CONGRATULATIONS JESSIE WINNERS AND NOMINEES
For over 35 years Arts Umbrella has been a proud part of Metro Vancouver’s theatre community. From the performers, designers, and technicians of tomorrow to everyone in the industry today, have a fabulous night at the Jessies!
WELCOME 2018/2019
TO THE 37 TH JESSIE AWARDS CELEBRATING THE OUTSTANDING ACHIEVEMENTS OF THE VANCOUVER PROFESSIONAL THEATRE COMMUNITY
WELCOME TO THE 37TH ANNUAL JESSIE RICHARDSON THEATRE AWARDS!
W
E are so glad you all are here! To begin, we wish to honour the x?məθkwəy̓əm (Musqueam), Skwxwú7mesh (Squamish), and Səl̓ílwəta?/Selilwitulh (Tsleil-Waututh) First Nations on whose unceded traditional lands we gather.
Throughout the 2018–2019 theatre season, our dedicated jurors attended 91 productions from 59 companies. Tonight, we honour just a small group of talented individuals and recognize the part they’ve played in the wonderful whole, including members of productions both on and off the stage. The extraordinary efforts of administrators, actors, designers, technicians, directors, stage managers, board members, volunteers, audience members, and many other supporters provide an exciting Vancouver entertainment scene and result in the exceptional work we celebrate. Please join us in honouring these exceptional individuals and companies as we celebrate the past, present, and future of the Jessies and Vancouver theatre! Thank you for your support,
The Jessies Board of Directors
THANK YOU! Thank you to our sponsors and donors, including HundredFold Productions, Hustle & Show, Eclipse Statues, Contact Printing, Vancouverplays, MNP LLP, Green Thumb Theatre, Steamworks Brewing, car2go, Anne Honeycutt, The Art Left Creative Group, and Moonrider Productions for their in-kind sponsorships and Artslandia, The Georgia Straight, Vancouver Presents, News 1130, and Miss604 for their media sponsorships. ARTSLANDIA 3
AND THESE ARE YOUR JESSIES HOSTS
MABBERLEY Q&A CHEYENNE & KATEY HOFFMAN WITH
TELL US ABOUT YOURSELVES. Cheyenne and Katey are best friends, former teenage dirtbags, and current adult dirtbags. HOW LONG HAVE YOU BEEN PERFORMING? WHAT WAS YOUR FIRST ROLE? KATEY: I was the lead in my Grade 7 play. The director was a hack. CHEYENNE: I was the lead in my Grade 2 play. Ha. Beat ya. WHERE ARE YOU FROM? K: Vernon, B.C. aka The Venice of Canada. C: Burnaby B.C. aka The Burnaby of Canada. WHAT IS YOUR FAVOURITE PERFORMANCE? K: My dad in the role of “loving father”. C: Me telling my friends I liked their show. LEAST FAVOURITE? K: My dad in the role of “drunk dad.” Well this got sad. C: Their shows. DO YOU STILL GET NERVOUS PERFORMING? K: Yes, I massively get the shits. C: I can attest to this.
4 JESSIE AWARDS | 2019
Headshots by Kristine Cofsky. Photo by Sarah Mabberley.
WORST MOMENT ON STAGE? K: I once drank too much before our first iteration of The After After Party (it was called The After After Party: Waiting for Gordo back then) and I forgot all my lines, skipping like half the play. It was actually better! C: I dislocated my knee in front of 600 people on an opening performance of Twelfth Night. They had to empty the theatre and cut my pants off of me. I got a lot of laughing gas though. HIGHLIGHT OF YOUR CAREER SO FAR? K: I am so proud of our satirical sketch comedy show, Lady Parts. We just finished a run at the Cultch with rEvolver Festival this past May. True stories, sketch comedy, so many funny female-identified people on the stage. It still makes my heart sing to think about it. C: When I got the lead in that Grade 2 Christmas play. It’s been downhill ever since. ONE ROLE YOU LONG TO PLAY? K: A waifish maid servant in the 1700s who gets nailed by the Man of the House on a bail of hay. Wait—you were talking about sex, right? C: Someone who never heard Katey’s answer to that question. YOU KNOW ME FROM: K: You don’t know me. C: We dated for 3 months. I was the one that got away. Can you please stop driving by my house? Thanks. WHERE YOU’LL SEE US NEXT: K: Hosting the Jessies! Unless you’re going to my family reunion July 12 at 421 Longspoon Drive! Please come; I hate everyone! C: I just auditioned for the role of “Mayonnaise: The Fat One No one Likes.” Keep your eyes peeled. ADVICE TO WINNERS TONIGHT WHEN ACCEPTING THEIR JESSIE? K: Like, chill. It’s a figurine. And thank the stage management. They had to put up with your annoying ass for WEEKS. C: Cherish it. It’s probably all downhill from here.
