After many years attending the Edinburgh Festival Fringe, and seeing highly original theatre, I had an idea to give an award to at least one new play every year, and bring it to New York.
This prize, called the Carol Tambor Best of Edinburgh Award, was presented for the first time in 2004, and, in a formal agreement with the Festival, will be given annually, in perpetuity.
The Edinburgh Fringe is the largest arts festival in the world. The Tambor Award is presented at The Scotsman newspaper’s final award ceremony, which is covered by the international press.
The award is considered the top prize at the Fringe because it gives something new to Festival participants – a next step for their careers: $25,000 to enable a New York transfer of their production. All companies shortlisted will receive $1,000 to promote their current or future work.
All productions given 4 or 5 stars by The Scotsman’s reviewers are eligible for the award, as long as they are new to New York.
The Foundation makes this award with no commercial interest in the play, for current or future production.
The international press has reported extensively about the Award, including major feature articles in The New York Times, The Herald, plus the International Herald Tribune, the BBC and Backstage. In fact, the Award was the subject of a Scotsman editorial regarding novel approaches for promoting the arts. The actual, physical award is a hand engraved crystal block with the images of Scotland and the United States intertwined.