Centre-Stage Spotlight

Seventh annual Critic’s Choice Awards picks last season’s top tickets

With time ticking on and the end of 2008 rapidly approaching, we thought we’d better get off our collective critical asses and release the results of the annual Critic’s Choice Spotlight Awards. For anyone needing a quick recap, Victoria’s theatre reviewers have been gathering annually for the past seven years to select our choices for the best moments of that year’s theatre. True, some of the faces behind the notebooks have changed (we still miss the wit and wisdom of Spotlight innovator Robert Mitchell), but this year’s crop of critics includes David Lennam and Monica Prendergast of CBC’s On The Island, Adrian Chamberlain of the Times Colonist, plus myself (with input from the reviews of our various freelancers here at Monday).

The details: in order to be a valid choice, productions must have appeared locally between September 2007 and Fringe 2008 (loosely, the ’07-’08 arts season), so anyone pulling for recent faves like My Three Sisters, Dark of the Moon or Brilliant! will have to wait until next year to see how they fair. And while it wasn’t necessarily hands-down the best theatrical season in recent memory, there were a few clear standouts that made choosing the winners a bit easier this year—notably the outstanding My Chernobyl and the memorable Turn of the Screw, both courtesy of the Belfry.

Congratulations to all nominees and winners alike, and thanks for making Victoria’s theatre scene so lively.

Nominees, Set Design

• Bill Adams, Scotland Road (Victoria Theatre Guild)

• Patrick Du Wors, Turn of the Screw (Belfry Theatre)

• Craig Hall, [sic] (Theatre SKAM)

• Carole Klemm, A Doll’s House (Chemainus Theatre)

Winner: Patrick Du Wors, Turn of the Screw

Nominees, Costume Design

• Janice Cadrain, Enchanted April (Victoria Theatre Guild)

• Phillip Clarkson, Glorious! (Belfry)

• Mary Kerr, Wind in the Willows (Phoenix Theatres)

• Erin Macklem, Turn of the Screw (Belfry)

Winner: Mary Kerr, Wind in the Willows

Nominees, Sound Design

• The Four Horsemen Project (Volcano Theatre/ Intrepid)

• Brian Linds, Turn of the Screw (Belfry)

• John Mills-Cockell, Wind in the Willows (Phoenix)

• Gwen Dobie, Sound in Silence (Out of the Box Productions)

Winner: The Four Horsemen Project

Nominees, Lighting Design

• Alan Brodie, Regina (Pacific Opera Victoria)

• Patrick Du Wors, Turn of the Screw (Belfry)

• Karrie Wolfe, Enchanted April (Victoria Theatre Guild)

• Jeff Harrison and Jay Dodge, My Dad, My Dog (Boca Del Lupo/Intrepid)

Winner: Patrick Du Wors, Turn of the Screw

Nominees, Direction

• Brian Richmond, Wind in the Willows (Phoenix)

• Richard Rose, Léo (Tarragon Theatre/Belfry)

• Brit Small, My Chernobyl (Belfry/Gateway Theatre)

• Gina Wilkinson, Turn of the Screw (Belfry)

Winner: Britt Small, My Chernobyl

Nominees, Performance in a Community Production

• Rielle Braid, Wind in the Willows (Phoenix)

• Karen Lee Pickett, ’Night Mother (Theatre Inconnu)

• Michael Shewchuck, Angels in America (Where’s Noonan Productions)

• Michael Shewchuck, The Pillowman (Theatre Inconnu)

Winner: Michael Shewchuck, The Pillowman

Nominees, Performance in a Professional Production

• Celine Stubel, My Chernobyl (Belfry/Gateway)

• Michael Rinaldi, [sic] (Theatre SKAM)

• Cast, Turn of the Screw (Belfry)

• Cast, Léo (Tarragon)

Winner: Celine Stubel, My Chernobyl

Nominees, Musical Production

• Aladdin Jr. (Kaleidoscope Theatre)

• Anything That Moves (Belfry)

• City of Angels (Canadian College of Performing Arts Company C)

Winner: Aladdin Jr.

Nominees, Best New Play

• My Chernobyl, Aaron Bushcowski

• The Josephine Knot, Meg Braem

• Homechild, Joan MacLeod

Winner: My Chernobyl

Nominees, Overall Production (Community)

• Moon Over Buffalo (Victoria Theatre Guild)

• ’Night, Mother (Theatre Inconnu)

• The Pillowman (Theatre Inconnu)

• Wind in the Willows (Phoenix)

Winner: Wind in the Willows

Nominees, Overall Production (Professional)

• My Chernobyl (Belfry/Gateway)

• Turn of the Screw (Belfry)

• Léo (Tarragon/Belfry)

• Madama Butterfly (POV)

Winner: My Chernobyl

Nominees, Fringe Production

• Swimming to Cambodia (Shawn Watson)

• Mr. Fox (Greg Landucci)

• History of Everything (Rod Peter Jr. and Treena Stubel)

• Boatload (Jayson MacDonald)

Winner: Swimming to Cambodia

The “Thank God They Were Comps” Award

• Lionel (Phoenix)