The Arts Club Theatre Company leads the nominations for the 2015 Jessie Awards, Vancouver’s annual celebration of excellence in professional theatre. Of its whopping 34 nominations, the company’s new musical Onegin picked up an impressive 13 nominations, with at least one nomination in each of the large theatre categories, including outstanding production.
In addition, the Arts Club productions of Good People, The Valley and Peter and the Starcatcher received four nominations each in the large theatre category. Bard on the Beach garnered seven nominations for its productions of Love’s Labour’s Lost and Comedy of Errors. Rumble Theatre’s production of Cock received three nominations, while the Firehall Arts Centre & Haberdashery Theatre earned three for its controversial production of The Motherf*cker with the Hat.  The Firehall also received one nomination each for Social Studies, Dead Metaphor and God and the Indian.
In the small theatre category a total of 21 theatre companies and 23 productions received nominations. Pi Theatre led with eight nominations for its production of The Invisible Hand, while Babelle Theatre’s Rivulets: 3 short plays about a flood earned six.  Upintheair Theatre’s production of The North Plan and Vancouver Asian Canadian Theatre’s production of Empire of the Son secured a total of five nominations each.
The theatre for young audiences category sees Green Thumb Theatre leading in nominations with a total of six for its productions of The Invisible Girl and Still/Falling.
New this year is the Vancouver Now Representation and Inclusion Award, recognizing excellence in the field of accessibility and inclusion. Created after the Jessie Awards took a hit from its membership last year for a perceived lack of diversity on local stages, the nominees include Gateway Theatre’s Jovanni Sy, the Playwright’s Theatre Centre, Theatre Terrific, Donna Yamamoto and Heathers: The Musical.
The nominees for the Critics’ Choice Innovation Award include two co-productions from Studio 58 (Flee & Romeo + Juliet), plus the Kidd Pivot and Electric Company Theatre production of Betroffenheit, Vancouver Asian Canadian Theatre’s Empire of the Son, and Radix Theatre’s immersive TBD.
A complete list of nominees follows.
The 34th annual Jessie Awards will be presented at a ceremony on June 22. Visit https://jessies.ca for more information.
| LARGE THEATRE | |||||||
| Outstanding Performance by an Actor in a Lead Role – Large Theatre | |||||||
| Alessandro Juliani | Onegin | Arts Club Theatre Company | |||||
| Daniel Doheny | The Valley | Arts Club Theatre Company | |||||
| John Cassini | The Motherfucker With the Hat | Firehall Arts Centre & Haberdashery Theatre | |||||
| Luc Roderique | In the Heights | Arts Club Theatre Company | |||||
| Richie Diggs | Social Studies | Firehall Arts Centre | |||||
| Outstanding Performance by an Actress in a Lead Role – Large Theatre | |||||||
| Colleen Wheeler | Good People | Arts Club Theatre Company | |||||
| Lisa C. Ravensbergen | God and The Indian | Firehall Arts Centre | |||||
| Meg Roe | Onegin | Arts Club Theatre Company | |||||
| Meghan Gardiner | Dead Metaphor | Firehall Arts Centre | |||||
| Naomi Wright | Pride and Prejudice | Arts Club Theatre Company | |||||
| Outstanding Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role – Large Theatre | |||||||
| Andrew McNee | Onegin | Arts Club Theatre Company | |||||
| Duncan Fraser | Cock | Rumble Theatre | |||||
| Josh Epstein | Onegin | Arts Club Theatre Company | |||||
| Robert Maloney | Disgraced | Arts Club Theatre Company | |||||
| Sayer Roberts | Les Misérables | Arts Club Theatre Company | |||||
| Outstanding Performance by an Actress in a Supporting Role – Large Theatre | |||||||
| Colleen Wheeler | Peter and the Starcatcher | Arts Club Theatre Company | |||||
| Jenn Griffin | Good People | Arts Club Theatre Company | |||||
