City hands out arts and culture awards
The City of Charlottetown recently awarded four individuals for outstanding contributions to the arts and culture community.
Each recipient received a oneof-a-kind award created by Lenny Gallant, owner of Birdmouse, and a cash prize.
Emilee Sorrey was presented with the emerging artist award, which goes to a person who has been pursuing his or her practice for fewer than five years and demonstrates the promise of future success.
Sorrey is the vice-president of Music P.E.I.’s board of directors. Her rock band, Sorrey, has played festivals such as Halifax Pop Explosion, Sappyfest, M for Montreal and Shivering Songs in the past. Her first EP, “Thick as Thieves’’, was ECMA-nominated and won pop/urban record of the year at the 2016 Music P.E.I. Awards.
The artistic excellence award was presented to John Sylvester, recognizing overall, exhibited artistic excellence. Sylvester is an award-winning photographer, specializing in Canadian landscape, nature, travel and editorial photography. He is also the author of nine books, including six titles featuring images of P.E.I.
Louise Lalonde captured the city’s champion of the arts award, recognizing an individual, group, business or event that has made an economic cultural contribution or substantially contributes to the arts and cultural development. Lalonde works as a screenwriter and digital media producer. She has written, directed and produced several short films and documentaries through her company, Louise Lalonde Productions, as well as several audio books by Atlantic Canadian writers.
Ron Irving was presented with the lifetime achievement award. Irving, a well-known figure in Island theatre, is a director, teacher and sometimes actor, who has directed more than 100 productions. Irving was the associate professor of theatre at Boston University before returning to P.E.I. to establish the Confederation Theatre Company. He was the founding artistic director of Theatre P.E.I. and co-ordinated the theatre studies program at UPEI. He also created The Venerables.
Two additional spotlight awards were created this year to recognize artists working to bring their art into the spotlight in the community. They were presented to Sam MacDonald and Morgan Wagner.
MacDonald shines whether he is performing as the nefarious Dr. Feinstein with Red Rock Wrestling, producing and hosting the monthly Kraken Up Maritime Comedy Showcase or establishing a platform for new comedic voices in his bi-weekly open-mic shows.
Wagner is a graduate of UPEI’s bachelor of music and bachelor of education programs and has a passion for the performing arts. Some of her favourite credits include “Nutshell” and “Just the Way It Is” at The Island Fringe Festival, “The Marriage of Figaro” at UPEI, “A Wizard’s Tale” at the Beaconsfield Children’s Festival, and “Abegweit: Soul of the Island” at the Confederation Centre of the Arts and the 2010 Vancouver Olympics. She is currently reprising the role of Philippa Gordon in this year’s production of “Anne & Gilbert: The Musical” at The Guild.