Mermaid Legs, SkirtsAfire. Photo by Brianne Jang

Eric Wigston and Makram Ayache in The Hooves Belonged To The Deer, In Arms Collective at Edmonton Fringe Theatre. Photo from Tarragon Theatre production by Cylla von Tiedemann

By Liz Nicholls, 12thnight.ca

The spirit of off-centre ‘small theatre’ originality blew through the 36th annual Sterling Awards gala Monday night as the theatre community gathered to toast the 2023-24 season on Edmonton stages. And two challenging productions that live outside the mainstream proved the top choice of jurors at the festivities, named to honour the theatre pioneer Elizabeth Sterling Haynes.

To help support 12thnight.ca YEG theatre coverage, click here.

At the festive bash hosted by Marguerite Lawler and Gordie Lucius of Rapid Fire Theatre at the Westbury Theatre, a new “surreal theatre dance fantasia” that premiered at this year’s SkirtsAfire Festival scored top honours, including outstanding production, from Sterling jurors. In all, Beth Graham’s moving and insightful Mermaid Legs, a theatrical multi-disciplinary exploration of mental illness and its existential ripple effects on a trio of sisters, came away with five Sterlings — the most of any show — of its nine nominations in 26 categories.

They included the outstanding new play award for Graham, in a hotly competitive category that included premieres by playwrights Trevor Schmidt, Ronnie Burkett, Conni Massing, and S.E. Grummett. As well, Ainsley Hillyard’s choreography, a movement score that captured the elusive equilibrium between order and chaos at the heart of the piece, was acknowledged by jurors. So was the ensemble work of Annette Loiselle’s cast of three actors and four dancers, and the sound design by Aaron Macri and Binaifer Kapadia.

Tenaj Williams in Little Shop of Horrors, Citadel/Arts Club Theatre Company. Photo by Nanc Price

The counterpart of Mermaid Legs in the outstanding musical category was the Citadel/ Arts Club Theatre co-production of the winsomely eccentric 1982 musical, Little Shop of Horrors. Strikingly, that was the sole Sterling, of its seven nominations (including three in the acting categories), picked up by Ashlie Corcoran’s production.

The indie In Arms Collective, which returned Makram Ayache’s provocative epic The Hooves Belonged to the Deer to its point of origin (and the playwright’s home town), took away four Sterlings. Jurors deemed it this year’s outstanding indie production. And Peter Hinton-Davis’s production garnered him the outstanding direction Sterling, as well as honours for Anahita Dehbonehie’s striking sand-filled set and Whittyn Jason’s dramatic lighting both indispensable participants in the horizon expander that took a Muslim immigrant kid in southern Alberta to the Old World, and a vision of a new creation myth in the Garden of Eden.

Robert Walsh, Andrea Menard, Karen Shepherd, Nathen Aswell in Rubaboo. Photo by Dahlia Katz.

Of the two other productions awarded with more than one Sterling, one was on the Citadel mainstage, a musical cabaret created by Métis singer-songwriter-actor Andrea Menard and her long-time musical collaborator Robert Walsh. Of Rubaboo’s three Sterlings, one was for Menard’s leading performance in a musical, one for the Menard/Walsh score, and one for Walsh’s musical direction.

Christine Lesiak and Tara Travis in The Spinsters, Small Matters Productions. Photo by Ian Walker.

The other, The Spinsters, an inventive and playful dark comedy by and starring Christine Lesiak and Tara Travis, from the physical theatre company Small Matters Productions, premiered at Edmonton Fringe Theatre. Cinderella’s aggrieved Ugly Stepsisters, long relegated to anonymity, get their moment in the limelight. And the “bad bitches who bought the palace” now have two Sterlings — one for the show-stopper costumes by Adam Dickson and Ian Walker, which seemed to have a life of their own, and one for Walker’s multi-media design.

In the end, the Citadel’s tally of 27 nominations, the most of any company, translated into only four Sterlings — one for Little Shop of Horrors, three for Rubaboo. And of Edmonton’s mid-sized companies, only Theatre Network and the Varscona’s two resident companies, Shadow Theatre and Teatro Live!, took home a Sterling. The awards for those three companies were in acting categories.

Larissah Lashley, Abigail McDougall, Jayce Mckenzie, Hayley Moorhouse in Robot Girls, Shadow Theatre. Photo by Marc J Chalifoux.

Ronnie Burkett’s Sterling for outstanding performance in a leading role is  validation of the dramatic impact of the master marionettist, who writes for, creates, voices, and manipulates the entire cast in his latest puppet play Wonderful Joe, which premiered at Theatre Network. Both the Shadow and Teatro Live! Sterlings were for outstanding supporting role performances: Jayce Mckenzie, very funny as one of the title quartet in Shadow’s Robot Girls; Chariz Faulmino, sparkling as a nightclub newcomer in Teatro’s revival of the original homegrown musical Everybody Goes To Mitzi’s.

