Capital critics circle awards for 2010-2011
OTTAWA, November 28, 2011 – The Capital Critics Circle today announced the winners of the twelfth annual theatre awards for plays presented in English in the National Capital Region during the 2010-2011 season. The winners are:
Best professional production: The Third Wall Theatre production of Blackbird by David Harrower, directed by Mary Ellis.
Best community theatre production: The Orpheus Musical Theatre Society production of Dirty Rotten Scoundrels, book by Jeffrey Lane, music and lyrics by David Yazbek, directed by Shaun Toohey, musical direction by Wendy Berkelaar, choreography by Chantale Kutkewich
Best director (professional):Peter Hinton for Saint Carmen of the Main by Michel Tremblay, translated by Linda Gaboriau, a co-production of the National Arts Centre English Theatre and Canadian Stage [Toronto].
Best director (community): Michael Gareau for Into the Woods, music and lyrics by Stephen Sondheim, book by James LaPine, Orpheus Musical Theatre Company.
Best actor (professional): Andy Massingham for his performances as the Count in The Fan by Carlo Goldoni, Odyssey Theatre, and as King Berenger in Exit the King by Eugène Ionesco, translated by Donald Watson, Third WallTheatre.
Best actor (community): Dan Baran as the interviewee in The Interview by Ken Wilson, Ottawa Little Theatre.
Best design (professional): Eo Sharp for the set and costume design of Saint Carmen of the Main by Michel Tremblay, translated by Linda Gaboriau, NAC/Canadian Stage [Toronto].
Best design (community):Robin Riddihough for his set designs for The Interview, Ottawa Little Theatre and Observe the Sons of Ulster Marching Towards the Somme by Frank McGuinness, a co-production of Tara Players and Ottawa Little Theatre.
The Audrey Ashley Award for a major contribution to theatre: Peter Herrndorf, for his steadfast commitment and contribution to the arts.
The Audrey Ashley Award is named for the late Audrey Ashley, the Ottawa Citizen’s longest serving theatre reviewer, and sponsored by theatre producer Barbara Crook, a former theatre critic at the Ottawa Citizen and the Vancouver Sun.
Winners receive cash awards or equivalents, 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 2010-2011 season English theatre awards were: Alvina Ruprecht, Patrick Langston, Jamie Portman, Rajka Stefanovska, Maja Stefanovska, Barbara Gray and Iris Winston.
The 2011 CCC awards are sponsored by the Ottawa Citizen, Barbara Crook Greenberg, Alan Dean Photography, the Ottawa Bagelshop and Deli, and OYP Theatre School. The Herb & Spice Shop, Wellington Street, West Village, supplied some refreshments and Ottawa Little Theatre hosted the 2010-2011 awards
. Those present were treated to some gracious remarks by Peter Herrndorf, winner of the Audrey Ashley award. He mentioned the importance of Peter Hinton, Marti Maraden and John Hirsch in his personal trajectory as theatre administrator.
As the evening came to an end, we expressed our thanks to the Ottawa Citizen for its commitment to encourage theatre criticism in Ottawa. They have invited us to post our reviews of Community theatre, and student theatre on their blog. This will give the Capital Critics Circle web site much more visibility and encourage readers to visit the site and read all the reviews of professional and community theatre that the site publishes.
In light of the fact that none of the other institutionalized media seem to be interested in theatre criticism these days, we find the attitude of the Ottawa Citizen extremely enlightened and we encouraged all the theatre community to support the the paper.
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For further information, contact:
Iris Winston
Telephone: 613 256-4747
E-mail: iris.home@sympatico.ca