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AND THE FINALISTS ARE... (In order of presentation) CAREER ACHIEVEMENT To be announced at ceremony
OUTSTANDING LIGHTING DESIGN LARGE THEATRE SPONSOR:
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Itai Erdal The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time, Arts Club Theatre Company Itai Erdal Le Soulier, Théâtre la Seizième Sophie Tang The Orchard (After Chekhov), Arts Club Theatre Company Brad Trenaman Redpatch, Arts Club Theatre Company and Hardline Productions (in partnership with Citadel Theatre)
Cris Derksen, 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) Malcolm Dow, Le Soulier, Théâtre la Seizième Ben Elliott, As You Like It, Bard on the Beach Shakespeare Festival Mary Jane Paquette, Redpatch, Arts Club Theatre Company and Hardline Productions (in partnership with Citadel Theatre)
SIGNIFICANT ARTISTIC ACHIEVEMENT LARGE THEATRE
John Webber The Lion, The Witch, and the Wardrobe, Pacific Theatre
SPONSOR:
OUTSTANDING LIGHTING DESIGN
OUTSTANDING ENSEMBLE
SMALL THEATRE
Jeff Harrison Les Filles Du Roi, Fugue Theatre/Raven Theatre/Urban Ink/The Cultch
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Yolanda Bonnell, Samantha Brown & Kaitlyn Yott 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)
William Hales Slime, The Only Animal (in partnership with The Banff Centre for Arts and Creativity)
Kayla Dunbar
James Proudfoot Camera Obscura (hungry ghosts), the frank theatre company/ Queer Arts Festival
Kim Senklip Harvey & Lindsay Lachance
Jillian White Gross Misconduct, SpeakEasy Theatre Jillian White Never the Last, Delinquent Theatre
OUTSTANDING SOUND DESIGN OR ORIGINAL COMPOSITION LARGE THEATRE SPONSOR:
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Julie Casselman, The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe, Pacific Theatre
OUTSTANDING MOVEMENT DIRECTION
The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time, Arts Club Theatre Company OUTSTANDING DECOLONIZATION OF THEATRE SPACES AND PRACTICES
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) Jonathan Ryder, Richard Hansen, Kougar Basi, Michael Hewitt, William Dettlaff, Keith Smith, Chris Willis, Grant Windsor, Lorraine West, Joanne P.B. Smith, Jennifer Stewart, & Zoe Bellis OUTSTANDING TECHNICAL ACHIEVEMENT IN THE CREATION AND REPEATED EXECUTION OF AN INNOVATIVE AND PHYSICALLY SAFE PERFORMANCE SPACE
Timon of Athens, Bard on the Beach Shakespeare Festival
6 JESSIE AWARDS | 2019
Bard on the Beach
OUTSTANDING CONTRIBUTION TO DRAWING ATTENTION TO LOCAL AND SOCIAL CONVERSATIONS
Lysistrata, Bard on the Beach Shakespeare Festival
MARY PHILLIPS AWARD FOR BEHIND THE SCENES ACHIEVEMENT To be announced at ceremony
COLIN CAMPBELL AWARD FOR EXCELLENCE IN TECHNICAL THEATRE To be announced at ceremony
OUTSTANDING COSTUME DESIGN LARGE THEATRE SPONSOR:
Carmen Alatorre As You Like It, Bard on the Beach Shakespeare Festival Carmen Alatorre Mustard, Arts Club Theatre Company Barbara Clayden Lysistrata, Bard on the Beach Shakespeare Festival Mara Gottler Timon of Athens, Bard on the Beach Shakespeare Festival Christine Reimer Macbeth, Bard on the Beach Shakespeare Festival
OUTSTANDING COSTUME DESIGN SMALL THEATRE
Emily Fraser Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street, The Snapshots Collective Marshall McMahen and Konwahonwá:wi Stacey Les Filles Du Roi, Fugue Theatre/Raven Theatre/Urban Ink/The Cultch April Viczko Slime, The Only Animal (in partnership with The Banff Centre for Arts and Creativity) Sheila White The 39 Steps, Circle Bright Productions Inc.
