J E S S I E A W A R D S 1 J E S S I E R I C H A R D S O N A W A R D S S O C I E T Y P R E S E N T S J E S S I E R I C H A R D S O N THEAT R E AWA R D S 2 0 2 0 G H O S T L I G H T E D I T I O N W e ’ r e s t i l l h e r e ! S U P P O R T E D B Y J U N E 2 9 T H , 7 P M J E S S I E A W A R D S 2 J E S S I E R I C H A R D S O N A W A R D S S O C I E T Y P R E S E N T S The Jessie Richardson Awards Society is a non-profit charitable organization that exists to celebrate and promote the outstanding achievements of the Vancouver Professional Theatre community by producing the annual Jessie Richardson Theatre Awards. The society was formed in 1997, and took over the production of the Awards Ceremony from the Greater Vancouver Professional Theatre Alliance, who had presented it since its beginning in the 1982-83 season. Sandra Herd President James Gill Vice President Michael Wilkinson Secretary Shayna Goldberg Treasurer Susan Miyagishima Jessie Review Committee Chair Tamara Vishniakoff Marketing Chair Seamus Fera Events Co-Chair Danielle Klaudt Sponsorship Chair Jocelyn Pitsch Event Co-Chair Tom Pickett Special Awards Chair Lisa Goebel Member at Large Shizuka Kai Member at Large Trisha Li Member at Large OTHER Bonnie Allan Publicist BOA R D O F D I R EC TO R S J E S S I E A W A R D S 3 A C K N O W L E D G M E N T S I N K I N D S P O N S O R S A W A R D S P O N S O R S BINGHAM & COMPANY Chartered Accountants P R O D U C I N G P A R T N E R J E S S I E A W A R D S 4 H O S T S OMARI NEWTON Omari Newton is an award-winning professional actor, writer, director and producer. As a writer, his original Hip Hop theatre piece Sal Capone has received critical acclaim and multiple productions, including a recent presentation at Canada’s National Arts Centre. He has been commissioned by Black Theatre Workshop (BTW) in Montreal to write a companion piece to Sal Capone entitled Black & Blue Matters. The new piece is set to premiere at BTW in 2019. Omari and his wife, fellow professional playwright Amy Lee Lavoie, recently received a generous grant from the Canada Council to co-write a new play: Redbone Coonhound. Their latest collaboration is a bold and innovative satirical comedy that confronts instances of systemic racism in the past, present and future. Newton’s work in Speakeasy Theatre’s production of Young Jean Lee’s The Shipment earned him a 2017-2018 Jessie Richardson Award for Outstanding Performance by an Actor, as well as a nomination for Best Direction. Notable film & TV credits include: Lucas Ingram on Showcase’s Continuum, Larry Summers on Blue Mountain State and lending his voice to the Black Panther in multiple animated projects (Marvel). Most recently, Omari has a recurring role as Nate on Corner Gas (the animated series) and a recurring role as Corvus of Netflix’s hit new animated series The Dragon Prince. Twitter: @OmariAkilNewton Instagram : @omariakilnewton Facebook: facebook.com/ omari.newton SARA VICKRUCK Sara Vickruck is a queer multidisciplinary performance artist living and creating on unceded territory of the coast Salish peoples. Some of Sara’s most recent works include creating and staring in Poly Queer Love Ballad, and an improvised musical duo called SOUND OFF! with Claire Love Wilson. Theatre credits include: Love Bomb (Shameless Hussy), Talking Sex on Sundays (Firehall Arts Centre), Fun Home (Arts Club), and