Before diving into this gigantic list of brilliant people, be sure to check out the (also brilliant) nominees for the MyTV Awards, MyCinema Awards and MyTheatre Awards in London, New York and Boston.
MyTheatre’s Toronto branch makes up the largest portion of our site-wide awards season by a pretty large margin. Without even factoring in ensembles and production teams, more than 200 individual theatre artists are nominated this year for their work in Toronto, Stratford and Niagara-on-the-Lake, many of them first-time nominees. Pulling together the suggestions of our entire staff of reviewers from notes kept throughout the year, we’ve selected 5-7 nominees in 35 categories across 3 divisions and there’s even more to come when we announce the winners of the Emerging Artist, Fan Favourite, Performer of the Year and Honorary Award.
There’s so much going on with this set of nominations that we need to sort out some business right off the top:
Who Qualifies?
Any production one of our Toronto writers saw between January 1st and December 31st was considered for nomination, unless it was a remount of something we’d already seen (ie: Soulpepper’s Christmas Carol). If the remount has a new cast member, however, that cast member is eligible even if the production as a whole isn’t.
How Do the Divisions Work?
You may notice that this year we’ve divided up the categories a little bit differently. Rather than the usual indie & professional divisions (which never made sense to us since independent artists are also professionals), we’ve designated each company as either “large”, “medium” or “small” based loosely on budget, audience size and number of shows produced per year. It’s an inexact science but we’ve tried to be as fair as possible to create even playing fields and include as many different artists as possible. We also changed the word “Best” to “Outstanding” because “best” just isn’t a possible thing.
Who Picks the Winners?
Our Editors and Staff Writers all get a say but we use your votes for tie breakers and to choose a Fan Favourite so be sure to share your thoughts in the comments section, on Facebook and Twitter using the hashtag #MyTheatreAwards.
When Are the Winners Announced?
Winners will be announced at the annual MyTheatre Award Ceremony & Party on March 21st, 2016.
We’re back at The Great Hall this year with plenty of food, live music (of both the cocktail and dance party varieties) from our signature band Hand-Picked Favourites and the main event hosted by the incredible duo of Ryan G. Hinds & Kat Letwin!
More details and official invites to come (so make sure we have your contact info if you’re a nominee). A full list of the winners will be published on the site the following day.
NEW THIS YEAR: The Anonymous Award for Outstanding Stage Management
We try our best to cover as many aspects of theatre as we can. In recent years, that’s meant expanding our design and technical categories, adding awards for improv/sketch and solo performance, and moving from two to three divisions to accommodate budget disparities. We’ve used the Emerging Artist and Honorary Awards to celebrate theatre artists who perform roles not covered by the nominated categories like Artistic Director, Producer and Fight Director. But we’ve never quite figured out how to give Stage Management its due. A good stage manager’s work is difficult to appreciate from the audience; we can’t see how tight a ship they run in rehearsal or how many fires they put out along the way. So we decided to create this award and turn it over to the people who do see those things- other theatre artists.
Here’s how this will work: if you worked with an incredible stage manager in Toronto (or at Stratford or Shaw) during the 2015 season, we want to hear about them. Send an email to editors@myentertainmentworld.ca with the subject line “SM Nomination: NOMINEE’s NAME” and describe in 100 words why you think they deserve to win (*Please only submit one nomination and respect the word limit). Make sure to include the production details and the nominee’s email address. The winner will be announced with the rest of the awards at the party on March 21st, so make sure your nominee shows up!
One Last Thing:
Don’t forget about our annual Nominee Interview Series. If you’re nominated this year (including ensemble and production categories), email editors@myentertainmentworld.ca to sign up.
….
