Whether through the Edmonton International Fringe™ Theatre Festival, Fringe Theatre Season, or our Spotlight program, we work year-round to support the local theatre community through sustainable opportunities to create and share new work.

The Westbury Family Fringe Theatre Award is one of the ways we are investing in artists. This annual award provides one local artist, group, or company with $25,000 in funding towards the creation of a new work to be presented as part of the Fringe Theatre Spotlight program in the following season.

We are excited to announce the inaugural recipient of the Westbury Family Fringe Theatre Award, Twilla MacLeod and Greg Shimizu with Booming Tree, whose project A Man Draws a Bird will premiere as part of Fringe’s 2019 season.

“We received an incredible number of quality applications, but our jurors unanimously agreed that Booming Tree’s submission best represents Fringe Theatre’s commitment to excellence through the development of boundary-pushing, story-driven theatre,” said Artistic Director Murray Utas. “I look forward to supporting Booming Tree through the creative development of this beautiful and important piece, and can’t wait to share it with our community of theatre lovers!”

For nearly two decades Drs. Robert & Marilyn Westbury have been indispensable advocates for Fringe Theatre. Through their leadership, Fringe Theatre has blossomed from a small, grassroots organization into a global leader – producing the largest Fringe Festival in North America, with more than 800,000 visits a year, in addition to a full season of theatre and support programs! Special thanks to the friends and family of the Westburys, who established the Westbury Family Legacy Fund through which this award is endowed.

About A Man Draws a Bird:

After an accident, a man and his partner are trapped in a strange world called the In Between. In this urban forest, their lives are linked to those of a coyote, a bird, and a wise old sensei who holds the secret of powerful Taiko drums which, by way of pulse, vibration and tension, impact everything they touch. Leaving this fortress and putting the past behind them proves to be a monumental journey. When they emerge, will they recognize who they’ve become?

Innovative, visceral, and uplifting, A Man Draws a Bird will celebrate the strength and resiliency of the human spirit through Taiko drumming, live theatre, multi-media, and stylized movement.