Brick Shithouse, fenceless theatre, Common Ground Arts Society, Found Festival 2024. Photo by Brianne Jang
By Liz Nicholls, .ca
A wave of indie creativity prevailed at the 36th annual Sterling Awards bash Monday night hosted by Luc Tellier and Nadien Chu, as the theatre community put on lipstick and dancing shoes at the Westbury Theatre to toast the season just past on Edmonton stages.
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Alexander Ariate as Horse, Lee Boyes as Jacques in Horseplay by Kole Durnford, Workshop West. Photo by Marc J Chalifousl Set by Beyata Hackborn, lighting by Sarah Karpyshin
The outstanding production Sterling for the season belongs to Horseplay by newcomer Kole Durnford, a highly imaginative two-hander about the best-friendship between a horse and his jockey — that premiered at Workshop West.
Oscar Derkx and Ron Pederson in A Gentleman’s Guide to Love and Murder, Grindstone Theatre. Photo by Adam Goudreau
Its counterpart in the best musical category, Grindstone Theatre’s production of the virtuoso Broadway musical A Gentleman’s Guide to Love and Murder, the finale of the company’s new mainstage musical season at the Orange Hub, got top honours from the Sterling jury.
But it was a new play, produced with visceral bone-crushing physicality in a warehouse, that proved decisively the top choice of jurors at the celebration, named for theatre pioneer Elizabeth Sterling Haynes. Ashleigh Hicks’ Brick Shithouse, which took us into the world of disaffected 20-something underachievers gravitating to the dangerous illusion of online anonymity, picked up six Sterlings of its eight nominations. In addition to top honours in the indie category, the fenceless theatre production (developed by Common Ground Arts Society at its Found Festival) took away a best director award for Sarah J Culkin, as well as Sterlings for Even Gilchrist’s lighting, Sam Jeffery’s fight direction, and Culkin’s ensemble cast. And it garnered the playwright the top award in the highly competitive best new play category where contenders included Stephen Massicotte, Kole Durnford, Andrew Ritchie and AJ Hrooshkin.
A Midsummer Night’s Dream: The ’70s Musical. Luc Tellier (centre) as Puck, Citadel Theatre. Costumes by Deanna Finnman, set by Hanne Loosen, lighting by Jareth Li. Photo by Nanc Price.
Of its eight nominations, Daryl Cloran’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream: The 70s Musical at the Citadel — a re-fitting of Shakespeare’s most popular rom-com with danceable chart-toppers by the likes of Supertramp — took home three Sterlings, one for Oscar Derkx’s supporting performance, one for Deanna Finnman’s amusingly flamboyant ‘70s costumes, one for Ben Elliott’s musical direction.
Cody Porter in Angry Alan, Northern Light Theatre. Photo by Brianne Jang, BB Collective Photography
The acting awards, divided between musicals and straight plays, were dispersed among large and small companies. For his star performance as Dr. Frank-N-Furter in the Byron Martin’s Grindstone production of Richard O’Brien’s Rocky Horror Show, Zachary Parsons-Lozinski now has a Sterling Award. The Sterling for leading performance in a play went to Cody Porter, for his nuanced, smartly calibrated performance as a men’s movement recruit in Trevor Schmidt’s Northern Light production of Angry Alan.
The supporting role Sterlings went to Alexandra Dawkins for her performance as Madame in the Putrid Brat production of Jean Genet’s play The Maids, and to Oscar Derkx as rustic artisan Flute, coaxed onto rollerskates into the role of Thisbe in A Midsummer Night’s Dream: The 70s Musical at the Citadel.
Andrew MacDonald-Smith and Joel Schaefer in The Play That Goes Wrong, Citadel Theatre. Photo by Nanc Price.
The Citadel’s only other Sterling went to Beyata Hackborn’s ingeniously disintegrating set for last summer’s The Play The Goes Wrong (a co-production with Theatre Calgary and the Royal Manitoba Theatre Centre). In all, of its 25 nominations in 26 Sterling categories, Edmonton’s largest playhouse came away with but four awards.
Damon Pitcher, Jacob Holloway, Victoria Suen, Amanda Neufeld in Krampus: A New Musical, Straight Edge Theatre at Workshop West. Photo by Marc J Chalifoux
Elsewhere, Stephen Allred and Seth Gilfillan’s jaunty and macabre holiday musical comedy Krampus, the work of Straight Edge Theatre and Workshop West, picked up the Sterling for outstanding score. Kena León’s intricately cross-hatched sound design for Amanda Goldberg’s Dance Nation at the SkirtsAfire Festival got a Sterling. And T. Erin Gruber’s multi-media design for Thou Art Here’s Cycle, which set Andrew Ritchie in motion atop a bicycle careening through urban streets, was a Sterling winner in a five-nominee category that included such large-scale productions as Disney’s Frozen and Heist at the Citadel (as well as After Mourning – Before Van Gogh and The Two Battles of Francis Pegahmagabow, both at Shadow Theatre).
