Popular Island drag artist Quivers has been revealed as the winner of the Ventnor Fringe Audience Choice Award, winning the coveted trophy and £500 prize money. Over 1,200 votes were received in the annual competition for the audiences’ favourite act at the festival, with runners-up including EarsPeeled and Jack Clay’s Comedy Club. Ventnor Fringe will be returning for its special 15th edition this year from 19th-28th July 2024 and artist registrations are now open for anyone who would like to bring a show to this year’s festival. Modelled on a famous Edinburgh Fringe, hundreds of performers took part in 2023, spanning circus, theatre, comedy, cabaret, music and visual arts, in pop-up venues and spaces throughout Ventnor and a new box office record was set, with 12,000 tickets sold. ‘Fringe’ Festivals are open to anyone to take part, both amateur and professional, and in particular are popular as spaces to test out new material. Co-Director Jack Whitewood explains:
“We were really excited to see big names like Richard Herring and Sophie Ducker testing out new material last year, as well as Ahir Shah going on to win the Edinburgh Comedy Award, following a work in progress preview in Ventnor”.
Other alumni of the festival have gone on to win MOBO’s, Grammys and Writers Guild Awards as well as commissions for Netflix, BBC and ITV. This year, an artists handbook has been published providing lots of advice and information about how the festival operates and artists are reminded to apply before the deadline of 31st March 2024. Find out more at www.vfringe.co.uk.
Well done, box ticked