Flight of the Conchords' in hall of fame

Jemaine Clement (left) and Bret McKenzie. Photo / Mark Mitchell

The New Zealand Fringe Festival capped off one of the biggest events in its 19-year history by naming Flight of the Conchords' Bret McKenzie and Jemaine Clement as the inaugural members of the New Zealand Fringe Festival Hall of Fame.

They were named at the annual Fringe Awards alongside those considered best, brightest and most bizarre of Fringe 09 in 15 categories at Wellington's Paramount Theatre last night.

The winner of the top award, Best of Fringe, was production company Out of Bounds in the Two Day Plays section, which challenged 18 teams to create the best 10-minute play they could over a weekend.

Other significant winners included Improv: The Secondary School Musical for Best Comedy, Footnote Dance's Perforum for Best Dance, Frogs Under the Waterfront for Best Outdoor, and Fleur Wickes' This is Where I Live for Best Visual Arts. The Intricate Art of Actually Caring won Best Theatre, and Australian multi-instrumentalist Adam Page won two awards, for Best Music and Best "One Man Band"/Solo Show.

"The Fringe Hall of Fame recognises individuals who have made an outstanding contribution to the New Zealand Fringe Festival over the years and Bret and Jemaine are shining examples of such individuals who have used Fringe as a platform to create diverse, brave and gob-smacking work," said Fringe Arts Trust director Mark Westerby.

- NZPA