At the 26th annual Jessie Richardson Theatre Awards, which took place tonight at the Commodore Ballroom, the prizes in the large-theatre category were distributed democratically or oddly, depending on your point of view.

The Playhouse Theatre Company received four Jessies, more than any other large theatre. These honours all went to designers. For their contributions to The Wars, which was coproduced by Theatre Calgary, Kevin Lamotte won for lighting, Allan Stichbury for set, and Scott Killian for sound. Costumer Nancy Bryant grabbed a statuette for The Amorous Adventures of Anatol.

The Playhouse’s total comes to five if you count the Greater Vancouver Professional Theatre Alliance career-achievement award that was bestowed upon outgoing artistic director Glynis Leyshon. Del Surjik, who left his position as artistic director at Pi Theatre this year to head Saskatoon’s Persephone Theatre, also received a GVPTA career-achievement award. The biggest show-based prizes of the night eluded the Playhouse, however.

November Theatre’s interpretation of The Black Rider: The Casting of the Magic Bullets, which was presented by the Arts Club Theatre Company, was named the outstanding production, but didn’t win in any other category.

Miles Potter’s Wild West version of The Taming of the Shrew at Bard on the Beach landed him best-director recognition. The only other prize that went to Shrew was won by Bob Frazer, who took the lead-actor laurels for his performance as Petruchio. This is Frazer’s sixth Jessie. Lois Anderson’s win for her turn as the Nurse in Romeo and Juliet brought Bard’s total for the evening to three and Anderson’s career total to eight.

Besides Black Rider’s production win, two other prizes went to shows that were at the Arts Club’s Granville Island Stage. Daniel MacIvor took home the trophy for outstanding original script for His Greatness, and David Marr nabbed the supporting-actor prize for his performance as the Assistant in that show.

The large-theatre jury considered Kerry Sandomirsky’s work in Touchstone Theatre’s How It Works the year’s best performance by a lead actress. And the jury delivered a significant-artistic-achievement award to the ensemble cast of Green Thumb Theatre’s Steel Kiss: Michael Eisner, Charles Christien Gallant, Kyle Jespersen, and Mike Wasko.

In the small-theatre race, Blackbird Theatre’s mounting of The Triumph of Love emerged as the clear favourite. It was considered the outstanding production, Marie Stillin took home the supporting-actress trophy, and Johnna Wright was chosen as best director. Wright also received the Ray Michal Award for outstanding work or body of work by an emerging director. Blackbird, which formed in 2004, also scooped the prize for the best production in small theatre last year for Peer Gynt.

Presentation House Theatre’s mounting of The Goat snagged two Jessies. Jay Brazeau won best actor, and Kevin McNulty best supporting actor.

Horseshoes & Hand Grenades Theatre’s interpretation of 4.48 Psychosis also nabbed a pair of prizes, both of which were for design: Ana Cappelluto (set), and Antoine Bedard (sound design or original composition).

The jury chose Victoria artist Celine Stubel, who has been wowing Vancouver audiences, as best lead actress for her performance in the Gateway Theatre production of My Chernobyl. John Webber’s lighting design for Tiny Apocalypse garnered Rough House a prize. And Norman Armour, who has long been a valued mentor and innovator in the Vancouver theatre community, received a significant-artistic-achievement award for his work as executive director of the edgy and popular PuSh International Performing Arts Festival.

Carousel Theatre’s Seussical the Musical was the clear winner in the theatre-for-young-audiences race, virtually shutting out the competition. Seussical won the best-production prize, which comes with a $10,000 cheque from the Canada Council for the Arts. Allan Zinyk’s turn as an innocent elephant named Horton was considered the outstanding performance. And Steven Greenfield’s musical direction of the show was considered this category’s significant artistic creation.

Théâtre la Seizième snatched the only remaining prize in this stream for Drew Facey’s set and costume designs for Des Flocons pour Alicia.

Charles Gallant, who was part of the Jessie-winning ensemble cast of Steel Kiss and also appeared as the Young Man in His Greatness, took the prestigious Sam Payne Award for most promising newcomer. Stage manager Angela Beaulieu was recognized with the Mary Phillips Prize for behind-the-scenes achievement. Chris McGregor took the John Moffat and Larry Lillo Award, which is intended to allow mature artists to further their artistic development. Senior solicitor Tony DuMoulin and his firm of DuMoulin Boskovich received the Georgia Straight Patron of the Arts Award.

