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Théâtre la Seizième wins big at the Jessie Richardson Theatre Awards

Théâtre la Seizième wins the outstanding production award for À toi, pour toujours, ta Marie-Lou.

On June 22, Théâtre la Seizième and its artists won eight Jessie Richardson Awards and one Sydney Risk Award at the 33rd annual Jessie Richardson Theatre Awards at the Commodore Ballroom.

Recognizing excellence in theatre, the Jessies are divided into three categories – Large Theatre, Small Theatre and Theatre for Young Audiences – along with a variety of special awards. The big winner in the Large Category and in the Theatre for Young Audiences was Théâtre la Seizième. Of the seven theatre companies with nominations, Théâtre la Seiizème with their production of À toi, pour toujours, ta Marie-Lou almost swept the Large Theatre category. The Michel Tremblay work garnered six awards, including Craig Holzschuh for Outstanding Direction as well as actors Joey Lespérance and France Perras for their lead performances. Julie Trépanier won for her supporting role, Drew Facey for his set design, and the play also snapped up Outstanding Production.

Director Rachel Peake received the Outstanding Artistic Creation Award for Selfie. Photo : Andrea Lowen

In the Theatre for Young Audiences, Théâtre la Seizième was recognized for its production of Selfie, a play commissioned through its Dramaturgy development program, with Rachel Peake being awarded for her Outstanding Artistic Creation and Julie Trépanier, Siona Gareau-Brennan and Vincent Leblanc-Beaudoin winning for their Outstanding Performances. For Selfie, Christine Quintana also won the Sydney Risk Award for emerging playwright. Celestial Being (Extra-Céleste in French) produced by Green Thumb Theatre captured Outstanding Production in this category. This play was co-commissioned from playwright Dave Deveau by Green Thumb Theatre and la Seizième in 2013/2014.

« We are lucky to be working with some of the most talented artists in this city and we are thrilled to see their work recognized by our peers », said Artistic and Managing Director Craig Holzschuh. « I believe this recognition is also a sign that theatre is evolving in Vancouver. Theatre goers are curious and open minded. They are willing to use surtitles to have a theatre experience that is different. Our box office successes and fast growing audiences are another proof of this. »

Since 2000, Théâtre la Seizième and its artists have received 33 awards and 55 nominations at the Jessie Richardson Theatre Awards. For more information, please read this article from the Georgia Straight or visit http://jessies.ca/.

Please note: Part of this article is a transcript from the Jessie Richardson Theatre Awards media release.