Jessie Awards 2013: Nominees

Nominees for the 31st annual Jessie Richardson Theatre Awards (“The Jessies”) have just been announced and winners will be awarded at a ceremony on Monday, June 24, 2013 at the Commodore Ballroom. The list of nominees reflects a full year of excellence in local theatre, showing appreciation for everything from costume and lighting design to performances on stages large, small, and for young audiences.

In the Large Theatre category, Bard on the Beach’s Merry Wives of Windsor contributed 7 nominations to their total of 14 nominations overall. The Arts Club Theatre Company has 27 nominations (divided among 7 productions), Touchstone Theatre has one nomination as does Theatre Conspiracy.

In the Small Theatre category, there are 20 theatre companies nominated with Pi Theatre’s production of Terminus leading the pack with a total of 8 nominations including nods for all three actors, John Emmet Tracy, Pippa Mackie, and Leanna Brodie. The Virtual Stage received a total of 8 with Broken Sex Doll receiving 7 and The Arts Club also has a Small Theatre nominations for The Santaland Diaries, The Unplugging, and How Has My Love Affected You.

Where the Wild Things Are by Presentation House Theatre leads the nominations in the Theatre for Young Audiences category and Carousel Theatre for Young People is close behind with a total of 7 nominations for Cat in the Hat.

Some of the most touching moments of the Jessie Awards ceremony come with the special awards. These not only honour very deserving, distinguished, and up-and-coming members of the industry, but I have personally learned so much about the history of theatre in Vancouver thanks to the namesakes of these awards and their recipients. The special awards include: The Georgia Straight Patron of the Arts Award, the Mary Phillips Award for Behind the Scenes Achievement, the Ray Michal Prize for Emerging Director, the Sam Payne Award for the Most Promising Newcomer, the John Moffat & Larry Lillo Award, the Colin Campbell Award for Excellence in Technical Theatre, the Critics Choice Innovation Award, and the GVPTA Career Achievement Award.

Tickets for the Jessies are now on sale for $29.75 (plus service charges) through Ticketmaster online or by phone 1-855-985-5000. Doors are at 5:30pm on Monday, June 24th with the ceremony beginning at 6:45pm. Even if you aren’t a member of the industry, it’s a thoroughly entertaining evening and one of my favourite theatre-related events of the year thanks to the Vancouver TheatreSports League who puts on the show.

You can find a complete list of Jessie Awards nominees online (later today) and follow the Jessies on Facebook for more information. Miss604.com is the proud Social Media Sponsor of the Jessie Awards.