OTTAWA, October 10, 2017 – The Capital Critics Circle today announced the nominees for the nineteenth annual English-language theatre awards for plays presented in the National Capital Region during the 2016-2017 season.

The nominees are:

Best professional production:

Candida by George Bernard Shaw, directed by Laurel Smith, Classic Theatre Festival

Children of God written, composed and directed by Corey Payette, an Urban Ink (Vancouver) production in collaboration with NAC English Theatre, in association with Raven Theatre (Vancouver) 

Kill Me Now by Brad Fraser, directed by Sarah Garton Stanley, a Royal Manitoba Theatre Centre (Winnipeg) production in collaboration with NAC English Theatre

The Last Wife by Kate Hennig, directed by Esther Jun, a GCTC/Belfry (Victoria) co-production

Outside Mullingar by John Patrick Shanley, directed by Dave Dawson, Black Sheep Theatre

Vigilante written, composed and directed by Jonathan Christenson, Catalyst Theatre (Edmonton) in association with the NAC.

Best community production

Equivocation by Bill Cain, directed by Alain Chamsi, Kanata Theatre

Other Desert Cities by Jon Robin Baitz, directed by Geoff Gruson, Ottawa Little Theatre

A Man of No Importance, book by Terrence McNally, music by Stephen Flaherty, lyrics by Lynn Ahrens, directed by Maxim David, indie women productions

Priscilla, Queen of the Desert (The Musical) book by Stephan Elliott and Allan Scott, TotoToo Theatre, directed by Michael Gareau, musical direction by John McGovern, choreography by Paddy Allen McCarthy

Ragtime book by Terrence McNally, music by Stephen Flaherty, lyrics by Lynn Ahrens, based on the novel by E.L. Doctorow, Orpheus Musical Theatre Society, directed by Bob Lackey, musical direction by Terry Duncan, choreography by Lisa Wagner, Orpheus Musical Theatre Society.

 

Best director (professional)

Jonathan Christenson for his direction of Vigilante

Esther Jun for her direction of The Last Wife

Corey Payette for his direction of Children of God

Laurel Smith for her direction of Candida

Sarah Garton Stanley for her direction of Kill Me Now.

 

Best director (community)

Alain Chamsi for his direction of Equivocation

Michael Gareau for his direction of Priscilla, Queen of the Desert

Geoff Gruson for his direction of Other Desert Cities.

Sarah Hearn for her direction of Torch Song Trilogy by Harvey Fierstein, TotoToo Theatre

Venetia Lawless for her direction of Old Love by Norm Foster, Ottawa Little Theatre

Lola Ryan for her choreography of Spring Awakening, the Musical, book and lyrics by Steven Sater, music by Duncan Sheik, based on the play by Frank Wedekind, directed by Chantale Plante, musical direction by Paul Legault, Orpheus Musical Theatre Society.

 

Best actor (professional)

Oliver Becker for his performance as Henry in The Last Wife

Ben Caplan for his performance as The Wanderer in Old Stock by Hannah Moscovitch, Ben Caplan and Christian Barry, directed by Christian Barry, 2b Theatre Company

John D. Huston for his performance as Charles Dickens in A Christmas Carol, Gladstone Theatre

William Vickers for his performance as Mr. Burgess in Candida

David Whiteley for his performance as David in Finishing the Suit by Lawrence Aronovitch, directed by Joël Beddows, Bear and Co.  productions

Cory Wojcik for his performance as Jake in Kill Me Now.

 

Best actor (community)

Réjean Dinelle-Mayer for his performance as Bernadette in Priscilla, Queen of the Desert

Brooke Keneford for his performance as Ralph in Last Romance by Joe DiPietro, Kanata Theatre

Sam Dietrich for his performance as Arnold in Torch Song Trilogy

J. Taylor Morris for his performance as Robert in Boeing-Boeing by Marc Camelotti, translated by Beverley Cross (1982) and Francis Evans (2007), directed by Shaun Toohey, Ottawa Little Theatre

Shaun Toohey for his performance as Alfie in A Man of No Importance

Gordon Walls for multiple roles in Equivocation.

Best actress (professional)

Jan Alexandra Smith for her performance as Johannah in Vigilante

Celine Stubel for her performance as Katherine in The Last Wife

Lana Sugarman for her performance as Doris in Same Time, Next Year by Bernard Slade, directed by Laurel Smith, Classic Theatre Festival

Jacqui du Toit for her performance as Sarah in her one-woman show, The Hottentot Venus Untold, 8^th Generation Storytelling.

 

Best actress (community)

Melanie Houde for her performance as Lise in Plan B by Michael Healey, directed by André Dimitrijevic, Phoenix Players

Venetia Lawless for her performance as Brooke in Other Desert Cities

Jane Morris for her performance as Polly in Other Desert Cities

Deanna Renée Yorke for her performance as Molly in Old Love.

Best design (professional)

Jonathan Christenson and James Robert Boudreau for the set design of Vigilante

John Doucet for the set of The Gravitational Pull of Bernice Trimble by Beth Graham, directed by Adrienne Wong, GCTC

Jeff Harrison for the lighting design for Children of God

Beth Kates for the lighting design for Vigilante

Marshall McMahen for the production design of Children of God

Teresa Przybylski for the set and costumes for Infinity by Hannah Moscovitch, directed by Ross Manson, a Volcano Theatre (Toronto) production at the NAC

Roger Schultz for the set design of I’ll Be Back Before Midnight by Peter Colley, directed by Laurel Smith, Classic Theatre Festival.

 

Best design (community)

Lu-Anne Connell for her costumes for Priscilla, Queen of the Desert

Andrea Hamlin for her set design for Other Desert Cities

Graham Price for the set and lighting for The Three Musketeers by Ken Ludwig, directed by Stavros Sakiadis, Ottawa Little Theatre

John Solman for the lighting design for Little Shop of Horrors, book and lyrics by Howard Ashman, music by Alan Menken, directed by Don Fex with musical direction by Chris Lucas and choreography by Brenda Solman, Theatre Kraken

Karl Wagner for the set and lighting for Equivocation.

 

Best new play

Burn by John Muggleton, directed by Venetia Lawless, Cue Penny Productions

Finishing the Suit by Lawrence Aronovitch

The Ghomeshi Effect written and directed by Jessica Ruano, with choreography by Amelia Griffin

Beneath written and directed by Doug Phillips, NW9 Theatre Collective.

 

The Audrey Ashley Award for a body of work will be announced on Monday, November 13 at the awards ceremony, to be held at the National Arts Centre from 7 p.m. to 9:30 p.m.

 

Winners will receive cash awards, plaques and commemorative certificates.

 

The CCC instituted the awards in 2000 to honour the best in theatre on stages in the National Capital Region. The members of the selection committee for the 2016-2017 season English theatre awards were: Barbara Gray, Patrick Langston, Jim Murchison, Jamie Portman, Alvina Ruprecht, Maja Stefanovska, Rajka Stefanovska and Iris Winston. The CCC is affiliated with the Canadian Theatre Critics Association and the International Association of Theatre Critics.

 

The 2017 CCC awards are sponsored by Barbara Crook Greenberg, Alan Dean Photography, Nicholas Wojtas Photography, Coyle Publishing, the Cube Gallery, Executive Fitness Leaders and Tartan Homes. The NAC is hosting the 2016-2017 awards.

 

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For further information, see the Capital Critics Circle website at www.capitalcriticscircle.com

or contact:

Iris Winston

Telephone: 613 256-4747

Email: iris.home@sympatico.ca