Say it ain't so, Ryan

The above horrifying image appeared on Facebook recently and has been brought to our attention here at PLANK. Although we have not had official confirmation, the beheaded creature being cruelly displayed above looks suspiciously like the chicken from the Talk of the Fringe Award which was sponsored by PLANK Magazine. 

The Award was given to Ryan Gladstone who is identified as the owner of the headless chicken. The decapitated monstrosity was used in a skit over the weekend.

If this is true then we are both distressed and outraged by Ryan’s behaviour. The Talk of the Fringe Award was one of the top prizes given out at this year’s inaugural Fringe Awards. It included a fantastic prize package ($500 worth of printing services and a $500 video credit with Michael Sider Video) which our friends at the Vancouver Fringe put together and which, we hope, Ryan was grateful to receive.

The Award itself was paid for by PLANK (and believe us, we have far less money in the bank than Ryan won in prizes in September) and a member of our team spent a great deal of time and effort arranging for the prize to be constructed and delivered to the Fringe offices. In short, people put a lot of effort and care into the award. Sure, it was a fun and irreverent spin on the traditional award statue but still it was symbolic of both our magazine and the festival in general. Awards are gestures of honour which should be treated with some respect – certainly more than being ripped apart, hacked up and used in a five minute sketch.

Thanks Ryan. I hope you don’t do the same thing to Michael Sider.