The Toronto Theatre Critics’ Awards (TTCAs) have returned to recognize the city’s talented theatre scene after a four-year gap. That makes the 2024 edition, which honours excellence in productions that took place during the 2023/24 season, the 11th TTCAs.
The TTCAs were founded in 2011 by a jury of professional theatre critics who write for outlets that include Ludwig-Van Toronto and other arts related media. Professional theatre productions that opened in Toronto between May 15, 2023 and May 14, 2024 were eligible.
The jury consisted of: Joshua Chong, Paula Citron, Liam Donovan, Karen Fricker, Arpita Ghosal, James Karas, Ilana Lucas, Martin Morrow, Aisling Murphy, J. Kelly Nestruck, Drew Rowsome, Scott Sneddon and Glenn Sumi, along with Robert Cushman (non-voting member) and Stephanie Fung (non-voting member).
The Winners…
A total of 19 winners in 14 categories have been announced, including a special citation for artistic achievement. Crow’s Theatre and Soulpepper Theatre Company emerged as the top winners with seven awards each.
In the Musical Division
- Crow’s Theatre and Musical Stage Company co-production of Natasha, Pierre and the Great Comet of 1812: Best Production of a Musical, and George Krissa and Heeyun Park박희윤 were jointly awarded the prize for Best Supporting Performance in a Musical.
- Soulpepper’s production of De Profundis: Oscar Wilde in Jail: Damien Atkins won the award for Best Lead Performance in a Musical, and Gregory Prest, who directed as well as adapting the material from Wilde’s original love letter of the same name won Best Director of a Musical.
- Kelly v. Kelly, Britta Johnson and Sara Farb’s new musical inspired by true events, produced by the Musical Stage Company in association with Canadian Stage won Best Ensemble in a Musical.
The Play Division
- Nick Green’s drama Casey and Diana, which ran at Soulpepper after premiering at the Stratford Festival, won the award for Best New Canadian Play, and actor Sean Arbuckle received the prize for Best Leading Performance in a Play.
- Michael Healey’s satire The Master Plan, produced by Crow’s Theatre, also won Best New Canadian Play, and the cast won Best Ensemble in a Play
- Amaka Umeh also won Best Leading Performance in a Play for their performance playing two characters in Soulpepper’s Sizwe Banzi is Dead.
- Two actors were awarded the prize for Best Supporting Performance in a Play: Jadyn Nasato, for her performance in the Studio 180 Theatre production of Four Minutes, Twelve Seconds, and Oyin Oladejo for her turn in Three Sisters, co-produced by Soulpepper and Obsidian Theatre Company.
Crow’s Theatre’s production Bad Roads won Best International Play, and Andrew Kushnir won Best Director of a Play. The work by Ukrainian playwright Natal’ya Vorozhbit is based on real-life testimonies from witnesses to Russia’s invasion of the Donbas in 2014. - Leora Morris also wins Best Director of a Play for their work on Coal Mine Theatre’s production of The Sound Inside by Adam Rapp.
- Canadian Stage’s production of the two-part drama The Inheritance won Best Production of a Play.
- Best Design, Play or Musical went to Nick Blais (lighting), Heidi Chan (sound), Anahita Dehbonehie (set) and Niloufar Ziaee (costumes) for their collective work on A Public Reading of an Unproduced Screenplay About the Death of Walt Disney, co-produced by Outside the March and Soulpepper Theatre Company.
- Theatre legend Daniel MacIvor received a special citation for his work over the past season, which included a memorable performance in The Inheritance, and the revivals of his plays Monster and Here Lies Henry, both produced by Factory Theatre.
Congratulations to all the winners.
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