Awards honour Winnipeg theatre

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Up until now, the Winnipeg theatre community has been slow to get in on the awards bandwagon. But that changes Nov. 12 with the inaugural Winnipeg Theatre Awards, hosted at the West End Cultural Centre by Janet Stewart and Gail Asper.

The awards, organized by a non-profit volunteer committee and sponsored by the Gail Asper Family Foundation, honour excellence in local theatre arts.

Nominees in 10 juried categories highlight 17 different shows, with the Royal Manitoba Theatre Centre Warehouse production of Hand to God already the big winner with eight nominations. Three other productions, Am I Not King? (zone41 theatre), Mamma Mia! (Rainbow Stage) and My Name is Asher Lev (RMTC Warehouse) got six nods apiece.

The nominees are:

Outstanding lead actor:

Tom Keenan, Hand to God, RMTC Warehouse; Robb Paterson, The Birds and the Bees, Prairie Theatre Exchange; David Reale, My Name is Asher Lev, RMTC Warehouse; Ray Strachan, The Whipping Man, Winnipeg Jewish Theatre; Cory Wojcik, Kill Me Now, RMTC Warehouse

Outstanding lead actress:

Sharon Bajer, Hand to God, RMTC Warehouse; Ma-Anne Dionisio, Mamma Mia!, Rainbow Stage; Amanda Lisman, 23.5 Hours, RMTC Warehouse; Debbie Patterson, Sargent & Victor & Me, Theatre Projects Manitoba; Fiona Reid, The Audience, Royal Manitoba Theatre Centre

Outstanding supporting actor:

Nigel Bennett, The Audience, RMTC, Toby Hughes, Hand to God, RMTC Warehouse; Alex Poch-Goldin, My Name is Asher Lev, RMTC Warehouse; Rylan Wilkie, Am I Not King?, zone41 theatre; Cory Wojcik, Hand to God, RMTC Warehouse

Outstanding supporting actress:

Sarah Constible, Am I Not King?, zone41 theatre; Ellen David, My Name is Asher Lev, RMTC Warehouse; Brittany Hunter, American Idiot, Winnipeg Studio Theatre; Julie Lumsden, The Flats/Les flats, PTE/Théâtre Cercle Molière; Jennifer Lyon, Mamma Mia!, Rainbow Stage

Outstanding ensemble:

Am I Not King? zone41 theatre; Hand to God, RMTC Warehouse; Kill Me Now, RMTC Warehouse; Mamma Mia!, Rainbow Stage; My Name is Asher Lev, RMTC Warehouse.

Outstanding production:

Am I Not King?, zone41 theatre; Hand to God, RMTC Warehouse; Kill Me Now, RMTC Warehouse; My Name is Asher Lev, RMTC Warehouse; The Whipping Man, Winnipeg Jewish Theatre

Outstanding new work:

Am I Not King?, zone41 theatre, Christopher Brauer (conceived and directed by);Tom Keenan (songs by) Matt Peters (songs by); The Flats/Les flats, PTE/Théâtre Cercle Molière, Ginny Collins (written by); MunschBusters!, PTE, Debbie Patterson (adapted by); Sarah Ballenden, RMTC, Maureen Hunter (written by)

Outstanding direction:

Christopher Brauer, Am I Not King?, zone41 theatre; Mitchell Cushman, Hand to God, RMTC Warehouse; Sarah Garton Stanley, Kill Me Now, RMTC Warehouse; Ann Hodges, Mamma Mia!, Rainbow Stage; Steven Schipper, My Name is Asher Lev, RMTC Warehouse

Outstanding choreography/Fight direction:

American Idiot, Winnipeg Studio Theatre, Jillian Willems; The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time, RMTC, Linda Garneau; Hand to God, RMTC Warehouse, Jacquie Loewen; The Jungle Book, Manitoba Theatre for Young People, Kimberley Rampersad, Rick Skene; Mamma Mia!, Rainbow Stage, Lisa Stevens

Outstanding design:

The Audience, RMTC, Christina Poddubiuk, Scott Henderson, John Lott, Sharon Ryman; Black Coffee, RMTC, Brian Perchaluk, Scott Henderson, Michael Wright; Mamma Mia!, Rainbow Stage, Brian Perchaluk, Scott Henderson, Emily Porter; Sarah Ballenden, RMTC, Brian Perchaluk, Scott Henderson,Michael Wright; The Whipping Man, Winnipeg Jewish Theatre Brian Perchaluk, Scott Henderson

Honourary awards will be bestowed on Evelyne Anderson (Lifetime Achievement Award), Joan Lees-Miller (Behind-the-Scenes Award) and Robin Dow and George Budoloski (Theatre Educator Award).

randall.king@freepress.mb.ca Twitter: @FreepKing