Julie White The Cherry Orchard, The Smoking Gun Collective
Nathania Bernabe & Jackie T. Hanlin
OUTSTANDING ORIGINAL SCRIPT
Sammy Chien
Lesley Ewen Camera Obscura (hungry ghosts), the frank theatre company/ Queer Arts Festival Kim Senklip Harvey 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) David Paquet Le Soulier, Théâtre la Seizième Christine Quintana & Molly MacKinnon Never the Last, Deliquent Theatre Anais West & Sara Vickruck Poly Queer Love Ballad, Anais West & Sara Vickruck
SYDNEY RISK PRIZE FOR OUTSTANDING ORIGINAL SCRIPT BY AN EMERGING PLAYWRIGHT To be announced at ceremony
OUTSTANDING FUSION OF KINETIC DANCE AND MARTIAL ARTS FIGHT CHOREOGRAPHY
Soul Samurai, Affair of Honor OUTSTANDING VIDEO DESIGN AND PROJECTION
Camera Obscura (hungry ghosts), the frank theatre company/ Queer Arts Festival Shizuka Kai
OUTSTANDING PUPPETRY DESIGN, CREATION, & EXECUTION
Slime, The Only Animal (in partnership with The Banff Centre for Arts and Creativity) Molly MacKinnon & Christine Quintana
OUTSTANDING OUTREACH AND COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT, DEMONSTRATING THE IMPORTANCE OF CULTURE, TRADITION, COMMUNITY, FAMILY AND IDENTITIES
Weaving Reconciliation: Our Way, Vancouver Moving Theatre Rosemary Georgeson, Renae Morriseau, & Savannah Walling
OUTSTANDING INTERDISCIPLINARY COLLABORATION INVOLVING THE IMAGINATIVE INTEGRATION OF DANCE, LIVE MUSICAL PERFORMANCE AND THEATRE
Never the Last, Delinquent Theatre
OUTSTANDING PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTRESS IN A SUPPORTING ROLE LARGE THEATRE
CRITIC’S CHOICE INNOVATION AWARD
SPONSOR:
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A Vista, Arts Club Theatre Company
Ghazal Azarbad The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time, Arts Club Theatre Company
As You Like It, Bard on the Beach Shakespeare Festival
Luisa Jojic Kill Me Now, Touchstone Theatre
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)
Nora McLellan The Matchmaker, Arts Club Theatre Company
Lysistrata, Bard on the Beach Shakespeare Festival Oh What a Beautiful Morning! Fight With a Stick Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street, The Snapshots Collective
SIGNIFICANT ARTISTIC ACHIEVEMENT SMALL THEATRE SPONSOR:
Moya O’Connell Timon of Athens, Bard on the Beach Shakespeare Festival Naomi Wright The Matchmaker, Arts Club Theatre Company
OUTSTANDING PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTOR IN A SUPPORTING ROLE LARGE THEATRE SPONSOR:
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Tré Cotten Kim’s Convenience, Pacific Theatre Kayvon Khoshkam As You Like It, Bard on the Beach Shakespeare Festival
Tyrone Savage The Matchmaker, Arts Club Theatre Company Lee Shorten Kim’s Convenience, Pacific Theatre Adam Grant Warren Kill Me Now, Touchstone Theatre
OUTSTANDING PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTRESS IN A SUPPORTING ROLE SMALL THEATRE
Thérèse Champagne Precious Little, star star theatre Tanja Dixon-Warren The Beauty Queen of Leenane, Ensemble Theatre Company Alannah Ong The Ones We Leave Behind, Vancouver Asian Canadian Theatre Chelsea Rose Les Filles Du Roi, Fugue Theatre/Raven Theatre/Urban Ink/The Cultch Ella Simon The 39 Steps, Circle Bright Productions Inc.
OUTSTANDING PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTOR IN A SUPPORTING ROLE SMALL THEATRE
Sebastien Archibald Marine Life, Ruby Slippers Theatre Oliver Castillo Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street, The Snapshots Collective Alen Dominguez Marine Life, Ruby Slippers Theatre Ashley O’Connell The Beauty Queen of Leenane, Ensemble Theatre Company Jonathan Winsby Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street, The Snapshots Collective
THE GEORGIA STRAIGHT’S AWARD FOR OUTSTANDING DIRECTION LARGE THEATRE SPONSOR:
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Lois Anderson Lysistrata, Bard on the Beach Shakespeare Festival Esther Duquette & Gilles Poulin-Denis Le Soulier, Théâtre la Seizième
ARTSLANDIA 7
Kim Senklip Harvey 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) Roy Surette Kill Me Now, Touchstone Theatre Kaitlin Williams Kim’s Convenience, Pacific Theatre
OUTSTANDING DIRECTION SMALL THEATRE
Chris Adams Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street, The Snapshots Collective Lesley Ewen Camera Obscura (hungry ghosts), the frank theatre company/ Queer Arts Festival Jamie King The Wolves, With a Spoon Theatre in association with Rumble Theatre Laura McLean Never the Last, Delinquent Theatre
Corey Payette Les Filles Du Roi, Fugue Theatre/Raven Theatre/Urban Ink/The Cultch
Lauchlin Johnston The Lion, The Witch, and the Wardrobe, Pacific Theatre
RAY MICHAL AWARD FOR OUTSTANDING EMERGING DIRECTOR
Ken MacDonald The Shoplifters, Arts Club Theatre Company
To be announced at ceremony
PATRON OF THE ARTS AWARD To be announced at ceremony
JOHN MOFFAT AND LARRY LILLO PRIZE
To be announced at ceremony
Daniela Masellis 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) Carolyn Rapanos Kim’s Convenience, Pacific Theatre
VANCOUVER NOW REPRESENTATION AND INCLUSION AWARD
OUTSTANDING SET DESIGN
OUTSTANDING SET DESIGN
Khan Lee Camera Obscura (hungry ghosts), the frank theatre company/ Queer Arts Festival
To be announced at ceremony
LARGE THEATRE SPONSOR:
Drew Facey Timon of Athens, Bard on the Beach Shakespeare Festival
SMALL THEATRE
Drew Facey The 39 Steps, Circle Bright Productions Inc.
STAY CONNECTED AT STRAIGHT.COM Follow us @georgiastraightarts CONGRATULATIONS to all Jessie nominees and winners for bringing Vancouver’s stage scene alive in 2018/2019!