| Lauren Jackson | Onegin | Arts Club Theatre Company | |||||
| Lori Triolo | The Motherfucker with the Hat | Firehall Arts Centre & Haberdashery Theatre | |||||
| Luisa Jojic | The Comedy of Errors | Bard on the Beach | |||||
| Outstanding Lighting Design – Large Theatre | |||||||
| Alan Brodie | Godspell | Arts Club Theatre Company | |||||
| Conor Moore | Peter and the Starcatcher | Arts Club Theatre Company | |||||
| Gerald King | The Waiting Room | Arts Club Theatre Company | |||||
| Itai Erdal | The Valley | Arts Club Theatre Company | |||||
| John Webber | Onegin | Arts Club Theatre Company | |||||
| Outstanding Set Design – Large Theatre | |||||||
| Amir Ofek | The Valley | Arts Club Theatre Company | |||||
| Drew Facey | Onegin | Arts Club Theatre Company | |||||
| Lauchlin Johnston | Good People | Arts Club Theatre Company | |||||
| Lauchlin Johnston | Peter and the Starcatcher | Arts Club Theatre Company | |||||
| Pam Johnson | The Comedy of Errors | Bard on the Beach | |||||
| Outstanding Costume Design – Large Theatre | |||||||
| Christine Reimer | Pride and Prejudice | Arts Club Theatre Company | |||||
| Jacqueline Firkins | Onegin | Arts Club Theatre Company | |||||
| Mara Gottler | The Comedy of Errors | Bard on the Beach | |||||
| Outstanding Sound Design or Original Composition  – Large Theatre | |||||||
| Benjamin Elliott, Anton Lipovetsky, and Nico Rhodes | Best Laid Plans | Patrick Street Productions & Touchstone Theatre | |||||
| Ben Elliott | Love’s Labour’s Lost | Bard on the Beach | |||||
| Malcolm Dow | The Comedy of Errors | Bard on the Beach | |||||
| Veda Hille | Onegin | Arts Club Theatre Company | |||||
| Outstanding Direction – Large Theatre | |||||||
| Amiel Gladstone | Onegin | Arts Club Theatre Company | |||||
| David Mackay | Peter and the Starcatcher | Arts Club Theatre Company | |||||
| Peter Jorgensen | The Best Laid Plans: a Musical | Patrick Street Productions & Touchstone Theatre | |||||
| Scott Bellis | The Comedy of Errors | Bard on the Beach | |||||
| Stephen Drover | Cock | Rumble Theatre | |||||
| Outstanding Production – Large Theatre | |||||||
| Cock | Rumble Theatre | ||||||
| Good People | Arts Club Theatre Company | ||||||
| Onegin | Arts Club Theatre Company | ||||||
| The Motherfucker with the Hat | Firehall Arts Centre | ||||||
| The Valley | Arts Club Theatre Company | ||||||
| Significant Artistic Achievement – Large Theatre | |||||||
| Andrew McNee and Daniel Doheny | The Comedy of Errors | Bard on the Beach | Significant Artistic Achievement for outstanding comedic duo | ||||
| Caitlin Hayes | Closer Than Ever | Gateway Theatre | Significant Artistic Achievement for outstanding musical direction | ||||
| Tracey Power | Onegin | Arts Club Theatre Company | Significant Artistic Achievement for outstanding choreography | ||||
| Valerie Easton | A Christmas Story The Musical | Arts Club Theatre Company | Significant Artistic Achievement for outstanding choreography | ||||
| Veda Hille and the Ungrateful Dead (Barry Mirochnick and Marina Hasselberg) | Onegin | Arts Club Theatre Company | Significant Artistic Achievement for Outstanding musical direction and musical ensemble | ||||
| Wendy Gorling and Morris Panych | The Waiting Room | Arts Club Theatre Company | Significant Artistic Achievement for outstanding movement collaboration | ||||
| SMALL THEATRE | ||
| Outstanding Performance by an Actor in a Lead Role – Small Theatre | ||
| Alex Rose | Bad Jews | Famous Artists Limited |
| Kevin McNulty | You Will Remember Me | Ruby Slippers Theatre |
| Matthew MacDonald-Bain | The Out Vigil | Twenty Something Theatre |
| Munish Sharma | The Invisible Hand | Pi Theatre |
| Tetsuro Shigematsu | Empire of the Son | Vancouver Asian Canadian Theatre |
| Outstanding Performance by an Actress in a Lead Role – Small Theatre | ||
| Claire Hesselgrave | Tender Napalm | Twenty Something Theatre |
