Noises Off andThe Father led the pack last night (June 29) as the Jessie Richardson Theatre Awards celebrated virtually for the first time.

With local theatres largely shuttered, no audience or award recipients were on hand. Instead, the 38th-annual prize ceremony took place via YouTube and Facebook Live with hosts Omari Newton and Sara Vickruck, joined by musical talent Ben Elliott. Soon, the award committee will be offering curbside pickup and posting video acceptance speeches on its website.

In the large-theatre category, the Arts Club Theatre Company took home the most prizes with eight. The comedic farce Noises Off won three Jessies, including a win for outstanding production. When it debuted, we called it "a three-part free fall into divinely crafted chaos" in our review. Tess Degenstein won the acting prize for her comedic performance and Scott Bellis got the nod for outstanding direction.  

The Arts Club's Sound of Music garnered a win for outstanding production of a musical. Acting nods went to Deena Aziz for her performance in a A Thousand Splendid Suns (in partnership with Royal Manitoba Theatre Centre) and John Ullyatt for his outstanding supporting performance in Matilda (in partnership with Citadel Theatre & Royal Manitoba Theatre Centre). Also at the Arts Club, Drew Facey took a set-design award for Cost of Living (in partnership with Citadel Theatre), and Alessandro Juliani won for outstanding sound design for The Great Leap.

The large-theatre category also gave awards to Robert Salvador for his performance in Pacific Theatre’s Best of Enemies; Gerald King for his lighting design of Vancouver Asian Canadian Theatre’s Kuroko; Cory Sincennes for costume design in Bard on the Beach Shakespeare Festival’s Shakespeare in Love; and the interactive Inheritance: a pick-the-path experience by Alley Theatre and Touchstone Theatre (in association with Vancouver Moving Theatre and community partnership with Vancouver Aboriginal Friendship Centre) for significant artistic achievement.

In the small-theatre category, The Father by the Search Party received the most wins, at six Jessies, including outstanding production, acting nods for both Kevin McNulty and Jillian Fargey, and Mindy Parfitt for outstanding direction. Raincity Theatre won three Jessies for its presentation of the Stephen Sondheim musical Company, including outstanding musical production and a significant artistic achievement award for its entire 14-member ensemble.

In the same category, Chris Francisque won an acting prize for his scintillating performance in Ensemble Theatre Company’s Superior Donuts, as did Elizabeth Kirkland for her supporting role in The Sea, by Slamming Door Artist Collective. Rick Colhoun took a sound-design prize for Wireless Wings Radio Ensemble’s Frankenstein: Lost in Darkness.
Touchstone Theatre’s Certified nabbed two special awards—one going to Jan Derbyshire for outstanding original script and the other care of the Critics’ Choice Innovation Award. Derek Chan’s Chicken Girl by rice & beans theatre (in partnership with Playwrights Theatre Centre) won the Sidney J. Risk Prize for outstanding original script by an emerging playwright.

The Theatre for Young Audiences category was spread between Axis Theatre Company’s, Th’owxiya: The Hungry Feast Dish, for outstanding production and a significant artistic achievement prize for Jillian Perry. Carousel Theatre for Young People’s production of Bad Hats Theatre’s Peter Pan took an acting award for Marlene Ginader’s triple-character performance. And Jay Dodge’s video design got the nod for Iron Peggy (by Vancouver International Children’s Festival and Boca del Lupo in association with red diva projects). A Jessie for outstanding artistic creation went to Ian Harmon for Love You Forever and More Munsch by Beach House Theatre.

In other awards, the Vancouver Now Representation and Inclusion Award was given to Heidi Taylor for her creating collaborative relationships and inclusive initiatives. Ken Gracie & Phillip Waddell received the Patron of the Arts Award and Connor Moore was acknowledged with the Mary Phillips Award for Behind the Scenes Achievement. Gerry Mackay was awarded the John Moffat & Larry Lilo Prize and Wendy Bross Stuart received the GVPTA Career Achievement Award.

The full awards list is here:

LARGE THEATRE

OUTSTANDING PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTOR IN A LEAD ROLE – LARGE THEATRE
Robert Salvador, Best of Enemies, Pacific Theatre

OUTSTANDING PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTRESS IN A LEAD ROLE – LARGE THEATRE
Deena Aziz, A Thousand Splendid Suns, Arts Club Theatre Company (in partnership with Royal Manitoba Theatre Centre)

OUTSTANDING PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTOR IN A SUPPORTING ROLE – LARGE THEATRE
John Ullyatt, Matilda, Arts Club Theatre Company (in partnership with Citadel Theatre & Royal Manitoba Theatre Centre)

OUTSTANDING PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTRESS IN A SUPPORTING ROLE – LARGE THEATRE
Tess Degenstein, Noises Off, Arts Club Theatre Company

OUTSTANDING LIGHTING DESIGN – LARGE THEATRE
Gerald King, Kuroko, Vancouver Asian Canadian Theatre

OUTSTANDING SET DESIGN – LARGE THEATRE
Drew Facey, Cost of Living, Arts Club Theatre Company (in partnership with Citadel Theatre)

OUTSTANDING COSTUME DESIGN – LARGE THEATRE
Cory Sincennes, Shakespeare in Love, Bard on the Beach Shakespeare Festival

OUTSTANDING SOUND DESIGN OR ORIGINAL COMPOSITION – LARGE THEATRE
Alessandro Juliani, The Great Leap, Arts Club Theatre Company

