With the Edinburgh Fringe now four months away I have caught up with Derek Newlan before he becomes inundated with Fringe requests and the major task of booking in the shows to be assessed.
For those familiar with the Edinburgh Fringe Derek has become a familiar face dashing around with his team from the Derek Awards. For those who have never heard of him read on and check out his Facebook page during August to see what’s on across the Edinburgh Fringe.
When did the Derek Awards begin?
It all began roughly 15 to 16 years ago I started with a team of twenty-eight people who love and support the Edinburgh Fringe.
How many people work on your team during the Fringe?
We now have a team of 453, which includes a group of children and parents who cover the children’s category across the Fringe. We try to cover as many performances as we can together. All my team are anonymous and prefer to stay that way although I feel they deserve far more credit as they make it all possible.
Where did the Award name come from?
My son Paul, first year I went to hand over my first award to a show called “The Investigation”. The guy looked at me and said thank you but what do I call it? I hadn’t a clue or had even considered it. Paul said there’s only one thing you can call it so I replied “A Kimberly” (long story I am a massive fan of Kimberley Walsh) he looked at me and replied “no you muppet, it’s a Derek Award” and that’s where the name came from.
What Inspired you to start the Derek Awards?
I went and watched a “Live Wire” show about Oliver. The show was fantastic and I thought it was brilliant. I happened to read a review by a recognised Reviewer (who I never name) and it was clear they had not seen it. Enraged I confronted them and they admitted that they hadn’t watched it and wrote it blind. Consequently, they then went to watch the show and changed their review agreeing with my verdict. I decided that the performers deserved recognition for all the hard work they put in.
Did you ever doubt what you were doing?
Yes, in the third year I was feeling defeated and demoralised. While I was out of The Royal Mile a guy shouted over who recognised me from the year before. There was my name on his poster. His new show was called “Pick Me Up” and I saw that as my sign to keep going, and here I am still going strong.
Plans going into the future?
To be funded in some way to cover different Fringe’s across the world and take the Derek Awards further afield. However, I am not sure yet how I can achieve this, a conversation for another time! This year I would like to become accredited by the Edinburgh Fringe Association and recognised on their official Press list.
Please check out the Derek Awards social media accounts using the links below.
Theatre, Art and Film Reviews 
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