The METAs Announce Nominees For The 2017-18 Season

At a community and media event held at the Monument-National's café on Thursday September 6th, The Montreal English Theatre Awards Committee announced the nominees for this year's Awards Ceremony. The Montreal English Theatre Awards (METAs) recognize and celebrate outstanding artistic work in Montreal's English Theatre. Established in 2012, the peer-juried awards exist to promote professional and emerging English theatre artists and companies, to heighten their visibility both regionally and beyond, and to elevate the level of critical discourse about theatre in Montreal amongst artists and with the community at large.

This past season, the METAs Jury has selected a total of 84 nominations, and will be awarding 19 trophies at the Ceremony: 16 peer-juried-awards; 1 community award (determined by our independent Community Jury); and 2 honorary awards.

This year's 6th annual Ceremony will take place at the Monument-National's Salle Ludger-Duvernay. The new venue was made possible by a partnership with the National Theatre School and the Monument-National. Alisa Palmer, Artistic Director of the English section and Director of the Acting and Directing programs at NTS, announced the nominees in the categories of Emerging Artist(s) for Performance and Production.

The 6th "Monumental" Ceremony will take place on Sunday October 14th. Tickets are available for purchase at METAS.ca.

The full list of nominees follows.

Outstanding Lead Performance - Actress
Letitia Brookes - The Mountaintop (Black Theatre Workshop & Neptune Theatre)
Djennie Laguerre - Rendez-Vous with Home (Black Theatre Workshop)
Louise Pitre - The Angel & The Sparrow (Segal Centre for Performing Arts)
Michelle Rambharose - Romeo & Juliet: Love is Love (Repercussion Theatre)
Natalie Tannous - The Baklawa Recipe (Centaur Theatre Company)

Outstanding Lead Performance - Actor
Shawn Campbell - The Mystery of Irma Vep (Theatre Lac-Brome)
Davide Chiazzese - Successions (Centaur Theatre Company)
Jesse Noah Gruman - The Hockey Sweater: A Musical (Segal Centre for Performing Arts)
Tristan D. Lalla - The Mountaintop (Black Theatre Workshop & Neptune Theatre)
Oliver Price - The Life and Death of Fred Herko (Daughter Product)

Outstanding Supporting Performance - Actress
Sponsored by Canadian Actors' Equity Association
Skyler Clark - Smackhead (We Are One)
Ellen David - Marjorie Prime (Segal Centre for Performing Arts)
Gita Miller - Successions (Centaur Theatre Company)
Riley O'Donnell - The Hockey Sweater: A Musical (Segal Centre for Performing Arts)
Christina Tannous - The Baklawa Recipe (Centaur Theatre Company)

Outstanding Supporting Performance - Actor
Eloi ArchamBaudoin - Marjorie Prime (Segal Centre for Performing Arts)
Tyrone Benskin - Marjorie Prime (Segal Centre for Performing Arts)
Ryan Bommarito - Romeo & Juliet: Love is Love (Repercussion Theatre)
Adam Capriolo - Romeo & Juliet: Love is Love (Repercussion Theatre)
Nick Walker - Late Company (d² productions)

Outstanding Ensemble
The 39 Steps - Lucinda Davis, Trent Pardy, Amelia Sargisson, Andrew Shaver (Centaur Theatre Company)
Around the World in 80 Days - Danielle Desormeaux, Michael Hughes, Chimwemwe Miller (Geordie Productions & Theatre Lac-Brome)
Art - Jimmy Blais, Daniel Brochu, Marcel Jeannin (Hudson Village Theatre)
Sapientia - Alison Darcy, Robert Leveroos, Alexandra Petrachuk, Paul Van Dyck (Scapegoat Carnivale)



Outstanding Set Design
John C. Dinning - Marjorie Prime (Segal Centre for Performing Arts)
Martin Ferland - The Angel & The Sparrow (Segal Centre for Performing Arts)
Sabrina Miller - Around the World in 80 Days (Geordie Productions & Theatre Lac Brome)
Zoe Roux - Invasive Species (Blue Ox Productions)
Eo Sharp - The Mountaintop (Black Theatre Workshop & Neptune Theatre)

Outstanding Costume Design
Sponsored by Maria Arciero Design
Louise Bourret - Marjorie Prime (Segal Centre for Performing Arts)
Sophie El Assaad - Invasive Species (Blue Ox Productions)
Michael Gianfrancesco - The 39 Steps (Centaur Theatre Company)
Sabrina Miller - Around the World in 80 Days (Geordie Productions & Theatre Lac-Brome)
Eo Sharp - The Mountaintop (Black Theatre Workshop & Neptune Theatre)

Outstanding Lighting Design
Sponsored by Solotech
Claude Accolas - The Angel & The Sparrow (Segal Centre for Performing Arts)
Andrea Lundy - The 39 Steps (Centaur Theatre Company)
David Perreault Ninacs - Around the World in 80 Days (Geordie Productions & Theatre Lac-Brome)
David Perreault Ninacs - The Mountaintop (Black Theatre Workshop & Neptune Theatre)
Tim Rodrigues - Marjorie Prime (Segal Centre for Performing Arts)