Of the five Fringe categories, four Sterlings went to the new and scoriating Liam Salmon play Local Diva: The Danielle Smith Diaries. The Low Hanging Fruits’ premiere was deemed by the jury both the outstanding new work and the outstanding production amongst offerings at Edmonton’s giant summer theatre festival. It also garnered Sterlings for director Owen Holloway, and for star Zachary Parsons-Lozinski (his second Sterling of the night) in a blistering performance, flamboyant and furious. Luc Tellier’s Fringe production of the Kat Sandler comedy Bright Lights, set in a support group for people who’ve had encounters with aliens, was deemed the best Fringe ensemble.
The theatre for young audiences Sterlings went to Alberta Musical Theatre’s Rapunzel (outstanding production) and the Silver Skate Festival’s (outstanding artistic achievement).
As previously announced, Gina Moe was this year’s recipient of the Margaret Mooney Award for outstanding achievement in administration. The Ross Hill Award for Outstanding Achievement in Production went to Nico Van Der Kley. And director/ artistic director Gerry Potter, the founder of Workshop West Playwrights Theatre and more recently Rising Sun Theatre, and altogether a tireless supporter, mentor and promoter of Canadian theatre, was recognized for his Outstanding Contribution to Edmonton theatre.
Congratulations to all the nominees, the Sterling recipients — and, heck!, to everyone who defied the odds-against in a tough year and made theatre happen this season in Edmonton.
And the 2024-2025 Sterling Awards go to …
Outstanding Production of a Play: Horseplay (Workshop West Playwrights’ Theatre)
The Timothy Ryan Award for Outstanding Production of a Musical: A Gentleman’s Guide to Love and Murder (Grindstone Theatre)
Outstanding Independent Production: Brick Shithouse (Fenceless Theatre and Common Ground Arts)
Outstanding New Play (award to playwright): Ashleigh Hicks, Brick Shithouse (Fenceless Theatre and Common Ground Arts)
Outstanding Performance in a Leading Role (Play): Cody Porter, Angry Alan (Northern Light Theatre)
Outstanding Performance in a Leading Role (musical): Zachary Parsons-Lozinski “Lilith Fair,” Richard O’Brien’s Rocky Horror Show (Grindstone Theatre )
Outstanding Performance in a Supporting Role (play): Alexandra Dawkins The Maids (Putrid Brat)
Outstanding Performance in a Supporting Role (musical): Oscar Derkx, A Midsummer Night’s Dream: The ‘70s Musical (The Citadel Theatre)
Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Play or Musical: the cast of Brick Shithouse (Fenceless Theatre and Common Ground Arts)
Outstanding Director: Sarah J Culkin, Brick Shithouse (Fenceless Theatre and Common Ground Arts)
Outstanding Set Design: Beyata Hackborn, The Play That Goes Wrong (The Citadel Theatre, Theatre Calgary, Royal Manitoba Theatre Centre)
Outstanding Lighting Design: Even Gilchrist, Brick Shithouse (Fenceless Theatre and Common Ground Arts)
Outstanding Costume Design: Deanna Finnman, A Midsummer Night’s Dream: The ’70s Musical (The Citadel Theatre)
Outstanding Score of a Play or Musical: Seth Gilfillan and Stephen Allred, Krampus: A New Musical (Straight Edge Theatre and Workshop West Playwrights’ Theatre)
Outstanding Sound Design: Kena León, Dance Nation (SkirtsAFire Festival)
Outstanding Musical Direction: Ben Elliott, A Midsummer Night’s Dream: The ’70s Musical (The Citadel Theatre)
Outstanding Choreography, Fight, or Intimacy Direction: Sam Jeffery, Brick Shithouse (Fenceless Theatre and Common Ground Arts)
Outstanding Multimedia Design: T. Erin Gruber, Cycle (Thou Art Here Theatre)
Outstanding Production for Young Audiences: Rapunzel (Alberta Musical Theatre Company)
Outstanding Artistic Achievement, Theatre for Young Audiences: Even Gilchrist, Tessa Stamp, and Whittyn Jason, The “Away” Project (Silver Skate Festival)
Outstanding Fringe Production: Local Diva: The Danielle Smith Diaries (Low Hanging Fruits)
Outstanding Fringe New Work (award to playwright): Liam Salmon, Local Diva: The Danielle Smith Diaries (Low Hanging Fruits)
Outstanding Fringe Performance By An Individual: Zachary Parsons-Lozinski, Local Diva: The Danielle Smith Diaries (Low Hanging Fruits)
Outstanding Fringe Performance By An Ensemble: the cast of Bright Lights (Blarney Productions)
Outstanding Fringe Director: Owen Holloway, Local Diva: The Danielle Smith Diaries (Low Hanging Fruits)
Outstanding Individual Achievement in Production: Kat Evans (production manager)
Special Award: achievement in sustainability and community stewardship: Tessa Stamp
Margaret Mooney Award for Outstanding Achievement in Administation: Gina Moe
Ross Hill Award for Outstanding Achievement in Production: Nico Van Der Kley
Outstanding Contribution to Edmonton Theatre: Gerry Potter