Proudly supporting Vancouver’s theatre community since 1967 8 JESSIE AWARDS | 2019
Marshall McMahen Les Filles Du Roi, Fugue Theatre/Raven Theatre/Urban Ink/The Cultch Patrick Rizzotti Hir, Pi Theatre Jennifer Stewart Wet, Itsazoo Productions Society
OUTSTANDING DESIGN
Shizuka Kai
SET DESIGN
Elephant & Piggie’s We Are in a Play, Carousel Theatre for Young People Shizuka Kai, Jessica Oostergo, Brad Trenaman ENSEMBLE DESIGN (SET, COSTUME, LIGHTING)
Salmon Girl, Raven Spirit Dance
THEATRE FOR YOUNG AUDIENCES
OUTSTANDING PERFORMANCE
Barbara Clayden
THEATRE FOR YOUNG AUDIENCES
COSTUME DESIGN
A Charlie Brown Holiday Double Bill, Carousel Theatre for Young People Dusty Hagerud DRAGON PUPPET CREATION
The Troll Grandfather, Axis Theatre Company Miriam Abrahams, Patrick Boudreau, Jeny Cassady, Jessica Oostergo ENSEMBLE DESIGN (LIGHTING, SOUND, PUPPETS, SET, PROPS, COSTUME)
All My Friends are Animals, Babelle Theatre/Axis Theatre Company
SPONSOR:
OUTSTANDING ARTISTIC CREATION THEATRE FOR YOUNG AUDIENCES SPONSOR:
Kayla Dunbar DIRECTION
Elephant & Piggie’s We Are in a Play, Carousel Theatre for Young People Patrick McDonald DIRECTION
What If, Green Thumb Theatre Kim Selody
Emilie Leclerc A Charlie Brown Holiday Double Bill, Carousel Theatre for Young People
DIRECTION
Tom Pickett Elephant & Piggie’s We Are in a Play, Carousel Theatre for Young People
SIGNIFICANT ARTISTIC ACHIEVEMENT
Teo Saef kow What If, Green Thumb Theatre
Arielle Ballance
Rebecca Talbot A Charlie Brown Holiday Double Bill, Carousel Theatre for Young People Jake Walker Jack and the Magic Bean, Presentation House Theatre
Jack and the Magic Bean, Presentation House Theatre
THEATRE FOR YOUNG AUDIENCES OUTSTANDING MUSICAL DIRECTION AND PERFORMANCE IN HER BODY OF WORK DURING THE 2018/2019 TYA SEASON
A Charlie Brown Holiday Double Bill and Elephant & Piggie’s We Are in a Play, Carousel Theatre for Young People
ARTSLANDIA 9
Presentation House Theatre
OUTSTANDING RISKY AND IMPROVISED AUDIENCE ENGAGEMENT
Jack and the Magic Bean, Presentation House Theatre Giselle Clarke-Trenaman
OUTSTANDING INTRODUCING AND CREATING AN ENGAGING ATMOSPHERE THROUGH STAGE MANAGEMENT IN HER BODY OF WORK DURING THE 2018/2019 TYA SEASON
Holiday Baking Time and Jack and the Magic Bean, Presentation House Theatre Elizabeth Wellwood
OUTSTANDING LIVE, ONSTAGE DJ PERFORMANCE
Cranked, Green Thumb Theatre
GVPTA CAREER ACHIEVEMENT AWARD: David Diamond
LARGE THEATRE &
Patti Allan The Shoplifters, Arts Club Theatre Company
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Lindsey Angell As You Like It, Bard on the Beach Shakespeare Festival
Daniel Doheny The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time, Arts Club Theatre Company Bob Frazer Kill Me Now, Touchstone Theatre Joey Lespérance Le Soulier, Théâtre la Seizième Jimmy Yi Kim’s Convenience, Pacific Theatre
OUTSTANDING PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTOR IN A LEAD ROLE SPONSOR:
Linden Banks Krapp’s Last Tape, Seven Tyrants Theatre Raes Calvert Les Filles Du Roi, Fugue Theatre/Raven Theatre/Urban Ink/The Cultch Jay Hindle The 39 Steps, Circle Bright Productions Inc.
