Announcing the METAs Recipients for the 2021-22 season

OUTSTANDING SERVICE TO THE COMMUNITY DURING A PANDEMIC

Quebec Drama Federation
Photo by Andrée Lanthier

Announcing the METAs Recipients for the 2021-22 season

Montreal, November 8th, 2022 - The Montreal English Theatre Awards Committee is proud to announce the recipients of the 2021-22 METAs, Montreal English theatre’s largest and most important peer-juried awards. The Annual METAs Ceremony, presented in partnership with the Conseil des arts de Montréal, was held this Sunday evening, November 6th at the Gesù.

This season continued to be unprecedented due to COVID-19 and the slow reopening of theatre venues and capacity limitations. Despite this, 27 productions were registered for the METAs during the 2021-2022 season. The METAs Jury has selected a robust 67 nominations, and has awarded 16 trophies at the Ceremony.

The Ceremony was directed by Debbie Friedmann, written by Holly Gauthier Frankel and Paul Van Dyck, hosted by Darragh Mondoux and Dakota Jamal Wellman with sound design by HeatherEllen Strain and lighting design by Chris Wardell.

This year, the METAs Committee awarded the Quebec Drama Federation with a special recognition for their sizable contribution towards the community throughout the pandemic. This special award was aptly named Outstanding Service to the Community During a Pandemic. Throughout the pandemic, the Montreal English theatre community relied on them for weekly updates and information-blasts about the newest health and safety restrictions, new grant opportunities, or virtual community hang-outs. This organization helped to keep us hopeful that we would one day be back onstage. 

And the META goes to…

(Recipients highlighted in Red Font)

OUTSTANDING ENSEMBLE

• Feather Gardens - Jimmy Blais, Bruce Dinsmore, Cary Lawrence, Jeremy Proulx

• Jonathan: A Seagull Parable - Prince Amponsah, Yousef Kadoura, Julie Tamiko Manning, Luca “Lazylegz” Patuelli, Marilyn Perrault, Lesly Velazquez

• Legacy - Alarey Alsip, Marc Camacho, Toni Ellwand, Lisa Palmieri, Adam Recine, Vittorio Rossi, Sara Scarfo, Paul Van Dyck

• The Paper Bag Princess - Kaeleb Gartner, Maria Jimenez, Hilary Wheeler

OUTSTANDING SUPPORTING PERFORMANCE - Independent Production

• Jake Cohen - Next to Normal

• Noelle Hannibal - Carrie: The Musical

• Maya Lewis - Carrie: The Musical

OUTSTANDING SUPPORTING PERFORMANCE  - PACT Production

• Dominique LeBlanc - April Fools

• Jamie McRoberts - April Fools

• Richard Jutras - From the Stars in the Sky to the Fish in the Sea

OUTSTANDING LEAD PERFORMANCE - Independent Production

• Anana Rydvald - The Sighlence of Sky

• Mary-Francis Kobelt - Carrie: The Musical

• Mohsen El Gharbi - Omi Mouna

OUTSTANDING LEAD PERFORMANCE - PACT Production

• Daniel Brochu - Every Brilliant Thing

• Jenny Brizard - Pipeline

• Leni Parker - The Blonde, The Brunette, & The Vengeful Redhead

• Oliver Koomsatira - Psycho 6

OUTSTANDING EMERGING ARTIST - Performance

• Grégory Yves - Pipeline

• Jake Cohen - Next to Normal

• Maria Jimenez - The Paper Bag Princess

• Mary-Francis Kobelt - Carrie: The Musical

• Maya Lewis - Carrie: The Musical

OUTSTANDING SET DESIGN

• James Lavoie - All I Want for Christmas

• Julie Fox - A Play for the Living in a Time of Extinction

• Sabrina Miller - From the Stars in the Sky to the Fish in the Sea

• Tiffanie Boffa & Cédric Delorme-Bouchard - Heartbeat Reverie

OUTSTANDING COSTUME DESIGN

• James Lavoie - All I Want for Christmas

• Sabrina Miller - From the Stars in the Sky to the Fish in the Sea

• Sophie El Assaad - Heartbeat Reverie

• Sophie El Assaad - Jonathan: A Seagull Parable

• Sophie El Assaad - The Future is Another Country

OUTSTANDING LIGHTING DESIGN

• Lucie Bazzo - Okinum

• Paul Chambers - A Play for the Living in a Time of Extinction

• Tiffanie Boffa & Cédric Delorme-Bouchard - Heartbeat Reverie

• Tim Rodrigues - From the Stars in the Sky to the Fish in the Sea

OUTSTANDING SOUND DESIGN/COMPOSITION

• Evan Stepanian (Sound Design) & Violette Kay (Composition) - From the Stars in the Sky to the Fish in the Sea

• Jackie Gallant - Okinum

• Joseph Browne - Heartbeat Reverie

• Joseph Browne & Rob Denton - Camille: The Story

OUTSTANDING CONTRIBUTION TO THEATRE

• Aurora Torok (Technical Direction) - Heartbeat Reverie

• Oliver Koomsatira & Liz Valdez (Choreography) - Psycho 6

• Émilie Monnet (Translation) - Okinum

• Emlyn vanBruinswaardt (Stage Management) - Heartbeat Reverie

• Luca “Lazylegz” Patuelli (Choreography) - Jonathan: A Seagull Parable

OUTSTANDING EMERGING ARTIST - Production

• Christine Lee (Sound Design) - Psycho 6

• Contact Theatre (Producing Company) - Next to Normal

• Debbie Friedmann (Directing) - Next to Normal

• Hailey Verbonac (Lighting and Video Design) - Feather Gardens

• Violette Kay (Composer) - From the Stars in the Sky to the Fish in the Sea

OUTSTANDING DIRECTION

• Audrey-Anne Bouchard - Camille: The Story

• Dean Patrick Fleming - Every Brilliant Thing

• Émilie Monnet, Emma Tibaldo & Sarah Williams - Okinum

• Jeremy Michael Segal & Véa - Heartbeat Reverie

• Zach Fraser - The Sighlence of Sky

OUTSTANDING NEW TEXT

• Anana Rydvald - The Sighlence of Sky

• Jimmy Blais - Feather Gardens

• Gabe Maharjan - From the Stars in the Sky to the Fish in the Sea

• Oliver Koomsatira - Psycho 6

• Vittorio Rossi - Legacy

OUTSTANDING INDEPENDENT PRODUCTION

• Camille: The Story - Audrey-Anne Bouchard

• Legacy - Magjusjen Entertainment

• The Sighlence of Sky - Level 4 Theatre

OUTSTANDING PACT PRODUCTION

• Every Brilliant Thing - Hudson Village Theatre & The Segal Centre for Performing Arts

• Feather Gardens - Hudson Village Theatre

• From the Stars in the Sky to the Fish in the Sea - Geordie Theatre

• Heartbeat Reverie - Youtheatre

• Okinum - Imago Theatre & Onishka