Tale
- Ndebele Funeral
- Photosynthesis
- Scarfed for Life
- Sing For Your Life,
- The Assembly of Animals
- The HandleBards: Secret Shakespeare
- The Wild Man of Orford
- To Space
- Ventoux
- We May Have To Choose
The FSPA is supported by Creative Carbon Scotland and by the Center for Sustainable Practice in the Arts (CSPA), as well as media partner The List.
During the second phase of judging, shows are encouraged – but not required – to provide a CSPA affiliate with tickets to their production to allow a trained eye to look at shows and projects as they exist in the real world.
Creative Carbon Scotland is a non-profit organisation that works with art organisations to encourage and facilitate engagement with sustainability in both the content and practice of their work. The CSPA is a think-tank for sustainability in arts and culture with a particular focus on research and initiatives aiming to position arts and culture as a driver for sustainable society.