The Holden Street Theatres' Edinburgh Fringe Award

Our Award Winners

Every year we scout out the best Fringe shows at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe to bring home and be the headliner of our own HST Adelaide Fringe! The award is the only one of it's kind that allows a company from Edinburgh to tour their show to the Adelaide Fringe, and it has brought us some fantastic acts over the years. From Henry Naylor to Molly Taylor and everyone in between, the award has uncovered some of HST's favourite artists.

Check out our current and past winners below, or head to Holden Street Theatres' Adelaide Fringe Award page to check out our local 2023 winner!

Current Winner

Congratulations to our 2023 winner, England and Son, to the program!

'Any nation that devours another will one day devour itself.' This is a one-man play written for Mark Thomas by award-winning playwright Ed Edwards (The Political History of Smack and Crack). With some deep, dark laughs – and some deep, dark love – England & Son emerges from characters in Mark’s childhood and Ed's lived experience in jail. Prepare to be taken on a kaleidoscopic odyssey where disaster capitalism, empire, stolen youth and stolen wealth merge into the simple tale of a working-class boy who just wants his dad to smile at him.

★★★★★"It is rare a production is so powerful that as it ends, an audience springs to ovation only to then exit in almost complete silence. England and Son is exactly such a rarity! " The Recs

★★★★★"Very humorous and deeply moving. Don’t miss this!" North West End UK

Previous Holden Street Theatres' Edinburgh Fringe Award Winners

Congratulations to all our previous winners. These exceptional shows have each headlined our Holden Street Theatres Adelaide Fringe program in the following Adelaide Fringe.

What is the HST Edinburgh Fringe Award?

Our award invites a production from the Edinburgh Fringe to perform at Holden Street Theatres in Adelaide, South Australia, as the headline show of the following year of our Adelaide Fringe program.

Holden Street Theatres is known as “The Home of Theatre” with a strong loyal following and a reputation for presenting great work and looking after its artists and patrons.

Productions are shortlisted by the Artistic Director of Holden Street Theatres, Martha Lott, along with a panel of international producers and arts practitioners. The work is selected on artistic merit, production values, touring possibilities, venue compatibility and marketing viability. We see work from all genres and venues across Edinburgh, and accept applications and information from individuals, producers, and venues in advance.