Oliver Emanuel, Charlene Boyd and Douglas Maxwell win Fringe First Awards

In exciting news Oliver Emanuel’s A HISTORY OF PAPER, Charlene Boyd’s JUNE CARTER CASH, and Douglas Maxwell’s SO YOUNG have won Fringe First Awards.

The first round of winners were announced today. Given out three times across the Edinburgh Festival month, the awards recognise new pieces of work that have garnered acclaim and prominence at the Fringe. Sponsored by Edinburgh Napier University and Queen Margaret University, they are the oldest prizes at the festival.

A HISTORY OF PAPER is on at the Traverse Theatre. Written by the late Oliver Emanuel, A HISTORY OF PAPER is a musical love story which charts the progress of a relationship between a man and a woman through the little bits of paper left behind - every ticket, letter, menu, and shopping list. It’s an incredibly poignant and moving play, and a testament to the brilliance of Oliver who died tragically young at the end of last year. The entire run has already sold out.

JUNE CARTER CASH by Charlene Boyd is on in The Dissection Room at Summerhall and tells the story of one of country music's most iconic voices. In this raw yet uplifting show, Charlene Boyd gets to grips with a life less ordinary. More than a simple biography, this play with songs sees Charlene explore her relationship with her musical heroine and their shared experience as performers and working mothers. A powerful, personal journey of discovery stretching across the Atlantic from the Appalachian Mountains to the Glasgow high-rise flats, their tale is one of empowerment, endurance and perseverance.

SO YOUNG by Douglas Maxwell is also on at the Traverse Theatre. Written with warmth and wit SO YOUNG tells the story of a group of friends coming together for an evening to reconnect. However the initially innocuous gathering soon slides into ruin as old friends face the challenges of middle age, growing apart and losing those close to them, whether that’s to the grave, or to London. Both touching and funny, SO YOUNG is a story about coming back together after time apart.

We are immensely proud of Oliver, Charlene and Douglas for their well-deserved awards.