Coriolanus (Bard on the Beach). Check out www.saravickruck.ca or find Sara on instagram and facebook. BEN ELLIOT Ben is an actor, composer, sound designer, multi-instrumentalist and musical director in Vancouver, BC. Favourite credits include playing The Bellhop in the Canada wide tour of Chelsea Hotel: The Songs Of Leonard Cohen (Firehall), The Western Canadian tour of Matilda The Musical (Citadel/RMTC/Arts Club); and his role as Silvius and musical director in The Beatles version of As You Like It, which has appeared at Bard On The Beach, RMTC and The Citadel. He is Jessie Award winner and multiple nominee. Ben is a graduate of Bishop’s University and Studio 58. J E S S I E A W A R D S 5 LA RG E T H E AT R E OUTSTANDING PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTOR IN A LEAD ROLE Sponsored by Canadian Actors’ Equity Association (CAEA) DARRELL DENNIS Inheritance: a pick-the-path experience - Alley Theatre and Touchstone Theatre (in association with Vancouver Moving Theatre and community partnership with Vancouver Aboriginal Friendship Centre) CHARLIE GALLANT Noises Off - Arts Club Theatre Company CHARLIE GALLANT Shakespeare in Love - Bard on the Beach Shakespeare Festival ROBERT SALVADOR Best of Enemies - Pacific Theatre TODD THOMSON The Wedding Party - Arts Club Theatre Company (in partnership with Prairie Theatre Exchange) OUTSTANDING PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTRESS IN A LEAD ROLE Sponsored by RED Management CELIA ALOMA Best of Enemies - Pacific Theatre DEENA AZIZ A Thousand Splendid Suns - Arts Club Theatre Company (in partnership with Royal Manitoba Theatre Centre) ERLA FAYE FORSYTH The Cake - Pacific Theatre MOYA O’CONNELL Coriolanus - Bard on the Beach Shakespeare Festival ANITA WITTENBERG Mother of the Maid - Pacific Theatre N O M I N A T I O N S | LARGE THEATRE J E S S I E A W A R D S 6 OUTSTANDING PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTOR IN A SUPPORTING ROLE Sponsored by Theatre at UBC SEBASTIEN ARCHIBALD House and Home - Firehall Arts Centre ANDREW MCNEE Noises Off - Arts Club Theatre Company ANTHONY SANTIAGO Best of Enemies - Pacific Theatre LOU TICZON Kuroko - Vancouver Asian Canadian Theatre JOHN ULLYATT Matilda - Arts Club Theatre Company (in partnership with Citadel Theatre & Royal Manitoba Theatre Centre) OUTSTANDING PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTRESS IN A SUPPORTING ROL E REBECCA DEBOER Best of Enemies - Pacific Theatre TESS DEGENSTEIN Noises Off - Arts Club Theatre Company VEENESH DUBOIS All’s Well That Ends Well - Bard on the Beach Shakespeare Festival EMMA SLIPP Noises Off - Arts Club Theatre Company COLLEEN WHEELER Coriolanus - Bard on the Beach Shakespeare Festival OUTSTANDING LIGHTING DESIGN Sponsored by Christie Lites ALAN BRODIE Coriolanus - Bard on the Beach Shakespeare Festival ITAI ERDAL Skyborn: A Land Reclamation Odyssey - Savage Society (presented by The Cultch) GERALD KING Kuroko - Vancouver Asian Canadian Theatre PARJAD SHARIFI Cipher - Arts Club Theatre Company (in partnership with Vertigo Theatre) ROBERT WIERZEL & ANDREW F. GRIFFIN A Thousand Splendid Suns - Arts Club Theatre Company (in partnership with Royal Manitoba Theatre Centre) | LARGE THEATRE J E S S I E A W A R D S 7 OUTSTANDING SET DESIGN DREW FACEY Cost of Living - Arts Club Theatre Company (in partnership with Citadel Theatre) TED ROBERTS Noises Off - Arts Club Theatre Company TED ROBERTS Birds and the Bees - Arts Club Theatre Company CORY SINCENNES Matilda - Arts Club Theatre Company (in partnership with Citadel Theatre & Royal Manitoba Theatre Centre) SOPHIE TANG Kuroko - Vancouver Asian Canadian Theatre OUTSTANDING COSTUME DESIGN CARMEN ALATORRE All’s Well That Ends Well - Bard on the Beach Shakespeare Festival MARA GOTTLER Taming of the Shrew - Bard on the Beach Shakespeare Festival CHRISTINE REIMER Kuroko - Vancouver Asian Canadian Theatre CHRISTINE REIMER Noises Off - Arts Club Theatre Company CORY SINCENNES Shakespeare in Love - Bard on the Beach Shakespeare Festival OUTSTANDING SOUND DESIGN OR ORIGINAL COMPOSITION Sponsored by Proshow Audiovisual RICK COLHOUN Best of Enemies - Pacific Theatre SAMMIE HATCH Kuroko - Vancouver Asian Canadian Theatre ALESSANDRO JULIANI Coriolanus - Bard on the Beach Shakespeare Festival ALESSANDRO JULIANI The Great Leap - Arts Club Theatre Company RUBY SINGH All’s Well That Ends Well - Bard on the Beach Shakespeare Festival | LARGE THEATRE J E S S I E A W A R D S 8 The Georgia Straight’s OUTSTANDING DIRECTION FOR LARGE THEATRE AWARD Sponsored by The Georgia Straight SCOTT BELLIS Noises Off - Arts Club Theatre Company ASHLIE CORCORAN Cost of Living - Arts Club Theatre Company (in partnership with Citadel Theatre) IAN FARTHING Best of Enemies - Pacific Theatre DEAN PAUL GIBSON Coriolanus - Bard on the Beach Shakespeare Festival AMIEL GLADSTONE Kuroko - Vancouver Asian Canadian Theatre OUTSTANDING PRODUCTION – PLAY A THOUSAND SPLENDID SUNS Arts Club Theatre Company (in partnership with Royal Manitoba Theatre Centre) BEST OF ENEMIES Pacific Theatre INHERITANCE: A PICK-THE-PATH EXPERIENCE Alley Theatre and Touchstone Theatre (in association with Vancouver Moving Theatre and community partnership with Vancouver Aboriginal Friendship Centre) KUROKO Vancouver Asian Canadian Theatre NOISES OFF Arts Club Theatre Company OUTSTANDING PRODUCTION – MUSICAL Sponsored by Lucas Talent HOLIDAY AT THE ELBOW ROOM CAFÉ Zee Zee Theatre & The Cultch MATILDA Arts Club Theatre Company (in partnership with Citadel Theatre & Royal Manitoba Theatre Centre) THE SOUND OF MUSIC Arts Club Theatre Company TALKING SEX ON SUNDAY Firehall Arts Centre | LARGE THEATRE J E S S I E A W A R D S 9 SIGNIFICANT ARTISTIC ACHIEVEMENT Sponsored by The Talent House OUTSTANDING INNOVATIVE AND IMMERSIVE STORYTELLING Alley Theatre and Touchstone Theatre Inheritance: a pick-the-path experience - Alley Theatre and Touchstone Theatre (in association with Vancouver Moving Theatre and community partnership with Vancouver Aboriginal Friendship Centre) OUTSTANDING PROJECTION DESIGN Chimerik 似不像 The Great Leap - Arts Club Theatre Company OUTSTANDING VIDEO AND PROJECTION DESIGN Emily Soussana, Chrystal Sparrow, & Carrielynn Victor Skyborn: A Land Reclamation Odyssey - Savage Society (presented by The Cultch) OUTSTANDING CHOREOGRAPHY Tara Cheyenne Friedenberg Cipher - Arts Club Theatre Company (in partnership with Vertigo Theatre) OUTSTANDING AUDIENCE ENGAGEMENT THROUGH THE USE OF TECHNOLOGY Théâtre la Seizième Le NoShow Vancouver - Théâtre la Seizième (in partnership with Théâtre DuBunker and le Collectif Nous Sommes ici (Québec) CONGRATULATIONS to all Jessie nominees and winners for bringing Vancouver’s stage scene alive in 2019/2020! Follow us @georgiastraight STAY CONNECTED AT STRAIGHT. COM