The Sidney Risk Award for outstanding original script by an emerging playwright went to James Long for The View From Above, which was commissioned by Ruby Slippers Theatre and Théâtre la Seizième. Long was also a central creator and the featured performer in Theatre Replacement and Rumble Productions’ collaboratively developed Clark and I Somewhere in Connecticut, which won the critics’ choice innovation award.

Full list of awards

Jessie Richardson Awards Large Theatre, 2007-2008

Outstanding Performance by an Actor in a Lead Role
Bob Frazer, The Taming of the Shrew, Bard on the Beach

Outstanding Performance by an Actress in a Lead Role
Kerry Sandomirsky, How It Works, Touchstone Theatre

Outstanding Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role
David Marr, His Greatness, Arts Club Theatre Company

Outstanding Performance by an Actress in a Supporting Role
Lois Anderson, Romeo and Juliet, Bard on the Beach

Outstanding Lighting Design
Kevin Lamotte, The Wars, Playhouse Theatre Company

Outstanding Set Design
Allan Stichbury, The Wars, Playhouse Theatre Company

Outstanding Costume Design
Nancy Bryant, The Amorous Adventures of Anatol, Playhouse Theatre Company

Outstanding Sound Design or Original Composition
Scott Killian, The Wars, Playhouse Theatre Company

Outstanding Direction
Miles Potter, The Taming of the Shrew, Bard on the Beach

Outstanding Production
The Black Rider, November Theatre

Significant Artistic Achievement
Michael Eisner, Charlie Gallant, Kyle Jespersen, Mike Wasko Ensemble Performance, Steel Kiss, Green Thumb Theatre

Small Theatre, 2007-2008

Outstanding Performance by an Actor in a Lead Role
Jay Brazeau, The Goat, or Who is Sylvia?, Presentation House Theatre

Outstanding Performance by an Actress in a Lead Role
Celine Stubel, My Chernobyl, Gateway Theatre

Outstanding Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role
Kevin McNulty, The Goat, or Who is Sylvia?, Presentation House Theatre

Outstanding Performance by an Actress in a Supporting Role
Marie Stillin, The Triumph of Love, Blackbird Theatre

Outstanding Lighting Design
John Webber, Tiny Apocalypse, Rough House

Outstanding Set Design
Ana Cappelluto, 4.48 Psychosis, Horseshoes & Hand Grenades Theatre

Outstanding Costume Design
Barbara Clayden, Into the Woods, Patrick Street Productions

Outstanding Sound Design or Original Composition
Antoine Bedard, 4.48 Psychosis, Horseshoes & Hand Grenades Theatre

Outstanding Direction
Johnna Wright, The Triumph of Love, Blackbird Theatre

Outstanding Production
The Triumph of Love, Blackbird Theatre

Significant Artistic Achievement
Norman Armour, PuSh Festival
Outstanding Contribution to Vancouver Theatre

Theatre for Young Audiences, 2007-2008

Outstanding Performance
Allan Zinyk, Seussical The Musical, Carousel Theatre

Outstanding Design
Drew Facey Des Flocons pour Alicia / Théâtre la Seizième
Set and Costume Design

Outstanding Artistic Creation
Steven Greenfield Seussical The Musical / Carousel Theatre
Musical Direction

Outstanding Production
Seussical the Musical Carousel Theatre

Individual awards and prizes

Ray Michal Award for Outstanding Work or Body of Work by an Emerging Director
Johnna Wright

Mary Phillips Prize for Behind the Scenes Achievement
Angela Beaulieu

John Moffat & Larry Lillo Award
Chris McGregor

Sydney Risk Prize for Outstanding Original Script by an Emerging Playwright
James Long

Innovation Award Sponsored by The Vancouver Sun
Clark and I Somewhere in Connecticut, Theatre Replacement & Rumble Productions

GVPTA Career Achievement Award
Glynis Leyshon and Del Surjik

Georgia Straight Patron of the Arts Award
Tony DuMoulin and DuMoulin Boskovich

Sam Payne Award for Most Promising Newcomer
Charlie Gallant

Outstanding Original Script
His Greatness by Daniel MacIvor