Awards

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Betty Mitchell Awards for Excellence

Citadel Theatre and Theatre Calgary have been nominated for seven Betty Mitchell Awards for Excellence in Calgary’s Professional Theatre.

Read all the nominations:

Calgary's Betty Mitchell Awards
2008 Nominees

Outstanding Performance by an Actress in a Supporting Role
Sponsored by Deb Green Casting

• Joyce Doolittle – Vigil – Theatre Calgary
• Vanessa Holmes – that elusive spark – Alberta Theatre Projects
• Nicola Lipman – Rabbit Hole – Alberta Theatre Projects
• Kate Newby – August, an Afternoon in the Country – Alberta Theatre Projects
• Julie Orton – Noirville – Vertigo Theatre

Outstanding Lighting Design
Sponsored by Trudie Lee Photography

• Harry Frehner – Rigoletto – Calgary Opera
• Kevin Lamotte – The Wars – Theatre Calgary/Vancouver Playhouse
• Ian Martens – My Name is Rachel Corrie – Sage Theatre
• Narda McCarroll – The Drowning Girls – Alberta Theatre Projects
• Cimmeron Meyer – The Alan Parkinson’s Project – Ghost River Theatre

Outstanding Set Design
Sponsored by IATSE Local 212

• The Company – The Dishwashers – Downstage
• Bretta Gerecke – Rigoletto – Calgary Opera
• Terry Gunvordahl – The Mystery of Edwin Drood – Vertigo Theatre
• Scott Reid – Half Life – Alberta Theatre Projects
• Allan Stichbury – The Wars – Theatre Calgary/Vancouver Playhouse

Outstanding Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role
Sponsored by ACTRA

• Christopher Austman – The Wars – Theatre Calgary/Vancouver Playhouse
• Tyrell Crews – Our Town – Theatre Calgary
• Terry Gunvordahl – The Dishwashers – Downstage
• Grant Reddick – Half Life – Alberta Theatre Projects
• Frank Zotter – Lion in the Streets – Sage Theatre

Outstanding Costume Design
Sponsored by Canadian Institute of Theatre Technology

• Michael Eagan – Enchanted April – Theatre Calgary
• Leslie Frankish – Disney’s Beauty and the Beast – Theatre Calgary/Citadel Theatre
• Bretta Gerecke – Rigoletto – Calgary Opera
• Deneen McArthur – The Mystery of Edwin Drood – Vertigo Theatre
• Kelly Wolf – The Wars – Theatre Calgary/Vancouver Playhouse

Outstanding Sound Design or Composition
Sponsored by The Ship & Anchor Pub

• Amir Amiri – Helen’s Necklace – Urban Curvz Theatre
• Andrew Blizzard – Noirville – Vertigo Theatre
• Ethan Cole – The Astonishing Adventures of Awesome Girl and Radical Boy – Lunchbox Theatre
• Michael Gesy and Brendan McGuigan – Lion in the Streets – Sage Theatre
• Jonathan Monro – With a Twist – Lunchbox Theatre

Outstanding Choreography or Fight Direction
Sponsored by Theatre Alberta

• Mark Bellamy – The Mystery of Edwin Drood – Vertigo Theatre
• Phillip Hughes – Sweet Charity – Stage West
• Kevin K. James – The Wars – Theatre Calgary/Vancouver Playhouse
• Laura Krewski – With a Twist – Lunchbox Theatre
• Philip Nero – Disney’s Beauty and the Beast – Theatre Calgary/Citadel Theatre

Outstanding Musical Direction
Sponsored by Mount Royal College Theatre Arts Program

• Ethan Cole – The Astonishing Adventures of Awesome Girl and Radical Boy – Lunchbox Theatre
• Don Horsburgh – Disney’s Beauty and the Beast – Theatre Calgary/Citadel Theatre
• Brendan McGuigan – Hedwig and the Angry Inch – Sage Theatre
• Jonathan Monro – With a Twist – Lunchbox Theatre
• Stephen Woodjetts – The Mystery of Edwin Drood – Vertigo Theatre

Outstanding Performance by an Actor in a Comedy or Musical
Sponsored by Dagaz Talent

• Geoffrey Ewert – Hedwig and the Angry Inch – Sage Theatre
• Sean Hauk – Disney’s Beauty and the Beast – Theatre Calgary/Citadel Theatre
• Marc Hervieux – Tosca – Calgary Opera
• Doug McKeag – The Mystery of Edwin Drood – Vertigo Theatre
• John Ullyatt – Disney’s Beauty and the Beast – Theatre Calgary/Citadel Theatre

Outstanding Performance by an Actress in a Comedy or Musical
Sponsored by The Talent House Inc.

