2009 was the year that…

The Chippendales stripped down to their undies, dancing around Karen Koren as she sat on a throne in a haze of dry ice, at the Gilded Balloon Press Launch! Even Scottish funny man, and host for the evening, Hardeep Singh Kohli exposed his torso on the night. It was a sight not to be missed, rest assured!

We once again saw the return of some Gilded Balloon family members and firm fringe favourites Craig Hill, Phil Kay, Jarlath Regan, Dead Cat Bounce, Richard Fry and many more, rolling out brand spanking new material for both die-hard fans and fringe-virgin audiences alike.

The Gilded Balloon definitely represented the Australian Fringe contingent in 2009, with the likes of Sam Simmons, Felicity Ward, Axis of Awesome, Dave Thornton, Celia Pacquola, and more, bringing a touch of antipodean hilarity to the programme.

Our Children’s program this year both delighted and captivated all the little festival nippers, from sell-out shows from The Gigalees, to the colourful costumes of Crabbit! The Musical. And Theatre lovers welcomed back the talented Richard Fry with his five-star show ‘Bully’ and a second theatrical masterpiece ‘Killing Me Softly’, while The Kosh presented their fantastically dynamic show, ‘The Storeroom’.

And our local and International crowds alike were delighted to see a 10-show-only exclusive run of Janeane Garofalo, star of “The Truth About Cats and Dogs” and “Reality Bites.

It was also a year of fabulous awards and award nominations, exposing the true talents hidden up the proverbial Gilded Balloon sleeve – Baba Brinkman with The Rap Guide to Evolution snapped up the Fringe First Award, leading the way for a host of other top-notch Gilded Balloon performers to follow suit.

And quirky Eton Alumni and current Oxfrod University student Ivo Graham’s awkward storytelling charmed the judges into crowning him the So You Think You’re Funny? Winner

AWARDS

Fringe First Award
Baba Brinkman -The Rap Guide To Evolution

Mervyn Stutter’s Spirit of the Fringe Award
Felicity Ward

Three Weeks Editor’s Award for 2009
Aindrias de Staic

NOMINATIONS
Stage Theatre Award
Nicola Haydn – Janis

Total Theatre Award for An Emerging Artist/Company
Sweeney Todd: His Life, Times and Execution!

What’s On Stage Award for Best Book for a New Musical
A-Team – The Musical