OUTSTANDING DIRECTION – LARGE THEATRE
Scott Bellis, Noises Off, Arts Club Theatre Company

OUTSTANDING PRODUCTION – PLAY – LARGE THEATRE
Noises Off, Arts Club Theatre Company

OUTSTANDING PRODUCTION – MUSICAL – LARGE THEATRE
The Sound of Music, Arts Club Theatre Company

SIGNIFICANT ARTISTIC ACHIEVEMENT – LARGE THEATRE
Outstanding Innovative and Immersive Storytelling, Alley Theatre and Touchstone Theatre, Inheritance: a pick-the-path experience, Alley Theatre and Touchstone Theatre (in association with Vancouver Moving Theatre and community partnership with Vancouver Aboriginal Friendship Centre)

SMALL THEATRE

OUTSTANDING PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTOR IN A LEAD ROLE – SMALL THEATRE
Kevin McNulty, The Father, The Search Party

OUTSTANDING PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTRESS IN A LEAD ROLE – SMALL THEATRE
Jillian Fargey, The Father, The Search Party

OUTSTANDING PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTOR IN A SUPPORTING ROLE – SMALL THEATRE
Chris Francisque, Superior Donuts, Ensemble Theatre Company

OUTSTANDING PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTRESS IN A SUPPORTING ROLE – SMALL THEATRE
Elizabeth Kirkland, The Sea, Slamming Door Artist Collective

OUTSTANDING LIGHTING DESIGN – SMALL THEATRE
Itai Erdal, The Father, The Search Party

OUTSTANDING SET DESIGN – SMALL THEATRE
Amir Ofek, The Father, The Search Party

OUTSTANDING COSTUME DESIGN – SMALL THEATRE
Christina Sinosich & Donnie Tejani, Company, Raincity Theatre

OUTSTANDING SOUND DESIGN OR ORIGINAL COMPOSITION – SMALL THEATRE
Rick Colhoun, Frankenstein: Lost in Darkness, Wireless Wings Radio Ensemble

OUTSTANDING DIRECTION – SMALL THEATRE
Mindy Parfitt, The Father, The Search Party

OUTSTANDING PRODUCTION – PLAY – SMALL THEATRE
The Father, The Search Party

OUTSTANDING PRODUCTION – MUSICAL – SMALL THEATRE
Company, Raincity Theatre

SIGNIFICANT ARTISTIC ACHIEVEMENT – SMALL THEATRE
Outstanding ensemble performance: Caitlin Clugston, Graham Coffeng, Nick Fontaine, Janet Gigliotti, Alex Gullason, Warren Kimmel, Steve Maddock, Jennie Neumann, Anthony Santiago, Madeleine Suddaby, Jennifer Suratos, Lindsay Ann Warnock, Jonathan Winsby, Katey Wright, Company, Raincity Theatre

 
THEATRE FOR YOUNG AUDIENCES

OUTSTANDING PERFORMANCE – THEATRE FOR YOUNG AUDIENCES
Marlene Ginader, Bad Hats Theatre’s Peter Pan, Carousel Theatre for Young People

OUTSTANDING DESIGN – THEATRE FOR YOUNG AUDIENCES
Jay Dodge, video design, Iron Peggy, Vancouver International Children’s Festival and Boca del Lupo (in association with red diva projects)

OUTSTANDING ARTISTIC CREATION – THEATRE FOR YOUNG AUDIENCES
Ian Harmon, direction, Love You Forever and More Munsch, Beach House Theatre

OUTSTANDING PRODUCTION – THEATRE FOR YOUNG AUDIENCES
Th’owxiya: The Hungry Feast Dish, Axis Theatre Company

SIGNIFICANT ARTISTIC ACHIEVEMENT – THEATRE FOR YOUNG AUDIENCES
Outstanding stage management, Jillian Perry, Th’owxiya: The Hungry Feast Dish, Axis Theatre Company

OUTSTANDING ORIGINAL SCRIPT
Jan (JD) Derbyshire, Certified, Touchstone Theatre

Special awards

PATRON OF THE ARTS AWARD
Ken Gracie & Phillip Waddell

GVPTA CAREER ACHIEVEMENT AWARD
Wendy Bross Stuart

SAM PAYNE AWARD FOR MOST PROMISING NEWCOMER
Heather Barr

MARY PHILLIPS AWARD FOR BEHIND-THE-SCENE ACHIEVEMENT
Conor Moore

CRITICS’ CHOICE INNOVATION AWARD
Certified, Touchstone Theatre

SIDNEY J. RISK PRIZE FOR OUTSTANDING ORIGINAL SCRIPT BY AN EMERGING PLAYWRIGHT
Derek Chan, Chicken Girl, rice & beans theatre (in partnership with Playwrights Theatre Centre)

RAY MICHAL PRIZE FOR OUTSTANDING WORK AND/OR BODY OF WORK BY AN EMERGING DIRECTOR
Chris Lam

JOHN MOFFAT & LARRY LILLO PRIZE
Gerry Mackay

VANCOUVER NOW REPRESENTATION AND INCLUSION AWARD
Heidi Taylor

COLIN CAMPBELL AWARD FOR EXCELLENCE IN TECHNICAL THEATRE
Elia Kirby

GORDON ARMSTRONG PLAYWRIGHT’S RENT AWARD
Deborah Williams & The Flame