| Genevieve Fleming | The North Plan | Upintheair Theatre |
| Marisa Smith | Little One | Alley Theatre Association |
| Moya O’Connell | Rapture, Blister, Burn | Mitch & Murray Productions |
| Stephanie Izsak | The Out Vigil | Twenty Something Theatre |
| Outstanding Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role – Small Theatre | ||
| Amitai Marmorstein | Bad Jews | Famous Artists Limited |
| Conor Wylie | The Invisible Hand | Pi Theatre |
| Curtis Tweedie | Bright Blue Future | Hardline Productions |
| Kirk Smith | The Rivals | Blackbird Theatre Company |
| Paul Herbert | The North Plan | Upintheair Theatre |
| Outstanding Performance by an Actress in a Supporting Role – Small Theatre | ||
| Caroline Cave | Miss Shakespeare | Musical Theatreworks & The Escape Artists |
| Corina Akeson | A Doll’s House, | The Slamming Door Artists Collective |
| Gabrielle Rose | The Rivals | Blackbird Theatre Company |
| Kayla Dunbar | Bad Jews | Famous Artists Limited |
| Stephanie Izsak | Scratch | Theatre Plexus |
| Outstanding Lighting Design – Small Theatre | ||
| Alan Brodie | The Invisible Hand | Pi Theatre |
| Andrew Pye | RIVULETS: 3 short plays about a flood | Babelle Theatre |
| Cory Sincennes | J. Caesar | Musical Theatreworks & The Escape Artists |
| Gerald King | Empire of the Son | Vancouver Asian Canadian Theatre |
| Jill White | Bright Blue Future | Hardline Productions |
| Outstanding Set Design – Small Theatre | ||
| Carolyn Rapanos | RIVULETS: 3 short plays about a flood | Babelle Theatre |
| David Roberts | The Invisible Hand | Pi Theatre |
| David Roberts | The Rivals | Blackbird Theatre Company |
| Glenn MacDonald | Annapurna | Christy Webb Productions |
| John R. Taylor | Wait Until Dark | Naked Goddess Productions |
| Outstanding Costume Design – Small Theatre | ||
| Barbara Clayden | Miss Shakespeare | Musical Theatreworks & The Escape Artists |
| Christine Reimer | The Invisible Hand | Pi Theatre |
| Christopher David Gauthier | Bright Blue Future | Hardline Productions |
| Ines Ortner | Ebenezer: A Christmas Ghost Story | Seven Tyrants Theatre |
| Sheila White | The Rivals | Blackbird Theatre Company |
| Outstanding Sound Design or Original Composition – Small Theatre | ||
| Gordon Grdina | The Invisible Hand | Pi Theatre |
| Jay Clift and Julie McIssac | The Out Vigil | Twenty Something Theatre |
| Julie Casselman | Tender Napalm | Twenty Something Theatre |
| Mark Haney | Mata Hari | Single Line Theatre |
| Paul Paroczai | RIVULETS: 3 short plays about a flood | Babelle |
| Outstanding Direction – Small Theatre | ||
| Chelsea Haberlin | The North Plan | Upintheair Theatre |
| Marie Farsi | RIVULETS: 3 short plays about a flood | Babelle Theatre |
| Richard Wolfe | The Invisible Hand | Pi Theatre |
| Richard Wolfe | Empire of the Son | Vancouver Canadian Asian Theatre |
| Sabrina Evertt | The Out Vigil | Twenty Something Theatre |
| Outstanding Production of a Musical – Small Theatre | ||
| Heathers: The Musical | …Gently with a Chainsaw Artists Collective | |
| Love Bomb | Shameless Hussy Productions | |
| Miss Shakespeare | Musical Theatreworks & The Escape Artists | |
| Outstanding Production of a Play– Small Theatre | ||
| Empire of the Son | Vancouver Asian Canadian Theatre | |
| RIVULETS: 3 short plays about a flood | Babelle Theatre | |
| The Invisible Hand | Pi Theatre | |
| The North Plan | Upintheair Theatre | |
| The Out Vigil | Twenty Something Theatre | |
| Significant Artistic Achievement – Small Theatre | ||||||||||
| Carole MacDonald and Remy Siu | Empire of the Son | Vancouver Asian Canadian Theatre | Significant Artistic Achievement for integration of props, performance, camera and projection | |||||||
| Corwin Ferguson | You Will Remember Me | Ruby Slippers Theatre | Significant Artistic Achievement for projection design | |||||||
