The Jessies: Jessie Richardson Theatre Awards in Vancouver

The Jessie Richardson Theatre Awards (“The Jessies”) for excellence in Vancouver theatre this past season, will be presented on Monday, June 27, 2016 at the Commodore Ballroom. The nominees for the 34th Annual Jessies were announced a few weeks ago and the city is ready to celebrate the best of many diverse productions from the past year, in venues large and small.

The Jessies

The Arts Club Theatre Company had 11 productions selected and received a whopping total of 34 nominations. Their inventive production of Onegin was the runaway winner picking up 13 nominations; securing a nomination in each of the individual categories that include Meg Roe and Alessandro Juliani for their Outstanding Performances in Lead Roles.

In addition, Good People, The Valley and Peter and the Starcatcher each received 4 with Colleen Wheeler nominated for her Outstanding Performance in a Lead Role in Good People and for her Supporting Role performance in Peter and the Starcatcher.

Bard on the Beach garnered 7 nominations – one for Love’s Labour’s Lost and 6 for The Comedy of Errors with Scott Bellis nominated for Outstanding Direction. Rumble Theatre’s powerful production of Cock received 3 nominations with Stephen Drover recognized for Outstanding Direction. Firehall Arts Centre & Haberdashery Theatre earned 3 nominations for The Motherfucker with the Hat, along with the Firehall Arts Centre securing one nomination each for Social Studies, Dead Metaphor and God and the Indian.

The Small Theatre Category was extremely prolific with a total of 21 theatre companies and 23 productions nominated! Munish Sharma was recognized for his performance in Pi Theatre’s production of The Invisible Hand that received a stellar 8 nominations followed by Babelle Theatre’s presentation of RIVULETS: 3 short plays about a flood earning 6 nominations that include Outstanding Production, Direction, Set, Lighting & Sound Design, and Significant Artistic Achievement. Upintheair Theatre’s production of The North Plan and Vancouver Asian Canadian Theatre’s production of Empire of the Son secured a total of 5 nominations each and both for Outstanding Direction & Production.

Under the Theatre for Young Audiences category, Green Thumb Theatre had 2 productions nominated and a total of 6 nods – Caitlin McFarlane was nominated for her performance in The Invisible Girl and Olivia Hutt for her moving work in Still/Falling. Théâtre la Seizième secured a total of 4 nominations for Mathieu Mathématiques, with director, Giles Poulin-Denis nominated for Artistic Creation along with the talent of Drew Facey for Outstanding Design.

The Jessie Richardson Theatre Awards Board of Directors created a new award this year, it is the Vancouver Now Representation and Inclusion Award that will recognize excellence in the field of accessibility and inclusion. The nominees include: Gateway Theatre – Jovanni Sy, Playwrights Theatre Centre, Theatre Terrific, Donna Yamamoto and Heathers: The Musical.

Additional awards that will be presented at the Jessie ceremony include: the Patron of the Arts Award, the Mary Phillips Prize, the Ray Michal Prize for Emerging Director, the Sam Payne Award for the Most Promising Newcomer, the John Moffat & Larry Lillo Award, the Georgia Straight Critics Choice Innovation Award, and the GVPTA Career Achievement Award.

The 34th Annual Ceremony will again be held at the beautiful Commodore Ballroom, 868 Granville Street, on Monday, June 27th, doors open at 5:30pm, ceremony at 6:30pm. This year ceremony is being produced by Holding Space Productions who will bring their own special vision to the event.

The public can attend this awards show, which is always the most lively and spirited in the city. Tickets are $29.50 plus service charges, through Ticketmaster 1-855-985-5000 or online. Follow the Jessies on Facebook and Twitter for more award information.