Theatres large and small garner recognition at Sterling awards
Simple stories, artfully told, proved a highlight of the 2017/18 theatre season as the winners of the Elizabeth Sterling Haynes Awards were announced Monday evening at the Mayfield Theatre.
Sheldon Elter’s one-man memoir Métis Mutt, scooped honours for Outstanding Production of a Play. The Theatre Network/One Little Indian production, directed by Ron Jenkins, was the result of a multi-year process of writing and rewriting by Elter. The actor also won the Sterling for Outstanding Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role for the same work, which explored coming to grips with his Métis heritage.
Another naturalistic drama grabbed attention as Terry and the Dog, written by Edmonton’s Collin Doyle, took the award for Outstanding New Play (an award given to the playwright). Produced by Edmonton Actors Theatre and directed by Dave Horak, the story profiled a family struggling with addiction.
Terry and the Dog also snagged the Sterling for Outstanding Independent Production and one of its stars, Cole Humeny, won for Outstanding Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role.
Nadien Chu won Outstanding Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role for her work in Pretty Goblins, another exploration of addiction. Pretty Goblins was directed by Brian Dooley in a production by Workshop West Playwrights’ Theatre.
A Vancouver import called Onegin — brought to Edmonton by Catalyst Theatre in co-operation with the Arts Club Theatre Company — captured honours with the Timothy Ryan Award for Outstanding Production of a Musical. The musical scored big in other categories, too, winning Outstanding Director for Amiel Gladstone and Outstanding Costume Design for Jacqueline Firkins. The musical’s Veda Hill won the Tommy Banks Award for Outstanding Musical Director.
Erik Mortimer won the Sterling for Outstanding Score of a Play or Musical for Sleeping Beauty, produced by Capitol Theatre.
A New York sensibility proved compelling in two award categories that recognized the musical, Hadestown, originally produced off-Broadway but brought to the Citadel by its artistic director, Daryl Cloran. Hadestown’s Amber Gray captured Outstanding Performance by an Actress in a Supporting Role, and the Tony Award-winning Bradley King won Outstanding Lighting Design for his work on Hadestown, which was directed by Rachel Chavkin.
Outstanding Set Design went to Daniel vanHeyst for Shadow Theatre’s Outside Mullingar, directed by John Hudson.
Ian Jackson captured Outstanding Multi-Media Design for his work in Theatre Network’s Infinity, directed by Bradley Moss.
The Citadel was recognized for its production The Silver Arrow: The Untold Story of Robin Hood, directed by Daryl Cloran. The show featured impressive sword play and its fight director, Jonathan Hawley Purvis, won the Sterling for Outstanding Choreography or Fight Direction.
Mieko Ouchi’s work for young audiences was recognized in two categories. Her play, Consent, won Outstanding Production for Young Audiences and she was also praised as both director and playwright for Consent, which won Outstanding Artistic Achievement in Theatre for Young Audiences. Consent was produced by Concrete Theatre.
Several shows at the Edmonton International Fringe Festival gained the Sterling judges’ approval. Impossible Mongoose’s Prophecy received the nod for Outstanding Fringe Production. Prophecy’s director, Corben Kushneryk, was rated Outstanding Fringe Director.
The Outstanding Fringe New Work (award to a playwright) went to Defiance Theatre’s Gemini, written by Louise Casemore and directed by Beth Dart. Ron Pederson won Outstanding Fringe Performance by an Actor for his role in No Exit, produced by Bright Young Things and directed by Kevin Sutley, and Carmen Nieuwenhuis won Outstanding Fringe Performance by an Actress for her work in Prophecy.
Technician Erin Birkenbergs was recognized for Individual Achievement in Production. Karen Brown Fournell captured the Margaret Mooney Award for Outstanding Achievement in Administration. The Ross Hill Award for Career Achievement in Production went to Sheila Cleasby and Jan Henderson was recognized by the Sterling judges for the Most Valuable Contribution to Theatre in Edmonton.
If you’re the sort of reader who likes to ponder the infinite meaning of statistics, consider that the number of Sterling awards were relatively evenly distributed across smaller and larger theatres.
Dave Horak’s Edmonton Actors Theatre collected three Sterlings, and so did the Citadel. Productions born out-of-town did very well, with Catalyst Theatre’s Onegin taking home four awards, and Hadestown capturing two. Three was, indeed, a lucky number, with Edmonton Actors Theatre, The Citadel, Theatre Network and Impossible Mongoose all rating a trifecta.