2024 Siminovitch Prize Finalists Unveiled

The Siminovitch Prize, Canada’s most valuable theatre award, shines a spotlight on groundbreaking mid-career artists who are having a transformative impact on the art form.

This year’s lineup features exceptional talents, each pushing the boundaries of their craft across a wide spectrum of design disciplines—from sound and composition to lighting and puppetry. Their peers have nominated and selected them as important artists deserving of national recognition.

This year's finalists for the Siminovitch Prize are Itai Erdal (Vancouver, BC), Sonoyo Nishikawa (Montreal, QC), Debashis Sinha (Toronto, ON), and The Old Trout Puppet Workshop (Calgary, AB). The mid-career Laureate receives $100,000 and selects an emerging artist Protégé to receive $25,000.

“The shortlisted artists are outstanding designers who have challenged themselves and the boundaries of their practice for years. These are artists who listen deeply, who embrace the complexities, the ambiguities and unknowns of the theatrical enterprise, and who are willing to sound the depths of the artistic process. Their work enriches all the other aspects of the theatrical undertaking, bringing out the best in their colleagues and co-creators. They have had and will continue to have a profound impact on other artists and audiences.” - Guillermo Verdecchia, 2024 Siminovitch Prize Jury Chair.

THE 2024 SIMINOVITCH PRIZE FINALISTS

Itai Erdal is an acclaimed lighting designer, writer, performer, and the founder of The Elbow Theatre in Vancouver. With over 300 lighting designs for theatre, dance, and opera across more than 50 cities in North America and Europe, his work includes collaborations with notable companies such as the Stratford Festival, Vancouver Opera, and Arts Club. His accolades include six Jessie Richardson Awards, a Dora Mavor Moore Award, and the Edinburgh Lustrum Award, among others.

“Lighting can be more than an aesthetic; it can be the emotional heartbeat of the piece, and I take that realization with me to every show I design.” - Itai Erdal, Finalist

Sonoyo Nishikawa, a lighting designer originally from Japan, studied in London under Japan's Ministry of Education and Culture. Sonoyo has worked on major productions with Robert Lepage, including A Midsummer Night's Dream and Les Sept Branches de la Rivière Ota, for which she won a Dora Mavor Moore Award. Her innovative designs have earned her numerous accolades, such as the Prix des meilleurs éclairages and the Prix Jaques-Pelletier. Recent projects include Les Sept Branches de la Rivière Ota at The National Theatre in London, Once Upon A One More Time on Broadway, and Sexual Misconduct of the Middle Classes at Centaur Theatre.

"The lights on stage turn on and off, disappear and reappear, in harmony with the ever-changing story, the movements of the performers, the rhythm of the music, and the breathing of the audience. They are ephemeral, often compared to fireworks. However, my aim is to create lighting designs that will inspire the hearts of the audience with hope for the future and provide lifelong inspiration, much like witnessing a beautiful sunrise or sunset." Sonoyo Nishikawa, Finalist

Debashis Sinha is a multifaceted artist known for his innovative work across various media, including solo audiovisual performances and electronic music. His unique blend of South Asian Canadian heritage and expertise in world drumming and technology drives his creative exploration. Sinha is acclaimed for his contributions as a composer and sound designer in theatre and dance, earning awards such as the 2023 Louis Applebaum Composers Award. He is also a dedicated educator and is a tenure-track assistant professor at Toronto Metropolitan University.

“Sound in all its forms is my first principle. Working with sound reveals to me how we think about our histories, use our technologies, and reinvent our cultures and identities, balancing between heritage and contemporary discourse. It is a conduit for the exploration of how we tell our stories, now and in the future. I have a deep curiosity for the hidden narratives that lie in sound.” - Debashis Sinha, Finalist

The Old Trout Puppet Workshop began as a humble endeavour to create puppets while living off the land. Initially performing for a local audience of cowboys and Hutterites, their success at Calgary’s High-Performance Rodeo ignited a deep ambition. Over the past two decades, they've evolved from their rural roots to a bustling operation in Calgary, employing many and producing various shows and artistic works. Their productions have toured Canada, the U.S., and Europe, and they also engage in diverse creative projects, including sculptures, films, and design work for major institutions.  

“There is a magic in seeing a dead thing breathe that speaks to an older,  cave-bred part of us – which is to say, there is wonder in it, and that’s the other side of our design philosophy, the thing we’re striving for: we are founded with the timorous desire to conjure joy, as much as we might.  The theatre we aim to make is  superfluous, unnecessary, and exuberant, in the face of the wintery world.” - Old Trout Puppet Workshop, Finalist

The Jury 

The jury is selected annually and comprises professional theatre artists from various disciplines and backgrounds. The 2024 jury comprised Soheil Parsa, Jessica Poirier-Chang, MJ Dandeneau, Reneltta Arluk, and Jury Chair, Guillermo Verdecchia. 

To post a comment, you must register and login.