Colleen Wheeler Timon of Athens, Bard on the Beach Shakespeare Festival
Chris Lam A Prayer for Owen Meany, Ensemble Theatre Company
Kaitlin Williams Jesus Freak, Pacific Theatre
OUTSTANDING PRODUCTION
OUTSTANDING PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTRESS IN A LEAD ROLE
Elephant & Piggie’s We Are in a Play, Carousel Theatre for Young People
Genevieve Fleming Wet, Itsazoo Productions Society Bronwen Smith The How and the Why, Aenigma Theatre Society Deb Williams Hir, Pi Theatre Colleen Winton Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street, The Snapshots Collective
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Félix Beauchamp Le Soulier, Théâtre la Seizième
Warren Kimmel Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street, The Snapshots Collective
SPONSOR:
your cultural concierge
&
SPONSOR:
France Perras Le Soulier, Théâtre la Seizième
SMALL THEATRE
®
LARGE THEATRE
SMALL THEATRE
OUTSTANDING PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTRESS IN A LEAD ROLE SPONSOR:
OUTSTANDING PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTOR IN A LEAD ROLE
Kaitlyn Yott Les Filles Du Roi, Fugue Theatre/Raven Theatre/Urban Ink/The Cultch
THEATRE FOR YOUNG AUDIENCES
Jack and the Magic Bean, Presentation House Theatre What If, Green Thumb Theatre
OUTSTANDING PRODUCTION—MUSICAL LARGE THEATRE SPONSOR:
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As You Like It, Bard on the Beach Shakespeare Festival Mamma Mia, Arts Club Theatre Company Once, Arts Club Theatre Company
SPONSOR:
DAVID DIAMOND
Les Filles Du Roi, Fugue Theatre/Raven Theatre/ Urban Ink/The Cultch
By Charissa Hurt
OUTSTANDING PRODUCTION—MUSICAL SMALL THEATRE
Poly Queer Love Ballad, Anais West & Sara Vickruck Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street, The Snapshots Collective
OUTSTANDING PRODUCTION—PLAY SMALL THEATRE SPONSOR:
Camera Obscura (hungry ghosts), the frank theatre company/ Queer Arts Festival Never the Last, Delinquent Theatre The 39 Steps, Circle Bright Productions Inc. The Wolves, With a Spoon Theatre in association with Rumble Theatre Wet, Itsazoo Productions Society
OUTSTANDING PRODUCTION—PLAY LARGE THEATRE &
SPONSOR: t a l e n t
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) www.kingtalent.com
Kill Me Now, Touchstone Theatre Kim’s Convenience, Pacific Theatre Le Soulier, Théâtre la Seizième The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time, Arts Club Theatre Company
SAM PAYNE AWARD FOR MOST PROMISING NEWCOMER To be announced at ceremony
GVPTA CAREER ACHIEVEMENT AWARD
W
i t h a career of over 40 years, David Diamond is an innovative artist who is most known for his work with Headlines Theatre, which was later renamed Theatre for Living. He grew up in Winnipeg, Manitoba, and graduated in 1975 with a Bachelor of Fine Arts in acting from the University of Alberta. David worked in theatre, radio, film, and television across Western Canada, including The Citadel, New Play Centre, TheatreSports, Carousel, Greenthumb, Globe Theatre, Westcoast Actors, and the CBC before co-founding Headlines Theatre in 1981. He became Artistic Director in 1984. David is the creator of Theatre for Living Techniques, a merging of his lifelong interest in systems theory and Augusto Boal’s Theatre of the Oppressed. Theatre for Living recognizes that communities are complexly integrated living organisms and invites them to engage in constructive social change, moving from various forms of violence to respectful engagement.
“Theatre for Living recognizes that communities are complexly integrated living organisms and invites them to engage in constructive social change.” David is a visiting faculty of the Master of Arts Program in Peace, Development, Security, and International Conflict Transformation at the UNESCO Chair for Peace Studies, University of Innsbruck, Austria. He’s also a visiting theatre director at the University of Alberta Faculty of Medicine and Dentistry. There, he uses Theatre for Living to help shift the culture of the learning environment. David has directed over 600 large, mainstage, and small community-specific projects around the world focused on issues such as racism, civic engagement, Indigenous land claims, violence, addiction, street youth, intergenerational conflict, homelessness,
mental health, climate change, corporate messaging, reclaiming hope from a culture of fear, and reconciliation between Indigenous and non-Indigenous populations in Canada. He also pioneered the development of live, interactive forum television and webcasting. David has received numerous personal awards, including a Jessie for Innovation in Theatre in 1988, and was the first individual recipient of the City of Vancouver’s Cultural Harmony Award in 1996. He received an honorary Doctorate of Letters from the University of the Fraser Valley in 2001. In 2010, he travelled with Governor General Michaëlle Jean as a Canadian delegate in Africa and also received the NY-based Otto René Castillo Award for Political Theatre. He received the Mayor’s Arts Award in 2012. Under his direction, the theatre company received many arts and human rights awards over the years. Local productions nominated and awarded with Jessie Richardson Awards include ¿Sanctuary? (1989), MAMU: The Currency of Life (1994), Practicing Democracy (2004), and after homelessness (2009). David is also the author of Theatre for Living: The Art and Science of Community-Based Dialogue, which has a foreword by renowned systems theorist Fritjof Capra and was honoured with the American Alliance of Theatre and Education 2008 Distinguished Book Award. His book has been translated into German (Theater zum Leben) and Spanish (Teatro para la Vida). David’s work has been an inspiration to artists and activists throughout Canada and globally, leaving a lasting impact in Vancouver and beyond. ARTSLANDIA 11
JESSIE RICHARDSON JESSIE RICHARDSON was a local pioneer in the development of professional theatre. Once met, she was never forgotten. She could be found at the center of any dramatic activity that aspired to professional theatre—she created costumes, acted, toured the province, raised money and raised the spirits of all. Jessie gave everyone she encountered a sense of community and common purpose. It was, and continues to be, fitting to celebrate Vancouver’s theatrical excellence in her honour.
