Edinburgh Festival Insider - Theatre Award 2009

As ever, the Fringe has been a fertile showcase for new and established drama groups to present some quite stunning shows. Theatre is the genre that is perhaps closest to the roots of the Fringe's beginnings, so it is heartening to see so many companies keeping that spirit alive.

This year, the nominations for the Edinburgh Festival Insider Theatre Award 2009 are:

• The Grind Show by TBA Collaborative. A unique vision and excellent performances from a young and talented group of performers, The Grind Show was captivating and beautifully staged.
• Ernest and The Pale Moon by Les Enfants Terribles / Pins & Needles Productions. A deliciously dark tale of gothic horror performed with panache and style by a multi-talented cast.
• The Overcoat by Gecko Theatre. A nigh-on perfectly realised interpretation of Gogol's short story, staged with wonderful imagination and delivered through extremely accomplished performances and stagecraft.
• Stitches by Claire Urwin. Splendid student theatre with an excellent script and some stunning performances from its young and talented cast.
• Private Peaceful by Scamp Theatre. A poignant and beautifully acted study of brotherly love and the horror of war.

And the winner is...

The Overcoat by Gecko Theatre

Even after having let this sink in and compared to the other productions in the shortlist, Gecko Theatre's production still dazzles. Beautiful sets, stunning lighting, original direction and performances that were absolutely marvellous: The Overcoat was greater than the sum of its already splendid parts and delivered a production that I would comfortably and confidently call a triumph.

Gecko Theatre, here is your well-deserved:

Review: Stitches ****

Set in a post-apocalyptic future where survivors are trying to piece together memories of things now lost, Stitches is a well-written and intriguing new work from award-winning playwright Claire Urwin.

In the Department of Flora & Fauna, four conscripts labour on creating quilts depicting the connections and links between barely-remembered creatures wiped out by the 'firestorm'. They bicker and argue throughout, the snappy dialogue containing some cleverly-written comments on the class system and modern-day materialism.

Into the mix arrives a new girl, Amy, excellently portrayed by young actress Elizabeth Hopper. A member of the lowest caste of survivors, her performance is filled with facial tics and expressions, and wild gazes and movements from eyes that have seen too much too young. As the play unfolds, with good pacing by director Rajiv Nathwani, dark secrets are unearthed and relationships already thin are stretched to breaking point.

The young female cast are all accomplished actresses, with Hopper and Vanessa Fogarty as the aloof and snobbish Bel being given the best roles and lines. With a larger stage and better lighting than the confined space of the Radisson is able to provide, Stitches would be hard to fault, and it is to the cast & crew's credit that their production shines through these small limitations to provide an hour of excellent student drama that is superior to many productions from much more experienced companies.

Stitches runs until August 29th at Spaces at the Radisson. £7 (£5 concession)

Highlight #13 - Stitches

Stitches is an original piece of theatre from the pen of young and critically-acclaimed writer Claire Urwin. Urwin, a graduate from Manchester University currently undertaking a Masters in Martin Amis' Creative Writing course, specialises in dark works blending fantasy and reality, her previous work No Wonder having made an impact at the National Student Drama Festival.

Stitches spins an Orwellian take on a mysterious post-apocalyptic future, its characters forced into working for the Department of Flora & Fauna, researching lost wildlife for the State. Into the midst of a group of conscripts, a new girl arrives, setting the events of the play in motion.

Urwin's words are brought to life by the University of Manchester Drama Society and the Scratch That theatre company, and Stitches is directed by the award-winning Rajiv Nathwani.

With such a mix of emerging, young and acclaimed talent behind it, the production looks to be one for anyone who appreciates new and original works of theatre to add to their Fringe diaries.

Stitches runs from 17th-29th August (not 23rd) at The Spaces @ The Radisson. £7 (£5 concession).