It’s Ovation Awards time again - and Burnaby is once again representing.
Burnaby shows and performers abound on this year’s list of nominees for the Ovations, which recognize the best in musical theatre in the region.
Awards will be presented at a gala on Sunday, Jan. 29 at the Vancouver Academy of Music, and nominations were announced this week.
Leading the way once again was Align Entertainment, which stages its productions at Burnaby’s Michael J. Fox Theatre.
Its fall production of Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat is up for Outstanding Community Production – Large Theatre, and director Chad Matchette and musical director Kevin Michael Cripps are also nominated in their categories. Julie White is nominated for costume design and Ed Arteaga for lighting design.
Melissa Turpin is nominated for Outstanding Choreography.
Performers from the show are also among the nominees, led by Stuart Barkley (Joseph) for Outstanding Lead Performance (male). Katie-Rose Connors (narrator) is up for Outstanding Lead Performance (female).
And the show’s children’s ensemble is named among the special award nominations for being “an active and engaged part of the entire production.”
Align’s February 2016 show, Chitty Chitty Bang Bang, is also up for a couple of awards: for Jaime MacLean as Outstanding Newcomer, and for a special award for the flying car used in the show.
Other Burnaby residents are also represented among the nominees.
Sherry Freeman is up for Outstanding Lead Performance (female) for her turn as Bonnie in Play on Words’ Bonnie and Clyde.
Kurtis D’Aoust is up for Outstanding Supporting Performance (male) for his work as Angel in URP’s Rent.
Oliver Castillo is up for a special award for his work in the male quartet in The Music Man at Gateway Theatre.
Another Burnaby resident, Britt MacLeod, is being lauded for her work on the writing side: her musical, Carry On (she wrote the music and lyrics) is up for Outstanding New Work, as presented by Awkward Stage Productions.
Whew. That was quite a list. If you know of any other Burnaby connections among the nominations, be sure to let me know – it’s a lengthy list, and I’d hate to miss anyone.
Kudos to all the nominees, and good luck on awards night!
PHOTO SHOWCASE
Photography buffs, mark your calendars now.
The Burnaby Photographic Society is returning to the Shadbolt Centre for the Arts for its 21st annual showcase of photography. The group offers up a night of high-quality slide shows, set to music – covering all manner of photography including travel, wildlife, fine art and more.
It’s set for Saturday, Feb. 4 at 7 p.m. in the Shadbolt’s James Cowan Theatre.
Tickets to the showcase are $18 and can be bought by emailing burnabyshowcase@gmail.com, calling 604-318-9369 or visiting www.burnabyphotographicsociety.com.
In the week leading up to the showcase, starting Sunday, Jan. 29, you can also check out a free exhibition of prints by the group, displayed in the lobby at Shadbolt Centre.
The Shadbolt is at 6450 Deer Lake Ave., Burnaby.
ART SONG FUNDRAISER
Love music? Burnaby tenor Kevin Lee is staging a fundraiser for his non-profit Newcomers’ Choir on Sunday, Jan. 29 at Shadbolt Centre for the Arts.
Joined by pianist Matthew Li, he will explore the world of art song with works by German, French, English and Italian composers in Agape to Eros: A Classical Concert.
The concert is set to run from 2 to 3 p.m. in Room 103, with admission by donation.
Call 778-968-2924 for information, or see www.miusc.ca.
Do you have an item for Lively City? Send arts and entertainment ideas to Julie, jmaclellan@burnabynow.com, or find her on Twitter @juliemaclellan.