• Kharytia Bilash – Disney’s Beauty and the Beast – Theatre Calgary/Citadel Theatre
• Tracy Dahl – Rigoletto – Calgary Opera
• Natascha Girgis – The Mystery of Edwin Drood – Vertigo Theatre
• Elinor Holt – The Mystery of Edwin Drood – Vertigo Theatre
• Jamie Konchak – Hedwig and the Angry Inch – Sage Theatre

Outstanding New Play
Sponsored by University of Calgary Department of Drama

• Ethan Cole – The Astonishing Adventures of Awesome Girl and Radical Boy – Lunchbox Theatre
• Jean-Marc Dalpé, translated by Maureen Labonté – August, an Afternoon in the Country – Alberta Theatre Projects
• Doug McKeag – DOOM 2012 – Ghost River Theatre
• Jason Rothery – POLITIkO – Ghost River Theatre
• Daniela Vlaskalic, Beth Graham and Charlie Tomlinson – The Drowning Girls – Alberta Theatre Projects

Outstanding Direction
Sponsored by The Auburn

• Dennis Garnhum – The Wars – Theatre Calgary/Vancouver Playhouse
• Glynis Leyshon – Rigoletto – Calgary Opera
• Kate Newby – Lion in the Streets – Sage Theatre
• Glenda Stirling – Rabbit Hole – Alberta Theatre Projects
• Charlie Tomlinson – The Drowning Girls – Alberta Theatre Projects

Outstanding Performance by an Actress in a Drama
Sponsored by Rhonda Fisekci

• Shirley Broderick – Half Life – Alberta Theatre Projects
• Shawna Burnett – Lion in the Streets – Sage Theatre
• Jennie Esdale – Lion in the Streets – Sage Theatre
• Elinor Holt – Helen’s Necklace – Urban Curvz Theatre
• Adrienne Smook – My Name is Rachel Corrie – Sage Theatre

Outstanding Performance by an Actor in a Drama
Sponsored by Company of Rogues Actors' Studio

• Shomee Chakrabartty – Helen’s Necklace – Urban Curvz Theatre
• Dean Paul Gibson – Vigil – Theatre Calgary
• Christian Goutsis – The Wars – Theatre Calgary/Vancouver Playhouse
• Kevin K. James – that elusive spark – Alberta Theatre Projects
• Curt McKinstry – Rabbit Hole – Alberta Theatre Projects

Outstanding Production of a Musical
Sponsored by Theatre Alberta

• Disney’s Beauty and the Beast – Theatre Calgary/Citadel Theatre
• Hedwig and the Angry Inch – Sage Theatre
• The Mystery of Edwin Drood – Vertigo Theatre
• Rigoletto – Calgary Opera
• With a Twist – Lunchbox Theatre

Outstanding Production of a Play
Sponsored by EPCOR CENTRE for the Performing Arts

• The Drowning Girls – Alberta Theatre Projects
• Lion in the Streets – Sage Theatre
• Rabbit Hole – Alberta Theatre Projects
• Vigil – Theatre Calgary
• The Wars – Theatre Calgary/Vancouver Playhouse

Fast Forward Weekly Readers’ Choice Award
Sponsored by Fast Forward Weekly

Betty Mitchell Outstanding Achievement Award
Sponsored by Kevin Cork of The Absolute Group Inc.

The Dean Ott / Debbie Boult Award
(Honouring Outstanding Achievement in Technical Production)
Sponsored by Canadian Actors' Equity Association

The Greg Bond Memorial Award
(Honouring Outstanding Contribution to Musical Theatre in Calgary)
Presented by The Bond Family

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Elinore & Lou Siminovitch Prize in Theatre

Two plays appearing this past season at the Citadel, and their respective playwrights, have been nominated for the prestigious Elinore & Lou Siminovitch Prize in Theatre.

Both Vern Thiessen (Vimy) and Colleen Murphy (The December Man) received nominations.

The $100,000 prize — the largest in Canadian theatre — will be presented October 27, 2008 to a professional playwright who has made a significant contribution to theatre in Canada, based on their body of work.

