The Fresh Fruit Festival Reveals Mainstage Award Winners for 2022 and 2023

The Fresh Fruit Festival's annual mainstage awards returned this year after an absence last year. The event celebrated the 2022 and the 2023 winners of their annual mainstage festival of new work.

Fighting Prejudice Through The Arts: Established in 1991, All Out Arts is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit devoted to bringing together the diverse artistic, organizational, political and financial resources of the LGBTQ community in order to fight intolerance. All Out Arts fulfills its mission by supporting arts organizations within the community through fiscal sponsorship, events, contests, collaborations, networking events for emerging artists, and by sponsoring productions, concerts and exhibitions of visual arts. We confront homophobia through the humanizing influence of the arts, and the Fresh Fruit Festival is the primary expression of the All Out Arts mission. The Fresh Fruit Festival is presented by All Out Arts to celebrate the LGBTQ community's unique perspective, creativity & diversity, and to build links between the LGBTQ artistic communities, be they local or international.

Fresh Fruit Festival was the creation of two long established LGBT community arts groups: New Village Productions, established in 1989, had produced ten LGBT short play Festivals including an international short play Festival in conjunction with the Vineyard Theater and Gay Games 1994. New Village Productions was committed to diversity and the celebration of difference, both in selection of material and by inclusion of disabled and minority artists, many of whom served on the Board and steering committees.
All Out Arts' mission fulfillment is constantly evolving. To this end we produced All Out Music which became "OutMusic" (which in turn initiated the Out Music national collective of LGBT musicians and Composers!) and All Out Youth - our fledgling performance-art program for at-risk LGBT youth. Our OutWords series of events for LGBT writers includes panels, a regular Slam LGBT Poetry contests and OutWright, our Developmental Reading Series for playwrights and poets. Throughout the decades, our motto remained Fighting Prejudice Through The Arts.

The 2022/2023 Mainstage Festival Awards

The Official Awards Listing for both 2022 and 2023 Mainstage events!

The award venue used for so many years by the Fresh Fruit Festival closed during the pandemic but the performance space that houses the festival - The Wild Project - came to the rescue. The event was Sunday, August 13, 2023.

The detailed full Program Book can also be downloaded [ HERE ]

Outstanding Production - 2022

Sassafras and the CaptainAuthor: Sarah Elisabeth Brown
Producer: Shelby R. Seeley
Director: Kathryn McConnell

Outstanding Production - 2023

Eelpout by Paul KruseProducer: Sarah Todes-Neon Caviar
Director: Rachel Wolther

Outstanding Play - 2022

You're a Weirdo, Annie Best by Erin Shea Brady

Outstanding Play - 2023

Angel on Eros by Ricardo Melendez

Outstanding Director - 2022

Karma Maselli for Motherf*** Girl Scouts

Outstanding Director - 2023

Zach Kelly for Cornflake Pie

Outstanding Design - 2022

Once On Rumspringa
Set: Ryan McCloy
Light/Sound: Andrew Freeburg
Director: Amir Malaklou
Producer: Kyra Armstrong

Outstanding Design - 2023

Eelpout
Costumes: Paul Kruse; Sarah Todes; Rachel Wolther
Lighting & Sound Design: Rachel Wolther

Outstanding Lead in a Drama - 2022

Juliet Roll in You're A Weirdo, Anni Best

Outstanding Lead in a Drama - 2023

Katy Copeland in Meet You Downstairs

Outstanding Lead in a Comedy - 2022

Clara Tristan - in Sassafras & the Captain
AC Quagliato - in Eternal Flamer!

Outstanding Lead in a Comedy - 2023

Jake Fallon in Eelpout

Outstanding Supporting Role - Drama

Bonita Elery & Tiffany Michelle Thompson in Roommates

Outstanding Supporting Role - Drama

Kyr Siegel in Cornflake Pie

Outstanding Supporting Role - Comedy

Keith Arthur DiRienzo in Eternal Flamer - 2022

Outstanding Supporting Role - Comedy

Keith Weiss in Eelpout - 2023

Outstanding Featured Performer - 2022

Stephen Bush in Once on Rumspringa

Outstanding Featured Performer - 2023

Andy Donnelly in Eelpout

Outstanding Ensemble - 2022

Motherf***ing Girlscouts
Director: Karma Masselli

Outstanding Ensemble - 2023

Cowgirl Summer
Directors: KJ Stewart & Gianna Milici

Outstanding Dance/Choreography

Marcus Zebra Smith in Eternal Flamer

Outstanding Dance/Choreography

Eleanor Pienta in Eelpout

The "Fresh Fruit Spirit" Award

Accidental Intimacies - 2022

Author/Director: Megan Kemple
Producer: Chelsi Kern

Fettuccini - 2023
Author: Queen-Tiye Akamefula
Director: Ava Novak

https://freshfruitfestival.com/

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