SPECIAL AWARDS DESCRIPTION SYDNEY J. RISK Sydney J. Risk was a Western Canadian theatre pioneer who formed Everyman Theatre, a reparatory company, in 1946. The company toured Western Canada at a time when there were no professional theatre companies and no government grants. He contributed to the theatre as a professional actor and educator with the Universities of BC and Alberta and the Banff School of Fine Arts. However, it is his support of playwrights for which he is particularly remembered, producing new plays through Everyman and later at UBC. In memory of Mr. Risk, the Sydney J. Risk Foundation created this award to recognize an outstanding original play by an emerging writer. A monetary gift accompanies this award, given annually in memory of this inspiring director and teacher. Further information about Sydney J. Risk Foundation may be obtained by contacting Donald Risk at dhrisk@shaw.ca. CRITIC’S CHOICE INNOVATION AWARD The Innovation Award is adjudicated by Vancouver theatre critics, and celebrates the most successfully innovative production of the year. The nominating committee for this award includes Jo Ledingham, Colin Thomas, and Mark Robins. They nominate the five most innovative productions of the season and select one winner. The producer receives a special trophy. PATRON OF THE ARTS AWARD The Patron of the Arts Award recognizes an individual or organization that has provided significant support to live theatre in our community. In honouring these exceptional supporters, we celebrate the impulse to philanthropy that is essential to our survival. The Patron of the Arts Award is juried each year by a committee of the Greater Vancouver Professional Theatre Alliance.
12 JESSIE AWARDS | 2019
THE SAM PAYNE AWARD FOR MOST PROMISING NEWCOMER Born in New Westminster, Sam Payne received his formal training at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art in London, England. Upon returning to Canada, he joined the company of Ottawa’s Canadian Repertory Theatre along with Christopher Plummer, Derek Ralston, Amelia Hall, et al. The company ran for three years and is credited for being the first professional theatre company in Canada. Returning to BC, Sam worked as an actor, director, adjudicator, and producer. He put his stamp of excellence on every company from the early days of Totem and Vanguard Theatre to CBC’s Golden Age of Radio Drama and the beginning of television drama. The Sam Payne Award was established to recognize and encourage new talent on the Vancouver Theatre Scene. THE PERFORMING ARTS RECOGNITION FUND The three components of The Performing Arts Recognition Fund are The Mary Phillips Award, The Ray Michal Award, and The John Moffat and Larry Liillo Prize. These three cash awards, administered by The Vancouver Foundation, provide unique opportunities for us to recognize local theatre artists. By making a personal investment in our community, you help ensure the ongoing recognition of our outstanding artists. Donations can be made payable to The Vancouver Foundation and sent to: The Performing Arts Recognition Fund, c/o The Vancouver Foundation, Suite 1200, 555 West Hastings St., Box 12132, Vancouver, BC V6B 4N6. THE JOHN MOFFAT AND LARRY LILLO PRIZE John and Larry were prodigiously talented theatre artists—lovers of life, art and fun — who were lost to AIDS. John and Larry were integral members of the contemporary Vancouver Theatre scene. They were recipients of numerous Jessies, John for performance and Larry for directing. This Prize grew out of a request by John that an annual award be established in memory of his longtime companion, Larry Lillo. In their memory, a cash prize is presented each year to a West Coast theatre artist to be used for a project, a course of study, or to fulfill their heart’s desire. In John and Larry’s memory, we must strive to live courageous, creative lives full of laughter and love. THE RAY MICHAL PRIZE FOR MOST PROMISING NEW DIRECTOR Ray Michal was a vital force in Vancouver’s theatrical life. As the artistic director for City Stage, directing over 100 productions,
his choice of plays and players, to some, were quite risky. However, Ray’s vision provided a guiding light for innovation in theatre that is still present in our city today. As one of the very first directors to present “lunch hour” theatre, he offered many people their first break in the arts. Ray won two Jessies for Outstanding Direction of a Play, and in 1988, was given the Career Achievement Award. His wife Betty and sons Carl and Paul established the Ray Michal Prize which offers a monetary bursary to the most promising newcomer in the field of Stage Direction. The bursary is awarded annually to a person who has combined commitment, vision, integrity, and added a dash of daring to their artistic endeavors.
THE MARY PHILLIPS AWARD FOR BEHIND-THE-SCENES ACHIEVEMENT This award honours our unsung heroes: publicists, stage managers, administrators, accountants, box office and front-of-house personnel—all those wonderful people who labour in obscurity and will never be asked to take a bow for their work. The prize commemorates Mary Phillips, whose matchless wit and style graced the behind-the-scenes at City Stage. When she fell ill with breast cancer, the theatre community’s love and respect for her was demonstrated in a memorable evening of entertainment, the “pass the Hat” benefit of September 4, 1988. David Phillips established the Mary Phillips Award with the generous donations of Vancouver’s theatre community. Each year, this award is given to a person who best exemplifies the spirit and dedication which were Mary’s gifts to the performing arts in Vancouver. THE COLIN CAMPBELL AWARD FOR EXCELLENCE IN TECHNICAL THEATRE Colin Campbell lived and worked in technical theatre and live performance for over 30 years in a variety of capacities and increasing responsibility. The Colin Campbell Award for Excellence in Technical Theatre is awarded to an individual at any stage in their career who has displayed excellence and commitment to the field of professional technical theatre in Greater Vancouver through their body of work. Colin Campbell, production manager at the Vancouver Playhouse Theatre Company, passed away on June 25, 2010, after a fierce and inspiring battle with cancer. His friends and colleagues have established an award in his name to recognize an individual who shares Colin’s commitment to excellence in the field of technical theatre.