Proudly supporting Vancouver’s theatre community since 1967 | LARGE THEATRE J E S S I E A W A R D S 10 SM A L L T H E AT R E OUTSTANDING PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTOR IN A LEAD ROLE Sponsored by UBCP/ACTRA PAUL HERBERT Born Yesterday - Ensemble Theatre Company PETER JORGENSEN Herringbone - Patrick Street Productions KEVIN MCNULTY The Father - The Search Party DAVID NYKL Superior Donuts - Ensemble Theatre Company ALEC SANTOS Lungs - Saint FiFi Collective OUTSTANDING PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTRESS IN A LEAD ROLE LOIS ANDERSON Anna Bella Eema - Sol Theatre Collective JILLIAN FARGEY The Father - The Search Party GENEVIEVE FLEMING The Sea - Slamming Door Artist Collective LUISA JOJIC Herringbone - Patrick Street Productions FEI REN Lungs - Saint FiFi Collective OUTSTANDING PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTOR IN A SUPPORTING ROLE Sponsored by Langara College STEPHEN ABERLE The Sea - Slamming Door Artist Collective CHRIS FRANCISQUE Superior Donuts - Ensemble Theatre Company MASSIMO FRAU Zastrozzi: The Master of Discipline - Star & Moon Productions DARCEY JOHNSON The Drawer Boy - Ensemble Theatre Company JOHN MURPHY Body Awareness - Mitch and Murray Productions | SMALL THEATRE J E S S I E A W A R D S 11 OUTSTANDING PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTRESS IN A SUPPORTING ROLE EILEEN BARRETT Escaped Alone - Western Gold Theatre BETHANY BROWN Disgraced - Vagrant Players Theatre Society ALEXIS KELLUM-CREER Born Yesterday - Ensemble Theatre Company ELIZABETH KIRKLAND The Sea - Slamming Door Artist Collective ADRIANA RAVALLI The Great Canadian Porno: The Musical - Frenzied Millennial Collective OUTSTANDING LIGHTING DESIGN CELESTE ENGLISH The Sea - Slamming Door Artist Collective ITAI ERDAL The Father - The Search Party NEIL GRIFFITH Deep into Darkness - Third Wheel Productions SOPHIE TANG Chicken Girl - rice & beans theatre (in partnership with Playwrights Theatre Centre) JOHN WEBBER Escaped Alone - Western Gold Theatre OUTSTANDING SET DESIGN SHIZUKA KAI Chicken Girl - rice & beans theatre (in partnership with Playwrights Theatre Centre) AMIR OFEK The Father - The Search Party SANDY MARGARET The Sea - Slamming Door Artist Collective ARIEL SLACK Superior Donuts - Ensemble Theatre Company JOHN R. TAYLOR Deep into Darkness - Third Wheel Productions | SMALL THEATRE J E S S I E A W A R D S 12 OUTSTANDING COSTUME DESIGN C.S. FERGUSSON-VAUX Mx - Lili Robinson (in partnership with Playwrights Theatre Centre) HILARY JARDINE Zastrozzi: The Master of Discipline - Star & Moon Productions JESSICA OOSTERGO The Father - The Search Party CHEYENNE ROULEAU & CHANTAL SHORT The Sea - Slamming Door Artist Collective CHRISTINA SINOSICH & DONNIE TEJANI Company - Raincity Theatre OUTSTANDING SOUND DESIGN OR ORIGINAL COMPOSITION OWEN BELTON The Father - The Search Party RICK COLHOUN Frankenstein: Lost in Darkness - Wireless Wings Radio Ensemble RICK COLHOUN Superior Donuts - Ensemble Theatre Company ANGELO MORONI & MARY JANE PAQUETTE HELLO - Theatre Terrific Society JOELYSA PANKANEA Anna Bella Eema - Sol Theatre Collective OUTSTANDING DIRECTION CHRIS ADAMS Company - Raincity Theatre TAMARA MCCARTHY The Sea - Slamming Door Artist Collective MINDY PARFITT The Father - The Search Party CHRISTY WEBB Lungs - Saint FiFi Collective | SMALL THEATRE J E S S I E A W A R D S 