The SIT-UP Awards is an annual award at the Edinburgh Fringe to reward and support theatre to achieve greater social impact. This is an initiative of the UK registered charity Changing Ideas Limited, for more details about who we are see our About Us page.
The SIT-UP Awards were first launched at the 2018 Edinburgh Fringe to recognise Social Impact Theatre. This means theatre that tangibly affects people’s lives or brings about change in society.
Every year, there are fantastic plays that delicately and powerfully tell stories about important social issues. Unfortunately the momentum usually ends once the audience leaves the auditorium. When we surveyed production companies, we found that most did not engage with their audiences beyond the production itself. There are many ways this can be done such as by providing a flyer, getting your audience to make a social pledge, holding a post-show discussion or linking with a charity to provide educational materials.
So we decided to provide help and support to theatre makers to amplify and extend the reach of their work before, during, and after their productions. This has involved facilitating post show discussions, linking companies and charities, funding information sheets for audiences, buying tickets for those affected to see shows and more.
We have put together various case studies and resources inspired by previous award winners and those shortlisted for the awards. There is also analysis of the topics covered by shows at prefious Fringe Festivals.
Before your show
Immediately after your show
After
These are the previous winners, follow the links for more details and information on other awards we have given to outstanding shows.
2022 - The Beatles Were A Boyband - F-Bomb Theatre
2019 - Who Cares - LUNG and The Lowry in partnership with Gaddum
2018 - Dangerous Giant Animals - Christina Murdock
We prioritise UK-based, professional and semi-professional companies.
We want to know;