By Grace Hatchell. Well, that’s it.
The reviews have been written, the stars have been dished out, my feet have just about forgiven me, and somewhere in Edinburgh there’s probably still a performer wondering why a Yorkshire postie kept turning up at their shows.
It can only mean one thing.
The satchel has spoken.
This year Theatre Village had two awards at Edinburgh Fringe 2026: the Satchel of Stars and the Satchel of Dreams.
No enormous judging panel. No mysterious room filled with people stroking their chins. No golden envelopes.
Just me, Grace Hatchell, my trusty satchel, and a frankly ridiculous number of shows.
And what a year it has been.
So, before I finally put the satchel down, here are the productions that made our podiums.
Satchel of Stars
The Satchel of Stars celebrates the productions that really shone for me at this year’s Fringe. These were shows that delivered something special on stage and stayed firmly lodged in my head long after I’d left the venue.
Third Place – The Yellow Wallpaper
Taking third place is The Yellow Wallpaper.
This was one of those productions that reminded me exactly why I love the Fringe. Powerful storytelling, a cracking performance and a production that knew precisely what it wanted to do.
I gave it five stars when I saw it, and it remained one of the standout pieces of theatre from my entire Fringe.
A very well-deserved third place in the Satchel of Stars.
Joint Second Place – DUSK/NIGHT/DAWN and Antigone 1989: A Town Hall Musical
I tried.
I really did.
But sometimes you simply can’t separate two completely different shows that have both managed to do something extraordinary.
So this year we’ve got a joint second place.
DUSK/NIGHT/DAWN was exactly the sort of production that makes the Fringe exciting. Experimental, ambitious and visually striking, it took risks and created something that felt genuinely distinctive.
Then we have Antigone 1989: A Town Hall Musical.
What a show.
A production with terrific performances, wonderful vocals and an enormous amount of heart. It took its story and created something that felt alive, energetic and memorable.
Two wildly different productions.
Two shows I loved.
One shared spot in the satchel.
First Place – Spraywatch
And then there was Spraywatch.
Sometimes you see a show and spend the entire performance thinking: this is exactly what the Edinburgh Fringe is supposed to be.
Funny. Ridiculous. Inventive. Joyful.
It made me laugh, it made me smile, and most importantly, it made me want to tell other people to go and see it.
That’s what eventually pushed it to the top of an incredibly strong group of shows.
The 2026 Theatre Village Satchel of Stars belongs to Spraywatch.
And yes, they now have an actual physical award.
The satchel has gone tangible.
There may be no stopping it now.
Satchel of Dreams
Now we get to my slightly mischievous award.
The Satchel of Dreams isn’t simply about giving stars.
It’s about imagination.
It’s for the shows that took a chance, tried something unusual, followed a strange little creative idea down a rabbit hole and somehow emerged at the other end with something worth celebrating.
These are the shows that made me think.
These are the shows that surprised me.
And occasionally these are the shows that made me wonder what on earth I’d just watched.
Which, at the Fringe, can be a very good thing indeed.
Third Place – Seasons
Third place goes to Seasons.
There was something about this production that stayed with me. On the surface, this was children’s theatre, but within it was the incredibly difficult subject of miscarriage. It was an unexpected combination, yet one handled with imagination and sensitivity.
That willingness to explore something so rarely discussed in children’s theatre was precisely the sort of creative bravery I wanted the Satchel of Dreams to recognise.
Seasons wasn’t afraid to approach a difficult subject or trust its audience with it. It had ideas, imagination and the confidence to explore them in its own distinctive way.
That’s exactly what this award is here to celebrate.
Second Place – SpinQueen™
Oh, SpinQueen™.
A show that certainly wasn’t interested in quietly blending into the Fringe programme.
It was bold, distinctive and gloriously committed to its own world.
That’s what I loved about it.
The Fringe should be somewhere artists can take an idea and cycle with it— preferably at considerable speed and occasionally in a direction nobody else expected.
SpinQueen™ did exactly that.
A very worthy second place in the Satchel of Dreams.
First Place – LAUNA
And our winner is LAUNA.
There are shows you admire.
There are shows you enjoy.
And then occasionally there’s a show where you come out thinking, “Where did THAT come from?”
LAUNA was one of those.
Bold, inventive and completely willing to take creative risks, it represented everything I wanted the Satchel of Dreams to celebrate.
It wasn’t afraid to be different.
It wasn’t afraid to trust its ideas.
And it certainly wasn’t afraid to dream.
That’s why LAUNA is the winner of the 2026 Theatre Village Satchel of Dreams.
One Last Thing From Grace’s Satchel…
Awards are fun.
Stars are fun.
Little laurels appearing on Instagram are definitely fun.
But the thing I’ll remember most about this Fringe isn’t a number beside a review.
It’s the people.
So thank you to everyone involved
Because every year thousands of people arrive in Edinburgh carrying an idea.
Some arrive with huge productions.
Some arrive with a suitcase and a dream.
Some probably arrive wondering why they ever thought this was a sensible idea.
And for a few weeks, they fill the city with stories.
That’s rather special.
The satchel is going back on its hook for now.
But don’t get too comfortable.
I’ve got a feeling it’ll be back.
Grace x
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