Okay, here they are:
Outstanding Sketch/Improv Performance
Cult Wayward (Bad Dog Theatre Company)
God’s Beard! (Falcon Powder/Toronto Fringe Festival)
That’s Just Five Kids in a Trench Coat! (Dame Judy Dench/Toronto Fringe Festival)
The Real Housewives of Murder (TwoSon/Toronto Fringe Festival)
Unbridled & Unstable (The Templeton Philharmonic/Next Stage Theatre Festival)
Outstanding Solo Performance
Lisa Dwan in Beckett Trilogy (Canadian Stage)
Rebecca Northan in Blind Date (Tarragon Theatre)
Sarah Thorpe in Heretic (Soup Can Theatre)
Adam Paolozza in Paolozzapedia (Bad New Days/The RISER Project)
Ryan G. Hinds in Starry Notions (Nefarious Projects/Toronto Fringe Festival)
Ngozi Paul in The Emancipation of Miss Lovely (Ngozika Productions/SummerWorks Festival)
Sam Mullins in The Untitled Sam Mullins Project (Toronto Fringe Festival)
Outstanding Ballet Performance
Robert Stephen in Alice in Wonderland (The National Ballet of Canada)
Jillian Vanstone in Alice in Wonderland (The National Ballet of Canada)
Harrison James in Carousel (The National Ballet of Canada)
Piotr Stanczyk in The Man in Black (The National Ballet of Canada)
Jurgita Dronina in The Winter’s Tale (The National Ballet of Canada)
Svetlana Lunkina in The Winter’s Tale (The National Ballet of Canada)
Outstanding Opera Performance
Kyle Ketelsen in Don Giovanni (Canadian Opera Company)
Clarence Frazer in Julie (Canadian Stage)
Quinn Kelsey in La Traviata (Canadian Opera Company)
Ekaterina Siurina in La Traviata (Canadian Opera Company)
Lauren Segal in M’dea Undone (Tapestry Opera)
Alek Shrader in The Barber of Seville (Canadian Opera Company)
Large
Outstanding New Work
Infinity by Hannah Moscovitch (Tarragon Theatre)
M’dea Undone by Marjorie Chan & John Harris (Tapestry Opera)
The Divine: A Play for Sarah Bernhardt by Michel Marc Bouchard (The Shaw Festival)
The Last Wife by Kate Hennig (The Stratford Festival)
The Trouble with Mr. Adams by Gord Rand (Tarragon Theatre)
Therefore Choose Life by Jake Epstein & Kathy Kacer (Harold Green Jewish Theatre Company)
Outstanding Ensemble
Happy Place (Soulpepper Theatre Company)
Kinky Boots (Mirvish Productions)
Marat/Sade (Soulpepper Theatre Company)
Peter & The Starcatcher (The Shaw Festival)
The Diary of Anne Frank (The Stratford Festival)
The Dybbuk, or Between Two Worlds (Soulpepper Theatre Company)
The Intelligent Homosexual’s Guide… (The Shaw Festival)
Outstanding Supporting Actor
Alex McCooeye in Bedroom Farce (Soulpepper Theatre Company)
Martin Happer in Peter & the Starcatcher (The Shaw Festival)
Karack Osborn in She Stoops to Conquer (The Stratford Festival)
Joseph Ziegler in The Diary of Anne Frank (The Stratford Festival)
Gray Powell in The Intelligent Homosexual’s Guide… (The Shaw Festival)
Gareth Potter in The Last Wife (The Stratford Festival)
Mike Nadajewski in The Physicists (The Stratford Festival)
Outstanding Supporting Actress
Adrienne Gould in Hamlet (The Stratford Festival)
Vivien Endicott-Douglas in Harper Regan (Canadian Stage)
Shannon Taylor in Oedipus Rex (The Stratford Festival)
Fiona Reid in The Intelligent Homosexual’s Guide… (The Shaw Festival)
Sara Farb in The Last Wife (The Stratford Festival)
Tara Rosling in Top Girls (The Shaw Festival)