| Joel Sturrock | Tender Napalm | Twenty Something Theatre | Significant Artistic Achievement for outstanding movement direction and choreography | |||||||
| Talia Erdal | A Very Narrow Bridge | Elbow Theatre | Significant Artistic Achievement for outstanding performance by a solo musician | |||||||
| RIVULETS: 3 short plays about a flood | Babelle Theatre | Significant Artistic Achievement for site specific conceptualization and execution | ||||||||
| The North Plan | Upintheair Theatre | Significant Artistic Achievement in site-specific staging | ||||||||
| THEATRE FOR YOUNG AUDIENCES | ||||||||||
| Outstanding Performance – Theatre for Young Audiences | ||||||||||
| Allan Zinyk | Go, Dog. Go! | Carousel Theatre for Young People | ||||||||
| Caitlin McFarlane | The Invisible Girl | Green Thumb Theatre | ||||||||
| Karyn Mott | The Jungle Book | Carousel Theatre for Young People | ||||||||
| Vincent Leblanc-Beaudoin, Emilie Leclerc, and Zack Tardif | Mathieu Mathématiques | Théâtre la Seizième | ||||||||
| Olivia Hutt | Still/Falling | Â Green Thumb Theatre | ||||||||
| Outstanding Design – Theatre for Young Audiences | ||||||||||
| Drew Facey | Mathieu Mathématiques | Théâtre la Seizième | Set & Costume Design | |||||||
| Ken MacDonald | Still/Falling | Green Thumb Theatre | Set Design | |||||||
| Mishelle Cuttler, Joel Grinke and Lauchlin Johnston | Our Time | Delinquent Theatre | Design Ensemble | |||||||
| Shizuka Kai | Go, Dog. Go! | Carousel Theatre For Young People | ||||||||
| Outstanding Artistic Creation – Theatre for Young Audiences | ||||||||||
| Giles Poulin-Denis | Mathieu Mathématiques | Théâtre la Seizième | Direction | |||||||
| Laura McLean | Our Time | Delinquent Theatre | Direction | |||||||
| Patrick McDonald | Still/Falling | Green Thumb Theatre | Direction | |||||||
| Significant Artistic Achievement – Theatre for Young Audiences | ||||||||||
| Dot & Ziggy | Carousel Theatre for Young People | interactivity in theatre for the very young | ||||||||
| Me on the Map | Neworld Theatre | engaging theatrical experiment | ||||||||
| Still/Falling | Green Thumb Theatre | the commissioning of the socially relevant | ||||||||
| Outstanding Production – Theatre for Young Audiences | ||||||||||
| Dot & Ziggy | Carousel Theatre for Young People | |||||||||
| Mathieu Mathématiques | Théâtre la Seizième | |||||||||
| Our Time | Delinquent Theatre | |||||||||
| Still/Falling | Green Thumb Theatre | |||||||||
| Outstanding Original Script | ||||||||||
| Antonette Rae | Miss Understood | the frank theatre company | ||||||||
| James Gordon King | RIVULETS: 3 short plays about a flood | Babelle Theatre | ||||||||
| Michelle Deines and Kathryn Kirkpatrick | I am the Bastard Daughter of Engelbert Humperdinck | Working Spark Theatre | ||||||||
| Tetsuro Shigematsu | Empire of the Son | Vancouver Asian Canadian Theatre | ||||||||
| Tracey Power | Miss Shakespeare | Musical Theatreworks & The Escape Artists | ||||||||
| Vancouver Now | ||||||||||
| Jovanni Sy | Gateway Theatre | For demonstrating leadership in creating an inclusive and representative season of theatre. | ||||||||
| Playwright’s Theatre Centre | For ongoing and responsive transformation of practice to meet the needs of underserved artists. | |||||||||
| Theatre Terrific | For diligent, ongoing commitment to inclusive casting and creative processes. | |||||||||
| Donna Yamamoto | Â | For demonstrating commitment and leadership to building inclusivity in Vancouver’s theatre industry. | ||||||||
| Heathers: The Musical | Â | For reflecting Vancouver’s cultural make-up on stage. | ||||||||
| Critics’ Choice Innovation Award | |
| Production | Theatre Company |
| Betroffenheit | Kidd Pivot and Electric Company Theatre |
| Empire of the Son | Vancouver Asian Canadian Theatre presented by the Cultch |
| Flee | Electric Company Theatre and Studio 58 |
| Romeo + Juliet | Studio 58 with The Chop Theatre |
| TBD | Radix Theatre |
Join the Discussion