Outstanding Sound Design / Composition
Sponsored by Solotech
Joseph Browne & Evan Stepanian - Sapientia (Scapegoat Carnivale)
Rob Denton - Around the World in 80 Days (Geordie Productions & Theatre Lac-Brome)
Gitanjali Jain - Romeo & Juliet: Love is Love (Repercussion Theatre)
Steve Marsh (Sound Design) & Jonathan Monro (Musical Direction / Arrangement) - The Angel & The Sparrow (Segal Centre for Performing Arts)
Christian Thomas - Marjorie Prime (Segal Centre for Performing Arts)



Outstanding Contribution to Theatre
Karl-Henry Brézault: Live Musical Performance - Rendez-Vous with Home (Black Theatre Workshop)
Guillaume Lévesque: Interactive Technology Design - Dreaming Now (Youtheatre)
Sarah Osmond: Properties Master - Around the World in 80 Days (Geordie Productions & Theatre Lac-Brome)
Evan Stepanian: Live Musical Performance - Sapientia (Scapegoat Carnivale)
Kate Stockburger: Stage Management & Object Dramaturgy - À Louer (Troisième espace théâtre/Third Space Theatre & Kyle Croutch)

Outstanding New Text (Original or Adaptation)
Kalale Dalton-Lutale - Pinky Swear (Geordie Productions)
Michaela Di Cesare - Successions (Centaur Theatre Company)
Natalie Liconti - The Life and Death of Fred Herko (Daughter Product)
Pascale Rafie (New Text) & Melissa Bull (Translation) - The Baklawa Recipe (Centaur Theatre Company)
Gabriel Schultz - Invasive Species (Blue Ox Productions)

Outstanding Emerging Artist(s) - Performance
Sponsored by the National Theatre School of Canada
Ryan Bommarito - Romeo & Juliet: Love is Love (Repercussion Theatre)
Natalie Liconti - À Louer (Troisième espace théâtre/Third Space Theatre & Kyle Croutch) / The History of Sexuality (Talking Dog Productions) / The Life and Death of Fred Herko (Daughter Product) / Vic & Flo Saw a Bear (Talisman Theatre)
Michael Martini - Olivia Newton-John-a-thon (Visite Collective)
Anton May - HAIR (In the Wings Promotions) / The Mountain & Pinky Swear (Geordie Productions) / Romeo & Juliet: Love is Love (Repercussion Theatre)
Gita Miller - Successions (Centaur Theatre Company)

Outstanding Emerging Artist(s) - Production
Sponsored by the Monument-National
Stephanie Costa: Direction - Invasive Species (Blue Ox Productions)
Kalale Dalton-Lutale: Playwriting - Pinky Swear (Geordie Productions)
Daughter Product: Theatre Company - The Life and Death of Fred Herko (Daughter Product)
Zoe Roux: Set & Lighting Design - Invasive Species (Blue Ox Productions) / Smackhead (We Are One)
Kate Stockburger: Stage Management & Object Dramaturgy - À Louer (Troisième espace théâtre/Third Space Theatre & Kyle Croutch) / Stage Management - The Life and Death of Fred Herko (Daughter Product) & The Mystery of Irma Vep (Theatre Lac-Brome)



Outstanding Direction
Dean Patrick Fleming - Art (Hudson Village Theatre)
ahdri zhina mandiela - The Mountaintop (Black Theatre Workshop & Neptune Theatre)
Dayane Ntibarikure - Rendez-Vous with Home (Black Theatre Workshop)
Mike Payette - Around the World in 80 Days (Geordie Productions & Theatre Lac-Brome)
Mia van Leeuwen - Sapientia (Scapegoat Carnivale)

Outstanding Community Production
Sponsored by Global News
The Addams Family - West Island Theatre Association
Calendar Girls - Lakeshore Players Dorval
Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat - The Côte Saint-Luc Dramatic Society
The Mikado - Lakeshore Light Opera
Once Upon A Mattress - Hudson Music Club

Outstanding Independent Production
Sponsored by Caisse de la Culture
À Louer - Troisième espace théâtre/Third Space Theatre & Kyle Croutch
Invasive Species - Blue Ox Productions
The Life and Death of Fred Herko - Daughter Product
Sapientia - Scapegoat Carnivale
Smackhead - We Are One

Outstanding PACT Production
The Angel & The Sparrow - Segal Centre for Performing Arts
Around the World in 80 Days - Geordie Productions & Theatre Lac-Brome
The Mountaintop - Black Theatre Workshop & Neptune Theatre
Rendez-Vous with Home - Black Theatre Workshop
Successions - Centaur Theatre Company



In addition to the preceding juried awards, the following honorary awards will be bestowed at the METAs Ceremony on October 14th, at the Monument-National's Ludger-Duvernay Theatre:

Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion (EDI) Award
Presented in partnership with the Conseil des arts de Montréal
Established to encourage practices of access and inclusion, the EDI recognizes those who embrace the range of cultures, identities, and abilities that make up and enrich our city.

Unsung Hero of the Theatre (UHOT) Award
Celebrating those in our community who too rarely get the public recognition they deserve, the UHOT honours a deserving member of a production or administrative team working behind the scenes.

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