Tom Cruise, Fartiste Among Winners of Fringe Fest Excellence Awards

The 10th Annual New York International Fringe Festival, which closed out its two-week run on August 27, has announced the winners of its 2006 Overall Excellence Awards. As released by The Present Company, the producers of the Fringe, the following productions received official accolades:

Outstanding Play:
I Was Tom Cruise
Modern Missionary
Lulu

Outstanding Musical:
The Fartiste
58! A Comedy About Bike Messengering
Fallen Angel

Outstanding Playwrighting:
Matt Hoverman, In Transit
Moby Pomerance, Broken Hands
Geoffrey Decas, The Deepest Play Ever: The Catharsis of Pathos

Outstanding Music & Lyrics:
Danny Ashkenasi, The Tell-Tale Heart

Outstanding Solo Show:
Flying on the Wing
Mike's Incredible Indian Adventure
Democrats Abroad

Outstanding Direction:
Mark Steven Robinson, Don't Ask
Jonathan Silverstein, Red Herring
Joel Froomkin, The Infliction of Cruelty

Outstanding Costume Design:
Robin L. McGee, Rainy Days & Mondays
Renee Mariotti and Bernard Grenier, Trouble in Shameland

Outstanding Set Design:
Shane LeClair, A Small Hole
Robin Vest, Hermanas

Outstanding Actor:
Anna Jayne Marquardt, Walmartopia
Helen Stratford, Suicide - The Musical
Steve Hayes, The Pengiun Tango
Cory Grant, Broken Hands
Margaret Daly, T.L.C.

Outstanding Ensemble:
Open House
Vice Girl Confidential
The Onion Lovers
Diving Normal

Outstanding Choreography
Paula Kroening, Band Geeks

Those who missed out on the first round of Fringe shows will have the opportunity to see remountings of a handful of productions, including several of the award winners. The first annual FringeNYC Encores series, organized by a small group of independent producers, will feature nearly a dozen Fringe 2006 entries in rotating repertory at two as yet unannounced downtown venues. This year, the series will include Billy the Mime, Danny Boy, Diving Normal, I Was Tom Cruise, Mike's Incredible Indian Adventure, Never Swim Alone, Open House, The Penguin Tango, Perfect Harmony, Rainy Days & Mondays, and Walmartopia. FringeNYC Encores will run from September 5 - 24. Additional information regarding the inaugural program can be found at www.fringenyc-encores.com.