Fringe Fest 2011 Wrapup

That really felt true of this year´s event. Part of the charm of Prague as the host city is its size: wander around Malá strana during the Fringe and you can´t help but bump into one or two of the performers you´d seen on stage the night before, or one of the ever-cheery volunteers. There appeared to be a wonderfully collegiate atmosphere between performers too. At Fringe Sunday I sat next to the lovely Wyndham Grayling of Stealing Buckingham Palace, who told me that as well as trying to learn his lines, he tries to see and support as many shows as possible. And, whilst I wasn´t wild about their show, the cast of Sunnyville seemed to be lovely guys, and were often to be found at the bar at Malostranské Beseda (Malostranské náměstí 21, Malá strana) talking to other performers. From their Twitter feeds and Facebook updates, it is also clear that most performers really relish the opportunity to spend time in the Czech capital.

Best for Busy Bees: I was disappointed I couldn´t get to more shows over the Fringe period, but Prague Fringe and Belushi´s Pop-Up Fringe (Odborů 4) were both innovative events new to the Prague Fringe Festival this year. Pop-Up Fringe gave performers an opportunity to showcase their acts and drum up some much needed support – audiences generally seemed a little empty, especially in the first few days. Fringe Sunday gave busy audiences a chance to see snippets of a wide range of theatre, comedy, mime and the world´s best hula-hooperrandom.

Biggest Regret: Judging by their brief sketch at Fringe Sunday and from seeing some ‘behind the scenes´ action at their show (they performed at Kavana 3+1 whilst I enjoyed a drink in the bar area) I was sorry to miss Dr. Brown Makes Love. Two very hairy monsters who both seem to look inebriated most of the time (I have no idea if this is an accurate assessment or not), wearing smoking jackets running around and jumping through windows, reportedly throwing food at the audiencewhat´s not to like?!

All-Around Top Act: I will sit on the fence here and say it´s too hard a call to make, between Cooking for Love, Phebe Starr and Merri-May Gill. But keep an eye on the Prague Fringe Festival website: the Creative Award (awarded to the artist or company whose production is deemed creatively exceptional), the Inspiration Award (for a piece of work that has been staged on a world platform no more than twice previously) and the Outstanding Performance Award (for the artist who has excelled in their performance at the festival) should be announced soon.