Jennifer Dzialoszynski in You Never Can Tell (Shaw Festival)
Outstanding Actor
Kawa Ada in Accidental Death of an Anarchist (Soulpepper Theatre Company)
Paul Braunstein in Infinity (Tarragon Theatre)
Gord Rand in Oedipus Rex (The Stratford Festival)
Evan Buliung in Pericles (The Stratford Festival)
Patrick McManus in Pygmalion (The Shaw Festival)
Wade Bogert-O’Brien in The Divine: A Play for Sarah Bernhardt (The Shaw Festival)
Ben Sanders in The Divine: A Play for Sarah Bernhardt (The Shaw Festival)
Outstanding Actress
Molly Parker in Harper Regan (Canadian Stage)
Kate Besworth in Peter & the Starcatcher (The Shaw Festival)
Kelli Fox in The Intelligent Homosexual’s Guide… (The Shaw Festival)
Maev Beaty in The Last Wife (The Stratford Festival)
Moya O’Connell in The Twelve-Pound Look (The Shaw Festival)
Fiona Byrne in Top Girls (The Shaw Festival)
Michelle Monteith in Waiting Room (Tarragon Theatre)
Outstanding Performance in a Musical
AJ Bridel in Kinky Boots (Mirvish Productions)
Graham Scott Fleming in Kinky Boots (Mirvish Productions)
Alan Mingo Jr. in Kinky Boots (Mirvish Productions)
Julie Martell in Sweet Charity (The Shaw Festival)
Izzie Steele in The Heart of Robin Hood (Mirvish Productions)
Chris Mann in The Phantom of the Opera (Mirvish Productions)
Stephanie Rothenberg in The Sound of Music (The Stratford Festival)
Outstanding Set & Costume Design
Lorenzo Savoini for Eurydice (Soulpepper Theatre Company)
Anahita Dehbonehie for Possible Worlds (The Stratford Festival)
Eo Sharp & Christina Poddubiuk for Pygmalion (The Shaw Festival)
Michael Gianfrancesco for The Divine: A Play for Sarah Bernhardt (The Shaw Festival)
Borkur Jonsson for The Heart of Robin Hood (Mirvish Productions)
Bob Crowley for The Winter’s Tale (The National Ballet of Canada)
Outstanding Lighting & Sound Design
Laurent Routhier & Jean-Sébastien Côté for 887 (Panamania)
Kimberly Purtell & Debashis Sinha for Eurydice (Soulpepper Theatre Company)
Kevin Lamotte & Fred Gabrsek for Pygmalion (The Shaw Festival)
Bonnie Beecher & John Gzowski for The Divine: A Play for Sarah Bernhardt (The Shaw Festival)
Bonnie Beecher & Richard Feren (with Mike Ross) for The Dybbuk, or Between Two Worlds (Soulpepper Theatre Company)
Simon Rossiter & Andrea Rocca for vox:lumen (Harbourfront Centre: World Stage)
Outstanding Direction
Ravi Jain for Accidental Death of an Anarchist (Soulpepper Theatre Company)
Walter Asmus for Beckett Trilogy (Canadian Stage)
Peter Hinton for Pygmalion (The Shaw Festival)
Jillian Keiley for The Diary of Anne Frank (The Stratford Festival)
Jackie Maxwell for The Divine: A Play for Sarah Bernhardt (The Shaw Festival)
Albert Schultz for The Dybbuk, or Between Two Worlds (Soulpepper Theatre Company)
Vikki Anderson for Top Girls (The Shaw Festival)
Outstanding Production
Accidental Death of an Anarchist (Soulpepper Theatre Company)
Peter & the Starcatcher (The Shaw Festival)
The Diary of Anne Frank (The Stratford Festival)
The Divine: A Play for Sarah Bernhardt (The Shaw Festival)
The Intelligent Homosexual’s Guide… (The Shaw Festival)
The Last Wife (The Stratford Festival)
The Object Lesson (Harbourfront Centre: World Stage)
Medium
Outstanding Ensemble
Age of Arousal (Factory Theatre)
