It’s time to announce the winners of our 2024 Critics’ Pick Awards!
Click the links below to read our reviews of the winning work.
Congratulations to all of the nominees on a spectacular year of theatre.
Without further ado, the 2024 Critics’ Pick Award Winners for Toronto Theatre:
Outstanding New Work
Dinner with the Duchess
by Nick Green (Here For Now/Crow’s Theatre)
Outstanding Opera Performance
Medea (Canadian Opera Company)
Outstanding Supporting Performance in a Play
Oyin Oladejo
Three Sisters (Soulpepper Theatre Company/Obsidian Theatre Company)
Outstanding Leading Performance in a Play
Phoebe Hu
Woking Phoenix (Silk Bath Collective/Theatre Passe Muraille)
Outstanding Performance in a Musical
Jackson Seib
Murder for Two (Neptune Theatre/Festival Antigonish/Thousand Islands Playhouse)
Outstanding Ensemble Performance
Jon Blair, Danny Pagett, Sharjil Rasool, Chloé Sullivan, & Jillian Welsh
13 Plays About ADHD All At the Same Time (Circlesnake Productions)
Outstanding Design
Karyn McCallum (Set & Projections), Siobhán Sleath (Lighting), Judith Bowden (Costumes), Lyon Smith (Music & Sound)
Witness for the Prosecution (Shaw Festival)
Outstanding Direction
Krista Jackson with Geneviève Pelletier
The Diviners (Stratford Festival)
Outstanding Production
(Spontaneous Theatre/Tarragon Theatre)
Fan Favourite
by Rachel Moore & Catherine Teichman
(Desperate Measures Collective/Toronto Fringe Festival)
Artist of the Year
Jan Alexandra Smith
As a director: 12 Dinners (Here For Now)
As a performer: Dinner with the Duchess (Here For Now/Crow’s Theatre), As You Like It (Grand Theatre)
Emerging Artist
Luca McPhee
There’s a lot to be excited about in Toronto’s young musical theatre scene at the moment but, for our money, the most exciting is Luca McPhee. Still in theatre school, Luca is our youngest ever Emerging Artist winner but we saw them perform three times over the course of 2024 and couldn’t imagine giving this award to anyone else. From show-stealing supporting roles in Bowtie Productions‘ Falsettos and Hedwig and the Angry Inch to their memorable turn at Hart House’s annual Musical Theatre Slam, boldly performing a famously difficult Sondheim number, Luca’s work in 2024 beautifully showcased both powerhouse vocals and sensitive dramatic skill. We cannot wait to see what’s next for them.
Honorary Award
The Shaw Festival Wig Team
The hair and makeup department at the Shaw Festival is second to none, especially when it comes to their industry-best wig work. Always a highlight of the season, the wigs were particularly splendid in 2024 as part of the Outstanding Design-winning Witness for the Prosecution and the massive production of One Man, Two Guvnors (in which, by our count, nearly every performer sported at least one wig, many of them more than one). But it was The House That Will Not Stand that really showed off the team’s skills with a nearly floor-length set of realistic dreadlocks so heavy it needed its own unique rigging system, and another wig that had to be cut live onstage at every performance (in the round no less). Luckily, supervisor Emma Dirks runs a wonderful instagram account offering behind the scenes insight to anyone interested in learning more about the craft.
The Anonymous Award for Outstanding Stage Management
Seren Brooke Lannon
This award is chosen from submissions by artists who worked directly with the recipient in 2024 (in Seren’s case, on the world premiere of Big Stuff at Crow’s Theatre). Here are a few words from Seren’s nominators:
“Professional, joyful, meticulous and kind… I really can’t say enough about Seren. Not only is she an exceptional stage manager whose dedication elevates every show and workshop we did. But she does it with heart and humour… I watched Seren in rehearsal as she excelled in her organization, adaptability, and ability to stay calm under pressure, like when we discovered there was a leak on our first preview, she didn’t miss a beat. Seren’s attention to detail ensured every element of our show ran seamlessly, while her humour and kind demeanor created a supportive environment for the entire team. She has an incredible ability to anticipate needs before they arise, fostering a collaborative and stress-free process. Seren’s commitment to the craft and her deep care for the artists and crew make her an indispensable part of any production. She truly shines!”
“Seren is the WHOLE package. Kind, caring, efficient and constantly going above and beyond (even beyond the beyond of what stage managers do constantly!), with a giant heart and the attitude that if something isn’t possible, we can always make it possible!”
“Exceptional and heartfelt… I can’t imagine the production without her focus and care. From early workshops she was kind, organized, with a great sense of humour. She believed in it from the beginning which fed energy into the production and made it better each day. Seren’s open heart and keen attention to detail would make her presence as a stage manager an asset to any production, and I’m grateful she was ours.”