Dublin Fringe theatre festival awards announced

This year's Tiger Dublin Fringe Awards were announced last night at the Liquor Rooms in Temple Bar. The awards were presented in nine categories this year.

The Best Production award went to How To Keep An Alien; other nominees were Tardigrade, How to Disappear Completely and Bernarda's House.

The Best Design award went to the Tardigrade team. Other nominees were Adam Gibney for Eating Seals and Seagulls' Eggs, the design team of At Sea, Eimear Murphy for props in Bernarda's House, Trevor Schwellnus for Ajax and Little Iliad, and the design team at The Rest is Action.

Best Performers were Emmet Kirwan and Ian Lloyd Anderson (jointly), and Lauren Larkin. Nominees were Amy Conroy, Clare Barrett, Sonya Kelly, Phelim Drew, Eva O'Connor and Smilin Kanker.

The Best Ensemble award was won by Advocacy, while other nominees were Rhubarb Crumble, The Well Rested Terrorist and Source.

The new Judges' Choice Award award went to Zombies; Why Death is Dying or Are You Working Hard Enough?. Other nominees were Stefan Fae: Cabaret Mattachine, Deep Aerobics, Chaos and Songs From a Car Park.

The Bewley's Cafe Theatre "Little Gem" Award went to Charolais. Other nominees were Dublin Oldschool, How to Build Your First Robot, Orwell's Down and Out in Paris and London adapted by Phelim Drew and The Tale of the Ancient Lights.

The First Fortnight award, for challenges to prejudice on mental health, was won by My Name is Saoirse. The Fishamble New Writing award went to Between Trees and Water by Fiona McGeown and Thomas Conway.