The Capital Critics Circle recently announced the nominees for their English theatre awards, including both professional and community theatre, for plays presented in the 2011-2012 season.
The CCC founded in these awards in 2000 to recognize and honour the best theatre gracing Ottawa stages. The members of this year’s select committee are: Alvina Ruprecht, Patrick Langston, Jamie Portman, Barbara Gray, Maja Stefanovska, Rajka Stefanovska and Iris Winston - whose theatre reviews all get posted on the Capital Critics Circle website.
The awards ceremony will be held at Orpheus House (17 Fairmont Avenue) on Monday November 26th, from 7pm to 9:30pm with winners receiving cash awards, plaques and commemorative certificates.
Congratulations and good luck to all the nominees, the full list of which follows.
Best professional production:
A Midsummer Night’s Dream by William Shakespeare, directed by Catriona Leger, St. Lawrence Shakespeare Festival.
And Slowly Beauty by Michel Nadeau, translated by Maureen Labonté, directed by Michael Shamata, A National Arts Centre English Theatre/Belfry Theatre (Victoria, B.C.) production.
The Clockmaker by Stephen Massicotte, directed by Kathryn MacKay, Thousand Islands Playhouse, Gananoque.
Speed-the-Plow by David Mamet, directed by Teri Loretto-Valentik, Plosive Productions.
The Extremely Short Play Festival, directed by John Koensgen, New Theatre of Ottawa.
The 39 Steps, adapted by Patrick Barlow from the novel by John Buchan, directed by John P. Kelly, SevenThirty Productions.Best community theatre production:
Company, Book by George Furth, music and lyrics by Stephen Sondheim, directed by Dave Dawson, with musical direction by Scott Irving and choreography by Jenny Nowak and Poppy DesClouds, Sock ‘N’ Buskin Theatre Company.
Lost in Yonkers by Neil Simon, directed by Chantale Plante, Ottawa Little Theatre.
The Actor’s Nightmare by Christopher Durang, directed by Mary Ellis, Algonquin College theatre program.
Titanic the musical, Book by Peter Stone, music and lyrics by Maury Yeston, directed by Deb Miller-Smith, Musical direction by Paul Legault and choreography by Val Keenleyside, Orpheus Musical Theatre Society.
Best director (professional):
John P. Kelly for The 39 Steps.
John Koensgen for The Player’s Advice to Shakespeare and The Extremely Short Play Festival.
Teri Loretto-Valentik for Speed-the-Plow.
Michael Shamata for And Slowly Beauty.
Best director (community):
Linda Fournier-Brown for her choreography in White Christmas, Orpheus Musical Theatre Society, Book by David Ives and Paul Blake, Music and lyrics by Irving Berlin.
Jim McNabb for Dr. Cook’s Garden by Ira Levin, Ottawa Little Theatre.
Tom Taylor for Inherit the Wind by Jerome Lawrence and Robert E. Lee, Ottawa Little Theatre.
Dave Dawson for Company.
Best actor: (professional)
Dennis Fitzgerald as Mr. Mann in And Slowly Beauty.
Richard Gélinas and Zach Counsil for multiple roles in The 39 Steps.
Ken Godmere for his performance in his one-man show, Vernus Says SURPRISE, Ottawa Fringe Festival.
Greg Kramer as the player in The Player’s Advice to Shakespeare by Brian K. Stewart, directed by John Koensgen, New Theatre of Ottawa.
John Muggleton for his performance as Bobby Gould in Speed-the-Plow.
Paul Rainville as Chebutykin in The Three Sisters by Anton Chekhov, University of Ottawa Drama Guild.Best actress (professional)
Luna Allison for her performance in her own work, Falling Open, directed by Lib Spry, Emergence Productions, Undercurrents/ GCTC.
Katherine Glover for her performance in her one-woman show, Dead Wrong, Ottawa Fringe Festival.
Jenny Munday as Leda in Communion by Daniel MacIvor, NAC English Theatre/KAZAN Co-op production.
Karin Randoja as Midge in Amelia, The Girl Who Wanted to Fly by John Gray, GCTC.
Jennifer Waiser as the Artful Dodger in Oliver by Lionel Bart, directed by Dayna Tekatch with musical direction by Allen Cole, NAC.Best actor: (community)
Tom Charlebois as Henry Drummond in Inherit the Wind.
Barry Daley as Dr. Cook in Dr. Cook’s Garden.
Eric Ladd as Barrymore in I Hate Hamlet by Paul Rudnick, Ottawa Little Theatre.
Doug MacDonald as Stewart in A Pack of Lies by Hugh Whitemore, Kanata Theatre.
Réjean Dinelle-Mayer as Ko-Ko in The Mikado by William Gilbert and Arthur Sullivan, Savoy Society, directed by Meredith Matthews, with musical direction by Jacob Caines.Best actress (community)
Laurie Batstone as Bella in Lost in Yonkers.
Sarah Hearn as Sarah in Beyond a Joke by Derek Benfield, Ottawa Little Theatre.
Venetia Lawless as the Marquise de Merteuil in Dangerous Liaisons by Christopher Hampton, Ottawa Little Theatre.
Charlotte Stewart as Grandma in Lost in Yonkers.
Linda Webster as Cass in Maggie’s Getting Married by Norm Foster, directed by Dorothy Gardner, Kanata Theatre.Best design (professional):
Almut Ellingham for the masks in the Odyssey Theatre production of The Game of Love and Chance.
John Ferguson for his set design for And Slowly Beauty.
Karyn McCallum for her set design of Creation by Peter Anderson, National Arts Centre English Theatre Company.
Ivo Valentik for his set designs for Speed-the-Plow and East of Berlin by Hannah Moscovitch, GCTC.Best design (community):
John Doucet for the set of The Three Sisters.
Jeff Lee and Shawn Millman for the set of Noises Off by Michael Frayn
Mississippi Mudds, directed by Brian McManus.
Elaine McCausland for the set of The King and I by Richard Rodgers and Oscar Hammerstein II, Suzart Productions, directed by Kraig-Paul Proulx.
What do you think? How many of the plays have you seen? Who should get the gold here? Join the discussion in the comments below.