The full list of 2008 Siminovitch Prize Nominees includes:

• Michele Riml, North Vancouver, BC (Rage)
• Carmen Aguirre, Vancouver, BC (The Trigger)
• Marie Clements, Galiano Island, BC (Copper Thunderbird)
• Vern Thiessen, Edmonton, AB (Vimy)
• Lyle Victor Albert, Edmonton, AB (Jumpin’ Jack)
• Doug Curtis, Calgary, AB (Mesa)
• Karen Hines, Calgary, AB (Hello Hello)
• Rick Chafe, Winnipeg, MB (Shakespeare’s Dog)
• Alex Poch-Goldin, Toronto, ON (Cringeworthy)
• Linda Griffiths, Toronto, ON (Age of Arousal)
• David S. Craig, Toronto, ON (Danny, King of the Basement)
• Daniel Maclvor, Toronto, ON (A Beautiful View)
• Morwyn Brebner, Toronto, ON (The Optimists)
• Tony Nardi, Toronto, ON (Letter Two)
• Michael Hollingsworth, Toronto, ON (Confederation)
• Florence Gibson, Toronto, ON (Home is My Road)
• Colleen Murphy, Toronto, ON (The December Man)
• Morris Panych, Toronto, ON (Girl in the Goldfish Bowl)
• Daniel David Moses, Kingston, ON (The Moon and Dead Indians)
• Drew Hayden Taylor, Curve Lake, ON (The Berlin Blues)
• David Gow, Pointe-Claire, QC (Relative Good)
• Vittorio Rossi, Montreal, QC (A Carpenter’s Trilogy)
• Larry Tremblay, Montreal, QC (Abraham Lincoln va au théâtre)
• Kent Stetson, Montreal, QC (The Harps of God)
• Jasmine Dubé, Montreal, QC (La Couturiere)
• Daniel Danis, St-David de Falardeau, QC (Le Langue-à-Langue des chiens de roche)

The Elinore & Lou Siminovitch Prize in Theatre honours professional directors, playwrights and designers by acknowledging excellence and encouraging further exploration in Canadian theatre. The Siminovitch Prize was created in 2001 and is dedicated to distinguished scientist Lou Siminovitch and his late wife Elinore, a playwright.

The recipient receives $100,000, of which $25,000 is awarded to a protégé or organization of the recipient's choice.

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[excerpt from National Post] Fire breaks out again at Dora Mavor Moore Awards Adam McDowell July 1, 2008 National Post Lightning might not strike a second time but, in Toronto’s theatre scene at least, Fire did Monday night.  Paul Ledoux and David Young’s rock ‘n’ roll musical about a pair of brothers in the Deep South won five Dora Mavor Moore Awards in 1989 for the 1988 Theatre Passe Muraille production starring Ted Dykstra. Fire was rekindled at this year’s Doras with five wins for the recent production by the Canadian Stage Company and Edmonton’s Citadel Theatre — which once again starred Ted Dykstra. “The last time I was fortunate enough to receive one of these for performing was 20 years ago, and it was for the same part,” said Dykstra as he was cheered on by Toronto’s theatre, opera and dance community at the Winter Garden Theatre upon accepting his award for outstanding performance by a male in a principal role (musical). “Stick to what you know. I was 0 for 12 before tonight. I was the Susan Lucci of the Doras.” In an interview following the 2½-hour-plus awards ceremony, Dykstra pointed out that his character in Fire, Cale Blackwell — a preacher’s son who foresakes evangelism for rock ‘n’ roll — ages over the course of the play. “The character changes age by 20 years,” he said. “Last time, I couldn’t have imagined what it’d be like to be in my forties, and now I can.” A visibly happy Dykstra was seen to celebrate by swigging Champagne backstage and posing for play smooches with Fire co-star Rick Roberts, who plays Cale’s conservative brother Herchel. Fire’s other awards came for outstanding direction of a musical (James MacDonald), outstanding performance by a female in a principal role in a musical (Nicole Underhay, who said winning was “neat”) and outstanding production of a musical. The Canadian Stage Company and Citadel Theatre also shared the honour for outstanding producton of a play for The December Man, Colleen Murphy’s bleak account of a young man’s struggle to recover from witnessing the Montreal Massacre. AND THE 2008 DORAS WENT TO ... Outstanding Performance of a Male in a Principal Role – Musical: Ted Dykstra — Fire Outstanding Musical Direction: Ted Dykstra — Fire Outstanding Direction of a Musical: James MacDonald — Fire Outstanding Performance by a Female in a Principal Role – Musical: Nicole Underhay — Fire Outstanding Production of a Musical: Fire Outstanding Production of a Play: The December Man [excerpt from Globe and Mail] Canstage shines at the Dora Awards Toronto theatre world in spotlight Michael Posner July 1, 2008 Globe and Mail Despite a year of financial and backstage struggles, Toronto's Canadian Stage Company walked off with the lion's share of spoils yesterday at the 29th annual Dora Mavor Moore Awards. Canstage won seven Doras in total, including two biggies, for outstanding production of a musical (Fire) and outstanding production of a play (The December Man). Both were staged in conjunction with Edmonton's Citadel Theatre. Canstage also produced the Dora jury's vote for the year's outstanding play, Judith Thompson's Palace of the End. Its production of Fire also netted Doras for Ted Dykstra (outstanding musical direction and performance by a male principal), James MacDonald (outstanding direction of a musical) and Nicole Underhay (outstanding performance by a female principal).

