It was the year of the musical at this year’s Jessie Richardson Theatre Awards, with classic Sondheim, a new Canadian musical, and a Beatles-infused Shakespeare play nabbing nine of the awards during a ceremony held today at Bard on the Beach in Vanier Park.
Known as “The Jessies”, the annual awards recognize the best of Vancouver’s professional theatre, with trophies handed out in three categories: small theatre, large theatre, and theatre for young audiences.
Musicals were the biggest winners in the small theatre category with The Snapshots Collective’s Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street and the Fugue Theatre/Raven Theatre/Urban Ink/The Cultch co-production of Les Filles du Roi tied with four wins each.
Sweeney Todd walked away with this year’s outstanding musical production trophy, while it was Les Filles du Roi director Corey Payette who was recognized for best direction.
The Frank Theatre Company/Queer Arts Festival co-production of Camera Obscura (hungry ghosts) took home the award for outstanding (non-musical) production.
While not technically a musical, Delinquent Theatre’s Never the Last was recognized for its significant artistic achievement through the integration of dance, live musical performance, and theatre.
In the large theatre category, it was the Bard on the Beach Shakespeare Festival adaptation of As You Like It, set to the music of The Beatles, which took top honours for outstanding musical. Bard on the Beach also took home awards for last season’s productions of Timon of Athens and Lysistrata.
Théâtre la Seizième, Vancouver’s French-language theatre company, took home the most awards for a single production in the large theatre category with Le Soulier (The Shoe) being recognized four times, including outstanding direction.
The Cultch’s co-production of Kamloopa took home the outstanding production trophy. The production was also recognized for its significant artistic achievement in the decolonization of theatre spaces and practices.
In the theatre for young audiences category it was Carousel Theatre for Young People’s Elephant & Piggie’s “We Are in a Play” which took home the award for outstanding production.
Other awards handed out during the ceremony included the Critic’s Choice Innovation Award going to Bard on the Beach’s Lysistrata, and the Vancouver Now Representation and Inclusion Award being handed out to Heather Redfern and The Cultch. Marie Farsi took home the Ray Michal Prize for most promising new director, and Taran Kootenhayoo received the Sam Payne Award for the most promising newcomer.
A complete listing of winners follows:
Small Theatre
Outstanding Performance by an Actor
Warren Kimmel – Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street – The Snapshots Collective
Outstanding Performance by an Actress
Colleen Winton – Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street – The Snapshots Collective
Outstanding Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role
Oliver Castillo – Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street – The Snapshots Collective
Outstanding Performance by an Actress in a Supporting Role
Alannah Ong – The Ones We Leave Behind – Vancouver Asian Canadian Theatre
Outstanding Lighting Design
James Proudfoot – Camera Obscura (hungry ghosts) – the frank theatre company/Queer Arts Festival
Outstanding Set Design
Marshall McMahen – Les Filles du Roi – Fugue Theatre/Raven Theatre/Urban Ink/The Cultch
Outstanding Costume Design
Marshall McMahen & Konwahonwá:wi Stacey – Les Filles du Roi – Fugue Theatre/Raven Theatre/Urban Ink/The Cultch
Outstanding Sound Design or Original Composition
Corey Payette & Kyra Soko – Les Filles du Roi – Fugue Theatre/Raven Theatre/Urban Ink/The Cultch
Outstanding Direction
Corey Payette – Les Filles du Roi – Fugue Theatre/Raven Theatre/Urban Ink/The Cultch
Outstanding Production
Camera Obscura (hungry ghosts) – the frank theatre company/Queer Arts Festival
Outstanding Production – Musical
Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street – The Snapshots Collective
Significant Artistic Achievement
Molly MacKinnon & Christine Quintana – Never the Last – Delinquent Theatre – Outstanding interdisciplinary collaboration involving the imaginative integration of dance, live musical performance and theatre
Large Theatre
Outstanding Performance by an Actor
Félix Beauchamp- Le Soulier – Théâtre la Seizième
Outstanding Performance by an Actress
Colleen Wheeler – Timon of Athens – Bard on the Beach Shakespeare Festival
Outstanding Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role
Adam Grant Warren – Kill Me Now – Touchstone Theatre
Outstanding Performance by an Actress in a Supporting Role
Nora McLellan – The Matchmaker – Arts Club Theatre Company
Outstanding Lighting Design
Itai Erdal – The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time – Arts Club Theatre Company
Outstanding Set Design
Drew Facey – Timon of Athens – Bard on the Beach Shakespeare Festival
Outstanding Costume Design
Barbara Clayden – Lysistrata – Bard on the Beach Shakespeare Festival
Outstanding Sound Design or Original Composition
Malcolm Dow – Le Soulier – Théâtre la Seizième
Outstanding Direction
Esther Duquette & Gilles Poulin-Denis – Le Soulier – Théâtre la Seizième
Outstanding Production
Kamloopa – The Cultch – (in partnership with Western Canada Theatre, Persephone Theatre and Gordon Tootoosis Nīkānīwin Theatre, and in collaboration with National Arts Centre Indigenous Theatre)
Outstanding Production – Musical
As You Like it – Bard on the Beach Shakespeare Festival
Significant Artistic Achievement
Kim Senklip Harvey & Lindsay Lachance – Kamloopa – The Cultch – (in partnership with Western Canada Theatre, Persephone Theatre and Gordon Tootoosis Nīkānīwin Theatre, and in collaboration with National Arts Centre Indigenous Theatre) Outstanding decolonization of theatre spaces and practices.
Theatre for Young Audiences
Outstanding Performance
Jake Walker – Jack and the Magic Bean – Presentation House Theatre
Outstanding Design
Shizuka Kai, Jessica Oostergo, Brad Trenaman – Salmon Girl – Raven Spirit Dance – Ensemble Design (set, costume, lighting)
Outstanding Artistic Creation
Kayla Dunbar – Elephant & Piggie’s “We Are in a Play” – Carousel Theatre for Young People
Outstanding Production
Elephant & Piggie’s “We Are in a Play” – Carousel Theatre for Young People
Significant Artistic Achievement
Jack and the Magic Bean – Presentation House Theatre – Outstanding risky and improvised audience engagement
Additional Awards
Outstanding Original Script
David Paquet – Le Soulier (The Shoe) – Théâtre la Seizième
Critic’s Choice Innovation Award
Lysistrata – Bard on the Beach Shakespeare Festival
Vancouver Now Representation and Inclusion Award
Heather Redfern and The Cultch
Patron of the Arts Award
Grant Burnyeat
Mary Phillips Prize for Behind the Scenes Achievement
Stephane Kirkland
Sam Payne Award for the Most Promising Newcomer
Taran Kootenhayoo
John Moffat & Larry Lilo Prize
Andrew Wheeler
GVPTA Career Achievement Award
David Diamond
Sydney Risk Prize
Kamloopa by Kim Senklip Harvey
Colin Campbell Award for Excellence in Technical Theatre
Adrian Muir
Ray Michal Prize for Most Promising New Director
Marie Farsi