Ballad of the Burning Star (Theatre Ad Infinitum/Acting Up Stage Company/Why Not Theatre/Koffler Centre of the Arts)
Banana Boys (Factory Theatre)
Mr. Burns: A Post-Electric Play (Outside the March/Starvox Entertainment/Crow’s Theatre)
The Seagull (Crow’s Theatre/Canadian Stage/The Company Theatre)
The Wild Party (Acting Up Stage Company/Obsidian Theatre Company)
We Are Proud to Present… (The Theatre Centre/The November Ticket)
Outstanding Supporting Actor
John Koensgen in Butcher (Why Not Theatre/Butcher’s Block/The November Ticket)
Andrew Musselman in Butcher (Why Not Theatre/Butcher’s Block/The November Ticket)
Noah Reid in Creditors (Coal Mine Theatre)
Colin Doyle in Mr. Burns: A Post-Electric Play (Outside the March/Starvox Entertainment/Crow’s Theatre)
Michael Blake in Small Axe (Project: Humanity/The Theatre Centre)
Tom Rooney in The Seagull (Crow’s Theatre/Canadian Stage/The Company Theatre)
Jeff Irving in Tom at the Farm (Buddies in Bad Times Theatre)
Outstanding Supporting Actress
Juno Rinaldi in Age of Arousal (Factory Theatre)
Michelle Polak in Avaricious (Theatre Gargantua)
Charlotte Dennis in Boston Marriage (Headstrong Collective)
Kyra Harper in HER2 (Nightwood Theatre)
Kate Hennig in Little Death (The RISER Project)
Rielle Braid in Mr. Burns: A Post-Electric Play (Outside the March/Starvox Entertainment/Crow’s Theatre)
Aurora Browne in Trudeau & Levesque (Video Cabaret/Soulpepper Theatre Company)
Outstanding Actor
Ryan Rogerson in Bull (Coal Mine Theatre)
Tony Nappo in Butcher (Why Not Theatre/Butcher’s Block/The November Ticket)
Paolo Santalucia in Hamlet (Driftwood Theatre Group)
Philip Riccio in The Seagull (Crow’s Theatre/Canadian Stage/The Company Theatre)
Avery Saltzman in Therefore Choose Life (Harold Green Jewish Theatre Company)
Jeff Lillico in Tom at the Farm (Buddies in Bad Times Theatre)
Mac Fyfe in Trudeau & Levesque (Video Cabaret/Soulpepper Theatre Company)
Outstanding Actress
Deborah Drakeford in Boston Marriage (Headstrong Collective)
Diana Bentley in Bull (Coal Mine Theatre)
Michelle Monteith in Butcher (Why Not Theatre/Butcher’s Block/The November Ticket)
Nicole Underhay in Little Death (The RISER Project)
Amy Nostbakken in Mouthpiece (Quote Unquote Collective/The RISER Project)
Christine Horne in The Seagull (Crow’s Theatre/Canadian Stage/The Company Theatre)
Khadijah Roberts-Abdullah in We Are Proud to Present… (The Theatre Centre/The November Ticket)
Outstanding Performance in a Musical
Matt McKay in Hairspray (Lower Ossington Theatre)
Michelle Nash in Hairspray (Lower Ossington Theatre)
Damien Atkins in Jacob Two-Two Meets the Hooded Fang (Young People’s Theatre)
Kathryn Akin in The Immigrant (Harold Green Jewish Theatre Company)
Sean Arbuckle in The Immigrant (Harold Green Jewish Theatre Company)
Sara-Jeanne Hosie in The Wild Party (Acting Up Stage Company/Obsidian Theatre Company)
Daren A. Herbert in The Wild Party (Acting Up Stage Company/Obsidian Theatre Company)
Outstanding Set & Costume Design
Michael Spence & Melanie McNeill for Avaricious (Theatre Gargantua)
Dana Osborne & William Schmuck for Jacob Two-Two Meets the Hooded Fang (Young People’s Theatre)
