The Montreal English Theatre Awards Committee is proud to announce the recipients of the 2018-19 METAs, Montreal English theatre’s largest and most important peer-juried awards. The 7th Annual METAs Ceremony was held on this Sunday evening of November 3rd in one of the city’s most beautiful and historic theatres, the Ludger-Duvernay, for the 2nd year in a row.

Over the course of the 2018-19 theatre season, a jury of over 20 theatre professionals from varied backgrounds and disciplines assessed 31 professional theatre productions across 17 categories, including the newly added category for Outstanding Choreography and / or Movement Direction. An additional 10 community theatre productions were evaluated by a separate community theatre jury for the Community Theatre Award, for a total of 41 productions overall.

The Ceremony was directed by Cristina Cugliandro, written by Willow Cioppa, and hosted by Patrick Émmanuel Abellard (this year’s Outstanding Supporting Performance – Actor recipient) and Kate Hammer. The creative team included production designer Diana Uribe (this year’s Outstanding Costume Design recipient), sound designer Rob Denton (2-time Outstanding Sound Design nominee), lighting designer Andrew Scriver and production stage manager / technical director Danna-Rae Evasiuk.

This year, the METAs Committee awarded the Unsung Hero of the Theatre Award (UHOT) to Lesley Bramhill. Lesley is a staunch advocate for Montreal’s English Theatre on a provincial and national level. Her dedication inspires those of her peers who know of her contribution to keep connecting with others, keep celebrating our strengths and keep finding new ways to encourage investment in our activities; thereby bringing new energy, support and resources into our community.

The second honorary award, the Equity, Diversity and Inclusion Award (EDI), was awarded to Playwrights’ Workshop Montreal. PWM has established many programs that address specific areas of inclusion: youth (Young Creators Unit), LGBTQ (the Queer Reading Series, and support of the Rose Festival), feminist writing (EsterELLE Retreat), and neurodiverse artists (New Stories Project). Over its 50+ year history, PWM has evolved from an hoc group with homogeneous representation to a national organization that actively seeks to shift the makeup of the Canadian playwriting canon by reflecting the wide range of cultural identities that make up our artistic communities.

The METAs jury determined recipients by way of secret ballot. The ballot was tabulated by an independent auditor, Amelia Facciola of Ponzo, Facciola, Quaglieri CA CPA.

And the META goes to…

Photo Gallery of the Reception & Ceremony

METAs Photobooth

Tickets to The 7th Annual METAs Ceremony are now on sale via http://metas2019.brownpapertickets.com

See you November 3rd!

At a community and media event held at the Monument-National’s Café on Thursday, September 26th, the Montreal English Theatre Awards Committee announced the nominees for this year’s Awards Ceremony.

The Montreal English Theatre Awards (METAs) recognize and celebrate outstanding artistic work in Montreal’s English Theatre. Established in 2012, the peer-juried awards exist to promote professional and emerging English theatre artists and companies, to heighten their visibility both regionally and beyond, and to elevate the level of critical discourse about theatre in Montreal amongst artists and with the community at large.

This past season, the METAs Jury has selected a total of 95 nominations, and will be awarding 20 trophies at the Ceremony: 17 peer-juried awards (including a new Outstanding Choreography and / or Movement Direction Award); 1 community award (determined by our independent Community Jury); and 2 honorary awards.

The 7th annual Ceremony is presented in partnership with the Conseil des Arts de Montréal and will take place on Sunday, November 3rd at the Monument-National’s Salle Ludger-Duvernay.

The METAs Committee thanks the Monument-National and the National Theatre School of Canada who return as our venue sponsor for the second year in a row. The Ceremony will be directed by Cristina Cugliandro, written by Willow Cioppa, and hosted by Patrick Émmanuel Abellard and Kate Hammer.

Tickets are NOW ON SALE via https://metas2019.brownpapertickets.com/

And the Nominees are…

Mike Payette

2014-15 Recipient – Outstanding Direction, Hosanna (Tableau D’Hôte Theatre)
2016-17 Nominee – Outstanding Direction, Angélique (Black Theatre Workshop & Tableau D’Hôte Theatre)
2017-18 Recipient – Outstanding Direction, Around the World in 80 Days (Geordie Theatre)

Gita Miller

Recipient – 2017-18 Outstanding Supporting Performance and
Nominee – 2017-18 Outstanding Emerging Artist, Successions (Centaur Theatre Company)

Q: Where were you when you first found out you were nominated for a META?
A: I was at the META nominations announcement ceremony!

Q: Where do you keep your META?
A: Haha I keep my META on top of my dresser in my bedroom. I live in a small space so it shares a throne with all my many hair products 🙂

Don’t miss The METAs Nominees Announcement on Sept. 26 at the Monument-National!

Kalale Dalton-Lutale

2017-2018 Nominee – Outstanding New Text and Outstanding Emerging Artist, Pinky Swear (Geordie Theatre)

Q: What drove you to become an artist in your chosen discipline?
A: I was driven to become a playwright because I love to write and I love to perform and it seemed like the natural union of the two.

Q: Where were you when you first found out you were nominated for a META?
A: I was at home and Dakota Jamal Wellman texted me!

Q: When you first found out you were nominated for a META what was your reaction?
A: I think I screamed. I’d been practicing my Oscar speech since I was like 7. I’ve always wanted to go to an award show.

The METAs Nominees Announcement is just around the corner. See you Sept. 26!

Pictured (left to right): Kalale Dalton-Lutale and Dakota Jamal Wellman. Photo by Talia Dezsö Photography

Eo Sharp – 7-time METAs Nominee

2017-18 Recipient – Outstanding Set Design, The Mountaintop (Black Theatre Workshop and Neptune Theatre)
2012-13 Recipient – Outstanding Set Design, Red (The Segal Centre for Performing Arts)

Q: What is something no one knows about you?
A: My childhood dream was to be a con artist.

Q: What drove you to become an artist in your chosen discipline?
A: My parents are artists and I was brought up in an environment where it was assumed I would become a visual artist. I feel as if I am still equivocating, trying to decide what I want to do and it also feels as if theatre design was where I was heading since the age of about twelve.

Q: Why does being a recipient of a META matter?
A: I think it is important to me because it means both recognition and respect from my community. It certainly opens doors for other work which is great. I also think it’s important for the theatre community to reflect critically upon our work.

Find out who the 2018-19 Nominees are on September 26 at The METAs Nominees Announcement!

Photo by Talia Dezsö Photography

Davide Chiazzese:  2014-15 Recipient – Outstanding Supporting Performance, Hosanna (Tableau D’Hôte Theatre)

Q: When you first found out you were nominated for a META what was your reaction? 

A: The first time I found out I was nominated for a META was such a wonderful validating feeling. It felt like the work I was doing was being seen and it was even more special because I was being recognized by my peers.

Q: What is something no one knows about you?

A: I think I’m someone who wears my heart on my sleeve, so I don’t keep much private but one thing people might not know about me is that one of my big dreams is to be in a HIP HOP / RAP musical! 

Find out who the 2018-19 METAs Nominees are on September 26! Follow the event link for more info: http://bit.ly/2meBRL0

Celebrate Outstanding!

Join us as we announce the Nominees for the 2018-2019 theatre season, as well as the date and hosts of the 6th Annual Montreal English Theatre Awards Ceremony.

Thursday, September 26th, 2019 at the Monument-National Le Café, starting at 5 PM!

FREE and open to everyone in the theatre community!