JURY CHAIRS SHAYNA GOLDBERG Large Theatre
Shayna hails from Toronto and has made a home in Vancouver. She is an arts manager and producer, and while she is currently the Artistic Planning & Operations Manager at Music on Main, she is and will always be a full-fledged theatre geek.
BAHAREH SHIGEMATSU Small Theatre
Bahareh was born and raised in Tehran, Iran, and speaks four languages fluently. She has worked as a costume designer and has produced an independent feature film and several music videos for Persian recording artists. Since 2014, Bahareh has been working as an arts administrator and production manager for playwright development workshops.
VALERIE SING TURNER Script Reading
Valerie Sing Turner is an award-winning theatre artist and Artistic Producer of Visceral Visions. She was an Artist-in-Residence at National Arts Centre for In the Shadow of the Mountains, her ten-actor play centring three generations of an interracial family of (Skwxwú7mesh (Squamish), Chinese-Canadian, Japanese-Canadian) descent. The second draft will receive a staged reading at the 2019
Heart of the City Festival. In September, her company will launch CultureBrew.Art, a digital platform that features a searchable database of Indigenous and racialized artists who work in the performing and media arts.
SANDRA CHAMBERLAIN SNIDER Theatre for Young Audiences
Sandra Chamberlain Snider is a doctoral candidate in theatre history at the University of Victoria. Her research involves the understudied area of theatre training for children and youth in English Canada, as well as the historical place of the child and youth character in western theatre history. Sandra earned a master’s degree at UBC in 2013 for which she completed a thesis titled Arts Umbrellas Theatre Troupes: a history of theatre training for children and youth.
HOST REBECCA DUNCAN is from the Squamish and Musqueam Nations of the Coast Salish Peoples. Rebecca has devoted her life to preserve the Squamish Language along with the cultural teachings that have been handed down to her. She is a teacher/curriculum developer and has performed worldwide.
BOARD OF DIRECTORS 2018/2019 President CHARISSA HURT
Sponsorship Chair DANIELLE KLAUDT
Vice President JESS GARDEN
Sponsorship Assistant STEPHEN SIMPSON
Secretary RUTH BRUHN
Ticketing Officer MIKAYLA WUST
Awards Show Chair SEAMUS FERA Special Awards Chair TOM PICKETT
Members at Large LISA GOEBEL SHIZUKA KAI NITASHA RAJOO
Marketing Chair TAMARA VISHNIAKOFF
Jessie Review Committee Chair SUSAN MIYAGISHIMA
This serves as the official notice to members that the 2018/2019 AGM will be held on Monday, September 16, 2019 at 7pm. The AGM will be followed by a TownHall. Got a Jessies related subject you’d like to see discussed at the town hall? Email info@jessieawards.com
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PRODUCTIONS CONSIDERED 40 Days and 40 nights.....................Electric Company Theatre
Le Soulier............................................Théâtre la Seizième
A Brief History of Human Extinction...........................Upintheair Theatre
Les Belles-soeurs................................Ruby Slippers Theatre
A Charlie Brown Holiday Double Bill..........................................Carousel Theatre for Young People
Lysistrata...........................................Bard on the Beach Shakespeare Festival
Les Filles Du Roi...............................Fugue Theatre
A Few Good Men................................Ensemble Theatre Company
Macbeth...............................................Bard on the Beach Shakespeare Festival
A Prayer for Owen Meany...............Ensemble Theatre Company
Mamma Mia!.....................................Arts Club Theatre Company
A Vancouver Guldasta.....................SACHA (Vancouver) with Diwali in BC and The Cultch Act of Faith.........................................Realwheels Theatre All My Friends are Animals............Babelle Theatre in association with Axis Theatre As You Like It.....................................Bard on the Beach Shakespeare Festival Bed and Breakfast.............................Arts Club Theatre Company Blackbird............................................Kestrel Solutions Collective Bombay Black....................................Diwali in BC (Raghupriya Arts and Culture Society) Camera Obscura (hungry ghosts)..................................the frank theatre company
Marine Life.........................................Ruby Slippers Theatre Miss Bennet: Christmas at Pemberley...................Arts Club Theatre Company Molly Misbegotten.............................Midtwenties Theatre Society Much Ado About Nothing................Classic Chic Productions Mustard..............................................Arts Club Theatre Company Never The Last...................................Delinquent Theatre Once.....................................................Arts Club Theatre Company Poly Queer Love Ballad....................Anais West and Sara Vickruck Precious Little....................................star star theatre Reborning...........................................Reality Curve Theatre Red Birds.............................................Solo Collective and Western Gold Theatre Redpatch.............................................Arts Club Theatre Company
Cherry Docs........................................Cave Canem Productions
Salmon Girl........................................Raven Spirit Dance
Children of God..................................Urban Ink Productions Society
Sex With Strangers...........................Mitch and Murray Productions
C'mon, Angiel.....................................Touchstone Theatre
Simon a toujours aimé danser.......Théâtre la Seizième
Cranked...............................................Green Thumb Theatre