Ken Mackenzie, Lindsay Junkin & Evan Harkai for Mr. Burns: A Post-Electric Play (Outside the March/Starvox Entertainment/Crow’s Theatre)
Julie Fox for The Seagull (Crow’s Theatre/Canadian Stage/The Company Theatre)
Michael Gianfrancesco & Alex Amini for The Wild Party (Acting Up Stage Company/Obsidian Theatre Company)
Camellia Koo & Michael Gianfrancesco for Tom at the Farm (Buddies in Bad Times Theatre)
Outstanding Lighting & Sound Design
Laird MacDonald & John Gzowski for Avaricious (Theatre Gargantua)
André Du Toit & James Bunton for Mouthpiece (Quote Unquote Collective/The RISER Project)
Nick Blais & Sam Sholdice for Mr. Burns: A Post-Electric Play (Outside the March/Starvox Entertainment/Crow’s Theatre)
Kimberly Purtell & Thomas Ryder Payne for The Seagull (Crow’s Theatre/Canadian Stage/The Company Theatre)
Rebecca Picherack & John Gzowski for Tom at the Farm (Buddies in Bad Times Theatre)
Ken Mackenzie & Debashis Sinha for We Are Proud to Present… (The Theatre Centre/The November Ticket)
Outstanding Direction
Jacquie P.A. Thomas for Avaricious (Theatre Gargantua)
Nina Lee Aquino for Banana Boys (Factory Theatre)
Simon Bloom and Mitchell Cushman for Mr. Burns: A Post-Electric Play (Outside the March/Starvox Entertainment/Crow’s Theatre)
Chris Abraham for The Seagull (Crow’s Theatre/Canadian Stage/The Company Theatre)
Eda Holmes for Tom at the Farm (Buddies in Bad Times Theatre)
Ravi Jain for We Are Proud to Present… (The Theatre Centre/The November Ticket)
Outstanding Production
Avaricious (Theatre Gargantua)
Butcher (Why Not Theatre/Butcher’s Block/The November Ticket)
Mouthpiece (Quote Unquote Collective/The RISER Project)
Mr. Burns: A Post-Electric Play (Outside the March/Starvox Entertainment/Crow’s Theatre)
The Seagull (Crow’s Theatre/Canadian Stage/The Company Theatre)
Tom at the Farm (Buddies in Bad Times Theatre)
We Are Proud to Present… (The Theatre Centre/The November Ticket)
Small
Outstanding New Work
A Man Walks Into a Bar by Rachel Blair (Circle Circle/Toronto Fringe Festival)
All Our Yesterdays by Chloé Hung (AnOther Theatre Company/Toronto Fringe Festival)
Casimir & Caroline by Holger Syme (The Howland Company)
Hanger by Hilary McCormack (Kildare Company/Toronto Fringe Festival)
Nature of the Beast by Brandon Crone (safeword)
Summerland by Anika Johnson, Barbara Johnston and Suzy Wilde (Wexford Performing Arts/Toronto Fringe Festival)
The Emancipation of Miss Lovely by Ngozi Paul (Ngozika Productions/SummerWorks Festival)
Outstanding Ensemble
Brantwood: 1920-2020 (Sheridan College’s Canadian Music Theatre Project)
Cabaret (First Act Productions)
Casimir & Caroline (The Howland Company)
King John (Shakespeare Bash’d)
Objections to Sex and Violence (Praxis Theatre/FeverGraph Theatre)
Summerland (Wexford Performing Arts/Toronto Fringe Festival)
The Last Days of Judas Iscariot (Unit 102 Actor’s Company)
Outstanding Supporting Actor
Jakob Ehman in Nature of the Beast (safeword)
Brandon Thomas in The Last Days of Judas Iscariot (Unit 102 Actor’s Company)
Mark Paci in Lakeboat (Unit 102 Actor’s Company)
Nate Bitton in Hamlet (Hart House Theatre)
James Graham in King John (Shakespeare Bash’d)
Dan Jeannotte in Trout Stanley (Severely Jazzed Productions)
Prince Amponsah in Lot and His God (Desiderata Theatre Co.)
