Arts Club leads in Jessie Award nominations

> BY JANET SMITH

The Arts Club Theatre Company led the way with a whopping 34 separate nods announced at the Jessie Richardson Theatre Awards nominations party held on May 27 at the ia Financial Group Atrium at the BMO Theatre Centre.

Of the 12 Arts Club productions that earned nominations, Hand to God led the way, with six mentions, including both lead actors, Oliver Castillo and Jennifer Lines, along with director Stephen Drover (who’s just been named the theatre company’s associate artistic director). Topdog/underdog and Angels in America, Part Two: Perestroika both received five nominations.

Elsewhere in the large-theatre category, Pacific Theatre scored 10 nominations, with Outside Mullingar earning six. Bard on the Beach saw five of its productions saluted, with four nominations, including outstanding production, for Much Ado About Nothing—a black-and-white rendition of Shakespeare that was inspired by the movie La Dolce Vita.

Aside from Drover for Hand to God, there are three other Arts Club nominees for the Georgia Straight large-theatre outstanding-direction award: Lois Anderson for Fun Home; Kim Collier for Angels in America, Part Two: Perestroika; and Dean Paul Gibson for Topdog/underdog. Pacific Theatre’s Angela Konrad also received a nod for Outside Mullingar.

The small-theatre category was much more spread out, with Rumble Theatre’s production of The Society for the Destitute Presents Titus Bouffonius leading the way with eight nods, including Colleen Murphy for outstanding original script and Stephen Drover for another directing prize. Speakeasy Theatre’s The Shipment received five. Monster Theatre’s Who Killed Gertrude Crump?, Vancouver Asian Canadian Theatre’s 1 Hour Photo, and Patrick Street Productions’ A Little Night Music received four nods apiece. Prime Cuts Collective’s Butcher earned three.

In the category of theatre for young audiences, Green Thumb Theatre garnered a total of 12 nominations. Its production of The Code received five, and Jabber, a coproduction with Neworld Theatre about teens and technology, received six.

Vying for the Critic’s Choice Innovation Award are Fight With a Stick’s Cinerama, Elbow Theatre’s Hyperlink, Universal Limited’s Japanese Problem, Mind of a Snail’s Multiple Organism, Alley Theatre’s The Ridiculous Darkness (produced in partnership with Neworld Theatre), and Level-headed Friends Productions’ Six Fine Lines.

The 36th annual Jessie Awards ceremony will be held in the summer for the first time, on July 16 at Bard on the Beach’s BMO Mainstage in Vanier Park. After the ceremony, the festivities will continue at the Awards After Party, at Progress Lab (1422 Williams Street) from 9:30 p.m. to 1 a.m.

Hand to God