Little Gem Wins Award

At the weekend the Carol Tambor Best of Edinburgh Award, the highest honour at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe, was awarded to Little Gem written by Elaine Murphy and directed by Paul Meade, produced by Gúna Nua Theatre Company and the Civic Theatre, with support from Culture Ireland.

Carol Tambor and members of her Foundation, along with The Scotsman's arts writers Joyce Macmillian, Jackie McGlone and Mark Fisher, chose the winning production.

Carol Tambor said: "Little Gem is a little gem. It has exciting language and exciting acting, and the moment I sat down I was totally involved. I loved the family in the play, and the special relationship between the three generations of women felt really authentic."

Eugene Downes, CEO of Culture Ireland, commented: "For a new Irish play to win the most prestigious award at the world's largest arts festival is an extraordinary achievement for Elaine Murphy, for Gúna Nua and the outstanding cast of actors. It's striking evidence of Ireland's world-class success in the arts. This award opens the door to New York and Culture Ireland looks forward to working closely with the Carol Tambor Foundation to promote Little Gem.'

The Carol Tambor Theatrical Foundation was established to bring excellent dramatic work to the New York audience by funding a New York run. The mission to support artists in their desire to be seen and produced is carried out with no financial or commercial involvement in their future success.