Outstanding Supporting Actress
Maria Ricossa in Big Plans (Scapegoat Collective/Theatre Brouhaha/The Storefront Arts Initiative)
Kristen Zaza in Casimir & Caroline (The Howland Company)
Lauren Horejda in Hamlet (Unit 102 Actor’s Company/The Fresh Mint Project)
Sochi Fried in King John (Shakespeare Bash’d)
Claire Armstrong in Liver (The Slab Collective/Theatre Brouhaha/Red One Theatre Collective)
Khadijah Abdullah in The Last Days of Judas Iscariot (Unit 102 Actor’s Company)
Hilary McCormack in Twelfe Night (Ale House Theatre/Toronto Fringe Festival)
Outstanding Actor
Blue Bigwood-Mallin in A Man Walks Into a Bar (Circle Circle/Toronto Fringe Festival)
Anthony Parise in A Steady Rain (Paper Moon Productions)
Tim Walker in Edmond (Red One Theatre Collective)
Scott Walker in Hamlet (Unit 102 Actor’s Company/The Fresh Mint Project)
Dylan Brenton in Macbeth (Wolf Manor Theatre Collective)
Nicholas Rice in Nature of the Beast (safeword)
Tayves Fiddis in Othello (Ale House Theatre)
Outstanding Actress
Chiamaka Umeh in All Our Yesterdays (AnOther Theatre Company/Toronto Fringe Festival)
Tennille Read in Hanger (Kildare Company/Toronto Fringe Festival)
Hilary McCormack in Othello (Ale House Theatre)
Claire Burns in The Castle (Red One Theatre Collective)
Nola Martin in The Last Days of Judas Iscariot (Unit 102 Actor’s Company)
Hannah Spear in Trout Stanley (Severely Jazzed Productions)
Peyton LeBarr in Twelfe Night (Ale House Theatre/Toronto Fringe Festival)
Outstanding Performance in a Musical
Danik McAfee in Cabaret (First Act Productions)
Fides Krucker in Dive (The Mermaid Collective)
Michael De Rose in I’m Right Here (Victor Theatre Productions/Toronto Fringe Festival)
Claire Hunter in Jesus Christ Superstar (Hart House Theatre)
David Michael Moote in Jesus Christ Superstar (Hart House Theatre)
Sam Moffatt in Oklahoma (First Act Productions)
Allison Price in People Suck (Nutmeg Creations/Toronto Fringe Festival)
Outstanding Set & Costume Design
Claire Hill & Holly Lloyd for Dangerous Liaisons (Red One Theatre Collective)
Adam Belanger & Ashleigh Kasaboski for Lakeboat (Unit 102 Actor’s Company)
Shannon Lea Doyle for Objections to Sex and Violence (Praxis Theatre/FeverGraph Theatre)
John Kraft & Rebecca Meikle and Catharine Merriam for Summerland (Wexford Performing Arts/Toronto Fringe Festival)
Adam Belanger & Miranda Vanlogerenberg for The Last Days of Judas Iscariot (Unit 102 Actor’s Company)
Hanna Puley for Trout Stanley (Severely Jazzed Productions)
Outstanding Direction
Holger Syme for Casimir & Caroline (The Howland Company)
Joshua Stodart for Hanger (Kildare Company/Toronto Fringe Festival)
James Wallis for King John (Shakespeare Bash’d)
Claren Grosz for Macbeth (Wolf Manor Theatre Collective)
Michael Wheeler for Objections to Sex and Violence (Praxis Theatre/FeverGraph Theatre)
David Lafontaine for The Last Days of Judas Iscariot (Unit 102 Actor’s Company)
Daniel Pagett for Trout Stanley (Severely Jazzed Productions)
Outstanding Production
Casimir & Caroline (The Howland Company)
King John (Shakespeare Bash’d)
Nature of the Beast (safeword)
Objections to Sex and Violence (Praxis Theatre/FeverGraph Theatre)
Summerland (Wexford Performing Arts/Toronto Fringe Festival)
The Last Days of Judas Iscariot (Unit 102 Actor’s Company)
Trout Stanley (Severely Jazzed Productions)