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Vimy storms to Sterling victory Dark First World War play named outstanding production as theatre community celebrates the season Liz Nicholls The Edmonton Journal Tuesday, June 24, 2008

EDMONTON — A dark new play that revisits one of our formative nightmares was, rather decisively, the toast of the evening Monday as the theatre community gathered to celebrate the past season on Edmonton stages.

Vern Thiessen's Vimy, which locates four Canadian soldiers in the aftermath of the costly First World War victory, was deemed outstanding production at the 21^st annual Sterling Awards gala at the Mayfield Dinner Theatre. Additionally, James MacDonald's premiere production, set forth onstage at the Citadel in a series of striking visuals on a floor of earth, took home the hardware in five of 22 categories, including direction (James MacDonald), as well as set and lighting design (Bretta Gerecke and Narda McCarroll), and sound design (Dave Clarke).

The acting awards went elsewhere, and so did the Sterling for outstanding new play. The latter went to Collin Doyle, whose viciously funny black comedy of familial dysfunction, The Mighty Carlins, had the ambiguous distinction of being Alberta's most-awarded unproduced script until ailing Workshop West picked it up this season as its comeback calling card.

John Wright's memorable Father-knows-worst turn as the flinty Carlin patriarch, glinting with malice and cunning, garnered him the leading actor Sterling.

In the flowering of indie productions that was one of the leitmotifs of the 2007-08 season, Sterling jurors singled out Scythe. Dammitdance Theatre's highly original dance/musical theatre exploration of the demise of the family farm went into the evening with five nominations, and emerged with the outstanding independent production Sterling. And it was another indie enterprise, Wayne Paquette's powerhouse production of Orange Flower Water, in which Twilla Macleod turned in her scorching outstanding supporting actress-winning performance.

She played the abandoned wife, in the adulterous-couple love geometry that drives Craig Wright's tense play.

The other two actors' Sterlings went to occupants of the Citadel's smallest stage, the Rice. That's where we saw Liisa Repo-Martell convey, in perfectly upturned pre-teen cadences, the sharp comic insights of Claudia, age 12 and three quarters, in I, Claudia, in a performance that got her the outstanding actress Sterling.

And the Rice is where Tom Wood delivered a fragmented volley of pain, regret and indefinable disappointment as a middle-aged widower who started seeing his late wife's ghost, in James MacDonald's production of Shining City. Jurors awarded his work the outstanding supporting actor Sterling.

The nominations, announced earlier this month, were dispersed among theatres large and small.

When the jurors returned from their dust-up with that list, Monday's festivities (hosted by Kieran Martin Murphy and Linda Grass) turned out to be a night for big theatre. Except for Workshop West, smaller companies -- Theatre Network, Northern Light, Fringe Theatre Adventures, Shadow, Teatro La Quindicina -- went home empty-handed. The Citadel took home nine Sterlings in all -- among them all the design awards, including Leslie Frankish's costumes that turned humans into singing/dancing household appliances in Disney's Beauty and the Beast.

And, speaking of big theatre, the outstanding musical came courtesy of an opera company: Edmonton Opera's production of HMS Pinafore, a new spruced-up adaptation of the classic G&S satire by playwright Stewart Lemoine.

An evening interspersed with stage excerpts from nominated plays and musicals, also included Sterling tributes to Kevin Hendricks and Patricia Casey. The former was honoured with the Margaret Mooney Award for his administrative work with Theatre Network, his founding contributions to Nextfest and Guys In Disguise, and his activist work with World AIDS Day and the AIDS Memorial Quilt. The latter, a veteran actor herself, is an indefatigable lobbyist for all matters theatrical in this city.

AND THE 2008 STERLINGS WENT TO ...

Outstanding Production of a Play:	Vimy — Citadel
Outstanding Performance by an actress in a leading role:	Liisa Repo-Martell for I, Claudia — Citadel
Outstanding Performance by an actor in a supporting role:	Tom Wood for Shining City — Citadel
Outstanding Director:	James MacDonald for Vimy — Citadel
Outstanding Set Design:	Bretta Gerecke and Narda McCarroll for Vimy — Citadel
Outstanding Costume Design:	Leslie Frankish for Disney's Beauty and the Beast — Citadel
Outstanding Lighting Design:	Bretta Gerecke and Narda McCarroll for Vimy — Citadel
Outstanding Score of a play or musical:	Dave Clarke for Vimy — Citadel
Outstanding Musical Director:	Ted Dykstra for Fire — Citadel

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