13 OUTSTANDING PRODUCTION – PLAY Sponsored by Stage One Accounting ANNA BELLA EEMA Sol Theatre Collective SUPERIOR DONUTS Ensemble Theatre Company THE FATHER The Search Party THE SEA Slamming Door Artist Collective OUTSTANDING PRODUCTION – MUSICAL Sponsored by daCosta Talent COMPANY Raincity Theatre HERRINGBONE Patrick Street Productions SIGNIFICANT ARTISTIC ACHIEVEMENT OUTSTANDING ENSEMBLE PERFORMANCE Caitlin Clugston, Graham Coffeng, Nick Fontaine, Janet Gigliotti, Alex Gullason, Warren Kimmel, Steve Maddock, Jennie Neumann, Anthony Santiago, Madeleine Suddaby, Jennifer Suratos, Lindsay Ann Warnock, Jonathan Winsby, Katey Wright Raincity Theatre OUTSTANDING TRANSFORMATION OF SPACE AND AUDIENCE IMMERSION Deep into Darkness Third Wheel Productions Outstanding musical direction Sean Bayntun Herringbone - Patrick Street Productions OUTSTANDING INTEGRITY IN CASTING Transcripts, Part I: The Women Zee Zee Theatre and The Frank Theatre (in partnership with Firehall Arts Centre) | SMALL THEATRE J E S S I E A W A R D S 14 TH E AT R E F O R YOUNG AUDIENCES OUTSTANDING PERFORMANCE SCOTT BUTTON New Canadian Kid - Green Thumb Theatre PAIGE FRASER What If - Green Thumb Theatre MARLENE GINADER Bad Hats Theatre’s Peter Pan - Carousel Theatre for Young People KELLI OGMUNDSON Bad Hats Theatre’s Peter Pan - Carousel Theatre for Young People CHELSEA ROSE Th’owxiya: The Hungry Feast Dish - Axis Theatre Company OUTSTANDING DESIGN JAY DODGE Video Design Iron Peggy - Vancouver International Children’s Festival and Boca del Lupo (in association with red diva projects) JAY HAVENS Set Design Th’owxiya: The Hungry Feast Dish - Axis Theatre Company SHIZUKA KAI Set Design Bad Hats Theatre’s Peter Pan - Carousel Theatre for Young People SHIZUKA KAI Set Design Iron Peggy - Vancouver International Children’s Festival and Boca del Lupo (in association with red diva projects) KIARA LAWSON Costume Design Bad Hats Theatre’s Peter Pan - Carousel Theatre for Young People OUTSTANDING ARTISTIC CREATION Sponsored by Bingham & Company Chartered Accountants IAN HARMON Direction Love You Forever and More Munsch - Beach House Theatre SHERRY J YOON Direction Iron Peggy - Vancouver International Children’s Festival and Boca del Lupo (in association with red diva projects) | THEATRE FOR YOUNG AUDIENCES BINGHAM & COMPANY Chartered Accountants J E S S I E A W A R D S 15 OUTSTANDING PRODUCTION LOVE YOU FOREVER AND MORE MUNSCH Beach House Theatre IRON PEGGY Vancouver International Children’s Festival and Boca del Lupo (in association with red diva projects) TH’OWXIYA: THE HUNGRY FEAST DISH Axis Theatre Company SIGNIFICANT ARTISTIC ACHIEVEMENT OUTSTANDING STAGE MANAGEMENT Jillian Perry Th’owxiya: The Hungry Feast Dish - Axis Theatre Company ORIGINAL SCRIPT OUTSTANDING ORIGINAL SCRIPT JAN DERBYSHIRE Certified Touchstone Theatre DEREK CHAN Chicken Girl rice & beans theatre (in partnership with Playwrights Theatre Centre) TETSURO SHIGEMATSU Kuroko Vancouver Asian Canadian Theatre DEBORAH VOGT Big Sister Rapid Pitch Productions SPECIAL AWA R D S CRITICS’ CHOICE INNOVATION AWARD ALL’S WELL THAT ENDS WELL Bard on the Beach Shakespeare Festival ANYWHERE BUT HERE Electric Company Theatre (in association with Playwrights Theatre Centre) CERTIFIED Touchstone Theatre KUROKO Vancouver Asian Canadian Theatre TAKE D MILK, NAH? Rumble Theatre and Pandemic Theatre | THEATRE FOR YOUNG AUDIENCES