West of Ireland artist Olwen Fouéré, star of the play riverrun, has been awarded The Herald Archangel Award, one of the most prestigious awards of the Edinburgh Festivals.
The award was presented to Fouéré, at a reception at Edinburgh’s Festival Theatre, for her performance in riverrun and her sustained contribution to the Edinburgh Fringe Festival.
Produced by the Galway International Arts Festival and The EmergencyRoom, in association with Cusack Projects Limited, riverrun is adapted, directed, and performed by Olwen Fouéré and co-directed by Kellie Hughes. The show has received numerous five star reviews since its world premiere at the GIAF last year, and opened at the Edinburgh Fringe earlier this month at the Traverse Theatre.
This is the second award Fouéré has received for her performances at this year’s festival, after Britain’s leading weekly theatre and entertainment industry newspaper, The Stage, awarded her a Stage Award for Acting Excellence.
Legendary US theatre artists Peter Sellars and the Wooster Group, and Irish playwright Enda Walsh are among previous recipients of this prestigious award.
The award ceremony at the Festival Theatre was attended by GIAF’s artistic director Paul Fahy; Ireland’s Consul General to Scotland, Pat Bourne; Neil Murray, producer at the National Theatre of Scotland; Christopher Wynn and Roy Luxford from the Edinburgh International Festival; Orla O’Loughlin, artistic director, and Linda Crooks, producer, of the Traverse Theatre, and by many artists and companies performing at the festival.
“This is a great honour,” commented Fouéré, who thanked The Herald, and making reference to the award, a sculpture of a winged angel, she joked, “I will use my wings and my trumpet well.” Fouéré went on to thank Culture Ireland for their support of the production, her producers, the riverrun company, and the Traverse Theatre.
Keith Bruce, arts editor of The Herald who presented the award, praised Fouéré for “her astonishing performance in riverrun and her impact and brilliance on the Edinburgh stage over the years.” Riverrun runs at the Traverse Theatre, Edinburgh, until August 24, before touring the USA in September.
