The Scotsman has announced the 2nd week's Fringe First Award winners. The awards will be presented Aug. 17 by writer and broadcaster, Clive James.

Neutrino by Unlimited with Chris Goode and presented by Unlimited Theatre at The Pleasance Dome. The search for contact with a missing half is presented in a show called "hard-hitting and lyrical; on the cutting edge and beautiful."

Man in the Flying Lawnchair, written from improvisations with the 78th Street Theatre Lab at The Scotsman Assembly. A "very funny, visually spectacular and touching" account of one man's dream to float above Los Angeles in his lawnchair.

Raw by Chris O'Connell, presented by Theatre Absolute at The Pleasance Courtyard. A "riveting portrait of young lives on the edge" from 1999 Fringe First winner Chris O'Connell.

Jesus Hopped The A Train by Stephen Adly Guirgis and directed by Hollywood actor Philip Seymour Hoffman, presented by Assembly Theatre and Gilded Balloon Productions at Gilded Balloon at Teviot Row House. This "loud, abrasive, upfront" play set in a New York penitentiary mixes "roaring high-pressure dialogue and quieter, watching monologues." Moving Objects by David Mark Thompson, presented by Brunton Theatre Company at Brunton Theatre. Acclaimed performances in a modest three-hander which offers "a complete picture of the impulse to violence in our society" — plus a glimmer of a happy ending.

The Edinburgh Fringe, the world's largest arts festival, continues to Aug. 27, with over 600 companies presenting over 1400 shows. — by Theatrenow