27th Annual Jessie Richardson Awards

Date and Venue 15 June 2009 @ 6.45pm |Commodore Ballroom, 868 Granville St., Vancouver

Reviewer Ed Farolan

And the winners are.....

It was an interesting evening, thanks to the creativity of Vancouver TheatreSports who put up a show so much like their improvs, like Air Farce. I especially liked the Susan Boyle impersonation at the start of the programme, and the film clips satirizing some of the actors.

Going back to what we all came for -- the winners. In the Theatre for Young Audiences category Neworld Theatre’s production of Are We There Yet? received 3 Jessies -  Outstanding Production, Outstanding Artistic Creation, and Significant Artistic Achievement, Ensemble Performance.

 Drew Facey won for Set & Costume Design for Ecran de fumée by Théâtre la Seiziéme and Emmelia Gordon received a Jessie for Outstanding Performance in Green Thumb Theatre’s New Canadian Kid.

Winning five Jessies in the Large Theatre category was the Playhouse Theatre Company with awards given to Max Reimer for Outstanding Direction and Jay Brazeau for Outstanding Performance by an Actor in a Lead Role, both for The Drowsy Chaperone , Frost/Nixon received an award for Significant Artistic Achievement, and Alan Brodie was awarded Outstanding Lighting Design for Miss Julie: Freedom Summer. In addition, the Playhouse Theatre Company & the Savage Society garnered two awards for their production of Where the Blood Mixes

Bard on the Beach received 3 awards, with two for the production of The Tempest - Jennifer Lines for Outstanding Performance by an Actress in a Lead Role and Alessandro Juliani for Outstanding Sound Design. And winning for Outstanding Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role was Simon Bradbury for his portrayal in Titus Andronicus.  The Arts Club Theatre Company’s production of the Constant Wife garnered awards for Outstanding Costume and Set Design.

The Small Theatre category had an array of diverse winners.  Electric Theatre Company & Virtual Stage won Outstanding Production for No Exit in addition to the Critic’s Choice Innovation Award.  Jennifer Mawhinney and Russell Roberts both were acknowledged for Outstanding Performances in Lead Roles for their work in Blackbird by Rumble Productions & Theatre Conspiracy. Ruby Slippers received 3 Jessies for their production Life Savers.  Each receiving a single award for their achievements was Touchstone Theatre, Progress Lab, Pi Theatre and Leaky Heaven Circus.

Special Awards were also handed out, honoring new directors, performers, writers, designers and significant patrons of the arts. Click here to view a complete list of winners.

© 2009 Ed Farolan