Meg Roe, Laara Sadiq, Rachel Aberle, Ming Hudson, Sarah Donald in the Arts Club Theatre Company's production of The Penelopiad.
Vancouver's Arts Club Theatre Company's production of The Penelopiad leads the nominations for the 30th annual Jessie Richardson Theatre Awards with nine, including outstanding production – large theatre, direction (Vanessa Porteous), lead actress (Meg Roe) and supporting actress (Colleen Wheeler). It's also up for significant artistic achievement for outstanding movement design (Denise Clarke), lighting, set and costume design, and outstanding sound design or original composition.
In the large theatre category, Neworld Theatre's production of The Idiot is next with seven nominations, including outstanding production, direction (James Fagan Tait), lead actor (Kevin MacDonald), supporting actor (Andrew McNee) and actress (Patti Allan), as well as lighting and costume design.
Rounding out the nominees for outstanding production in the large theatre category are Rumble Productions's Snowman (which received six nominations overall); Patrick Street Productions's The Light in the Piazza (six nominations); and the Arts Club's Next to Normal (four nominations overall).
In the small theatre category, Electric Company Theatre's All the Way Home leads with eight nominations, including outstanding production, direction (Kim Collier), lead actor (Jonathon Young, who is also nominated for supporting actor-large theatre for his role in Intimate Apparel), lead actress (Roe), supporting actress (Nicola Lipman), outstanding set and sound design or original composition, and the critics' choice innovation award.
The Arts Club's Do You Want What I Have Got? A Craigslist Cantata was next in the small theatre category with six nominations, including outstanding production, outstanding original script (Bill Richardson and Veda Hille), significant artistic achievement (for outstanding ensemble performance in an original musical), original composition (Richardson and Hille), and lighting and set design.
The other nominees for outstanding production-small theatre are Re:Union (five nominations overall), produced by Pacific Theatre and Horseshoes & Hand Grenades Theatre; Temporary Thing Theatre's The Bomb-itty of Errors (with four nominations overall); and the Firehall Arts Centre's Chelsea Hotel (three nominations).
In addition to Roe and Young, with two nominations each for their acting work, actor Andrew Wheeler is also up for two Jessies – only he's up against himself, in the category of lead actor-small theatre, for Gordon and Re:Union.
In its final season, the Vancouver Playhouse Theatre Company received a total of seven nominations. That compares to 29 nominations overall for the Arts Club Theatre Company.
The Jessies will be handed out on June 25 in Vancouver.
Marsha Lederman