Slime....................................................The Only Animal
Danny and the Deep Blue Sea.........(Athletes of Soul) A.O.S Collective
Spinning You Home..........................Spinners Collective
Dark Road..........................................Ensemble Theatre Company
Soul Samurai.....................................Affair Of Honor
Dead People’s Things........................Zee Zee Theatre
Sweat....................................................Arts Club Theatre Company
Doubt: A Parable...............................Seven Tyrants Theatre
Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street.........................The Snapshots Collective
Elephant and Piggie’s We Are In a Play................................Carousel Theatre for Young People Gross Misconduct..............................SpeakEasy Theatre Hir........................................................Pi Theatre Holiday Baking Time.......................Presentation House Theatre
So, How Should I Be?........................Presentation House Theatre
The 39 Steps........................................Circle Bright Productions Inc. The Amish Project..............................Dark Glass Theatre The Beauty Queen of Leenane.........Ensemble Theatre Company The Cherry Orchard..........................The Smoking Gun Collective
Jack and the Magic Bean.................Presentation House Theatre
The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time......................Arts Club Theatre Company
Jesus Christ: The Lost Years............Monster Theatre
The Enemy..........................................Firehall Arts Centre
Jesus Freak.........................................Pacific Theatre Kamloopa...........................................The Cultch
The F Words: Fab, Funny, Fierce!...........................Yvette Dudley-Neuman
Kill All Politicians............................Vagrant Players Theatre Society
The Full Light Of Day......................Electric Company Theatre
Kill Me Now........................................Touchstone Theatre
The Good Bride..................................The Firehall Arts Centre and Alley Theatre
Kim’s Convenience............................Pacific Theatre King Richard & His Women...........Seven Tyrants Theatre Krapp’s Last Tape.............................Seven Tyrants Theatre
14 JESSIE AWARDS | 2019
The How and The Why.....................Aenigma Theatre Society The Lion, The Witch, and The Wardrobe.............................Pacific Theatre
PRODUCTIONS CONSIDERED (CONT.) The Matchmaker...............................Arts Club Theatre Company The Money Shot.................................MPD Artistic Collective The Ones We Leave Behind..............Vancouver Asian Canadian Theatre The Open House.................................Sticks and Stones Theatre The Orchard.......................................Arts Club Theatre Company The Shakespeare Show.....................Monster Theatre The Shoplifters...................................Arts Club Theatre Company The Troll Gradfather.........................Axis Theatre Company The Wolves..........................................With a Spoon Theatre, in association with Rumble Theatre “This”...................................................Kindred Entertainment This, Here............................................Babelle Theatre
PUBLISHER + FOUNDER Misty Tompoles ASSOCIATE PUBLISHER + MEMBERSHIP MANAGER Katrina Ketchum SALES DIRECTOR Lindsey Ferguson DIGITAL DIRECTOR Chris Porras
Timon of Athens................................Bard on the Beach Shakespeare Festival Tolkien.................................................Pacific Theatre Victim Impact....................................Theatre Conspiracy Weaving Reconciliation: Our Way..............................................Vancouver Moving Theatre Wet........................................................ITSAZOO Productions Society
MANAGING EDITOR Kristen Seidman ASSOCIATE DIRECTOR OF EVENTS & SPECIAL PROJECTS Ashley Coates
Yoga Play............................................Gateway Theatre We Three..............................................Carousel Theatre for Young People What If.................................................Green Thumb Theatre
BUSINESS MANAGER Bella Showerman
CREDITS Traditional Welcome Rebecca Campbell – Tsitsayxemaat Co-Producers Christie Watson & Julia Mauro Production Team Jethelo Cabilete Robin Volk Howard Dai Lisa Goebel Projection Designer Jordan Watkins Hosts Katey Hoffman* Cheyenne Mabberley Live Announcer France Perras* ASL Interpretation Lisz Keallen Laine Le Vecque House Band The Queertet Alison Gorman – Trumpet Sal Zori – Drums Jonny Tobin – Keys
SENIOR GRAPHIC DESIGNER Jackie Tran
Presenters Omari Newton Jess Shead Jiv Parasram Stephen Heatley Chelsea Haberlin Shizuka Kai Thailey Roberge Georgia Acken Tara Travis Emily Grace Brooke Munish Sharma Kathleen Duborg Yvonne Yip Anna Hagan Photography Mark Halliday, Moon Rider Productions Flora Gordon Julie Heather Photography Marketing & PR Bonnie Allan PR Program Publisher Artslandia *The participation of these Artists are arranged by permission of Canadian Actors’ Equity Association under the provisions of the Dance Opera Theatre Policy (DOT).
PUBLISHING COORDINATOR Mindy Mawhirter PUBLISHER’S REPRESENTATIVE Nicole Lane PODCAST HOST Susannah Mars CONTRACTORS Christine Dong Jordyn Roach Heidi Rush
SUBSC RIBE ONL INE
Published by Rampant Creative, Inc. ©2019 Rampant Creative, Inc. All rights reserved. This magazine or any portion thereof may not be reproduced or used in any manner whatsoever without the express written permission of the publisher. Rampant Creative, Inc./Artslandia Magazine 6637 SE Milwaukie Ave., Suite 206 | Portland, OR 97202
ARTSLANDIA 15
DOUGLAS
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