Comedian Elf Lyons has teamed up with the ISH Edinburgh Comedy Awards to launch a new annual prize at the Festival honouring the technicians that run lights and sound for Fringe comedy shows.

She tells Chortle, “There are so many technicians and without them, the vision of performers wouldn’t be possible”.

“These creatives work so hard”, she adds, “and often run from one show to another like mad things trying to aid the visions of everyone. I am thrilled that through the ISH Edinburgh Comedy Awards we can honour these brilliant people”.

The ISH Edinburgh Comedy Awards were set up by comedian Nathan Cassidy in 2023, with ISH standing for “insert sponsor here”.

Cassidy explains, “the ISH Awards are about artists supporting artists”, and true to that aim, Lyons has put up a £500 prize for the new technician award. That “generosity”, Cassidy adds, “is just the start of the vision I have for these awards in the future in terms of prizes and further support for artists”.

Anyone wanting to nominate a Fringe technician working on comedy shows this year for the new award should email edinburghcomedyawards@gmail.com.

Photo: Karla Gowlett