Awards for Stage Managing

My friend Nick posted today about the lack of awards for Stage Managers in both the big awards shows (Tonys) & the smaller community based awards.

Nick suggests that "the need is really to recognize SMs who are emerging in their careers and trying to get enough work to develop their craft into full-time work, which is really what I see these awards as being all about anyway....My feeling is that public recognition by the community enables a talented SM to be exposed to larger theaters so that they can do their work and get compensated appropriately for it. Without that recognition, the SM is the most likely position to achieve burn out."

Here in Vancouver at the Jessies there is the Mary Phillips Prize for Behind-the-Scenes Achievement which is

"Awarded to an unsung hero. The recipient is nominated from the community and chosen by a private committee. Nomination forms are available online and must be received by April 30th. The recipient is chosen by a private committee. Receives a cash prize."

This is not specifically an award for Stage Managing, but I have seen stage managers win it before.

So. Should there be awards for stage management? If there should be, what should they look like? Chime in here, or over on Nick's post.

The June To-See List (and what I saw/worked on in May)

It's been a very busy month for me theatrically.

In May I saw the following plays:

1. John & Beatrice (Pi Theatre)
2. Secret World of Og (Carousel Theatre)
3. 36 Views (Tempus Theatre)
4. Antigone Undone (Leaky Heaven Circus)
5. Fat Pig (Mitch & Murray Equity Co-op)
   
6. Les Miserables (Arts Club)
7. Top Girls (Vancouver Playhouse)
8. Palace of the End (Felix Culpa, Touchstone Theatre, & Horseshoes & Hand Grenades)

Based on this list, I still missed one show from my "To-See" list last month (Dying City), however I added Top Girls & Antigone Undone, so overall I feel pretty good about it as a month of theatre seeing.

I also rehearsed and opened You Still Can't at Pacific Theatre. This monster of a show features 14 emerging theatre artists from a variety of theatre training programs as well as three "extras' who volunteer and rotate through from night to night. In addition to a large cast (at least for our little 20" by 22" stage), it's a very props heavy show. I've mentioned the dozen custom-made latex turkeys, but there's also a working amusement park model, a Beatles-themed feast, & a working radio DJ booth. It's been a crazy ride and it still runs for another two weeks.

The day after You Still Can't closes I'll be hopping a 7am bus to Kamloops to spend my summer working with Project X Productions on Hamlet & Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are Dead. It's going to be a fun summer as far as I'm concerned. Also, it will be a nice break from Vancouver (not that I hate Vancouver. I love Vancouver. I just need a bit of time to get away) and a chance to be close to my parents for a while.

Because I leave town on June 14th, my "To-See" list for June is quite short, though I've decided that I will list shows that I will not be seeing but that I think the rest of you should make sure to check out.

June To See List:
1. Othello (Bard on the Beach)
2. Flower Drum Song (VACT)

Shows that you should see, even though I won't be seeing them:
1. The Walking Fish Festival (www.upintheairtheatre.com) {from what I hear this year has a whole range of shows from amazing to terrible - I'd love to hear what people think!}
2. The Comedy of Errors (Bard on the Beach)
3. All's Well that Ends Well (Bard on the Beach)
4. Mixie and the Halfbreeds (Neworld Theatre)
5. Alter Boyz (Arts Club)

And for those of you in Vancouver for the month of June, don't forget to attend the Jessie Richardson Awards for theatre. If I were in town, I'd definitely be there!
Let's all see some theatre!

2008/2009 Jessie Nominations

This afternoon I attended the Jessie Nominations Party. It was the second year that I've gone, and I go because its much more fun to hear them read of the list of shows nominated (and sit in my seat playing the "I did see that, didn't I?" game) than it is to read them on the internet later.

A few of my favorite moments:

- The announcers did not know how to pronounce ITSAZOO when announcing their nomination for Costume Design (Small Theatre)

- Celebrating with cast and designers I've worked with over the past two years on their nominations: Ron Reed (nominated for Best Supporting Actor, small theatre), Hamza Adams (nominated for Significant Artistic Achievement - Ensemble Cast, TYA), Drew Facey (2 nominations), Julia Mackey (nominated for Best Actress, small theatre) & Duncan Fraser (nominated for Best Actor, large theatre)

- Meeting @kenjimaeda in person (and on a day he got nominated!)

- Eating cherry tomatos stuffed with bacon?

I really enoyed my time this afternoon but there were a few things that kind of made me go "hmm....."

- For all of Bard on the Beach's 19 nominations, 15 were for the studio stage shows and 4 were for the mainstage.

- Ruby Slippers' Life Savers, which I thought was okay, but didn't love (which seems to be a common response from people I know who saw the show, and the critics) got 7 nominations across disciplines, the second highest in the small theatre category. I didn't think it was that amazing.

- I spent much of the reception recognizing people and then playing the "I think I know who you are" game in my head, but not actually interacting with most of them. Makes me think that Vancouver Theatre needs more social events for folks in the industry to get to know one another.

To see a full list of nominees, visit www.jessies.ca.