The Adventure of Young Turtle, So.Glad Arts at Expanse Festival 2024. Photo supplied.

The Sterlings in the theatre for young audiences categories — outstanding production and outstanding artistic achievement — both went to an inventive, identity-affirming new puppet musical, S.E. Grummett’s The Adventure of Young Turtle by Saskatoon-based So.Glad Arts. The puppets by the Sterling-winning a four-member creative team (Ali Deregt, S.E. Grummett, Rowan Pantel, Monica Ila), were created from found-object throw-aways.

Dayna Lea Hoffmann and Katie Yoner in Rat Academy, Batrabbit Productions. Pghoto supplied.

Three of the five Fringe categories saw Sterlings go to Rat Academy by and starring Dayna Lea Hoffmann and Katie Yoner of Batrabbit Productions: outstanding Fringe production, Fringe ensemble, and Fringe director (Joseph McManus). The outstanding new work at the giant summer festival was deemed to be Elena Belyea’s This Won’t Hurt, I Promise from Tiny Bear Jaws. And the outstanding individual Fringe performance award went to Erin Pettifor in Stigma, Pistil, and Style.

As previously announced, the actor/ director/ stage manager/ administrator Elizabeth Allison-Jorde is this year’s recipient of the Margaret Mooney Award in Administration. The Ross Hill Award in Production went to the Citadel’s head of wardrobe Patsy Thomas. And Mac Brock, playwright, director, producer,  festival director, promoter, indie theatre agitator par excellence, was recognized for his Outstanding Contribution to Edmonton theatre.

The 2023/24 Sterling Awards

Outstanding Production of a Play: Mermaid Legs (SkirtsAfire).

The Timothy Ryan Award for Outstanding Production of a Musical: Little Shop of Horrors (The Citadel Theatre/ Arts Club Theatre Company).

Outstanding Independent Production of a Play: The Hooves Belonged to the Deer (In Arms Theatre Collective).

Outstanding New Play (award to playwright): Beth Graham, Mermaid Legs (SkirtsAfire).

Outstanding Performance in a Leading Role – Play: Ronnie Burkett, Wonderful Joe (Theatre Network).

Outstanding Performance in a Leading Role – Musical: Andrea Menard, Rubaboo (The Citadel Theatre).

Outstanding Performance in a Supporting Role – Play: Jayce Mckenzie, Robot Girls (Shadow Theatre).

Outstanding Performance in a Supporting Role – Musical: Chariz Faulmino, Everybody Goes to Mitzi’s (Teatro Live!).

Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Play or Musical: The cast of Mermaid Legs (SkirtsAfire).

Outstanding Director: Peter Hinton-Davis, The Hooves Belonged to the Deer (In Arms Theatre Collective).

Outstanding Set Design: Anahita Dehbonehie, The Hooves Belonged to the Deer (In Arms Theatre Collective).

Outstanding Costume Design: Adam Dickson and Ian Walker, The Spinsters (Small Matters Production presented by Fringe Theatre).

Outstanding Lighting Design: Whittyn Jason, The Hooves Belonged to the Deer (In Arms Theatre Collective).

Outstanding Sound Design: Aaron Macri and Binaifer Kapadia, Mermaid Legs (SkirtsAfire).

Outstanding Score of a Play or Musical: Andrea Menard and Robert Walsh, Rubaboo (The Citadel Theatre).

Outstanding Musical Direction: Robert Walsh, Rubaboo (The Citadel Theatre).

Outstanding Choreography, Fight Direction, or Intimacy Direction: Ainsley Hillyard, choreography, Mermaid Legs (SkirtsAfire).

Outstanding Multimedia Design: Ian Walker, The Spinsters (Small Matters Production presented by Fringe Theatre).

Outstanding Individual Achievement in Production: Gina Moe, stage manager

Outstanding Production for Young Audiences: The Adventure of Young Turtle (So.Glad Arts).

Outstanding Artistic Achievement, Theatre for Young Audiences: Ali Deregt, S.E. Grummett, Rowan Pantel, and Monica Ila, puppet design and build, The Adventure of Young Turtle (So.Glad Arts)

Outstanding Fringe Production: Rat Academy (Batrabbit Productions).

Outstanding Fringe New Work (award to playwright): Elena Belyea,
This Won’t Hurt, I Promise (Tiny Bear Jaws).

Outstanding Fringe Performance – individual: Erin Pettifor, Stigma, Pistil, & Style (Wee Witches and Erin Pettifor).

Outstanding Fringe – ensemble: Rat Academy (Batrabbit Productions).

Outstanding Fringe Director: Joseph McManus, Rat Academy (Batrabbit Productions)

The Margaret Mooney Award for Outstanding Achievement in Administration: Elizabeth Allison-Jorde

The Ross Hill Award for Outstanding Achievement in Production: Patsy Thomas

Outstanding Contribution To Theatre in Edmonton: Mac Brock