Betty Award

(Redirected from Betty Mitchell Award)

Betty Mitchell Awards were created in 1998 to celebrate and honour outstanding achievement in Calgary's professional theatre community. It is commonly called the Betty Award and is named for Calgary theatre pioneer Dr. Betty Mitchell.[1][2][3]

Betty Award
Current: 22nd Betty Awards
Awarded forOutstanding achievement in Calgary's professional theatre community
Country Canada
First awarded1998; 26 years ago (1998)
Websitebettymitchellawards.com

Awards

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The awards ceremony for the 2018–19 season was held on June 24 at the Vertigo Theatre in Calgary.[4]

In 2019, Pakistani-Canadian actor Ahad Raza Mir, the first Pakistani actor to play Hamlet in Canada,[5] won the Betty for Outstanding Performance by an Actor in a Drama for his performance of the title role[6] In that same year Tiffany Ayalik became the first Inuit recipient of a Betty Award.[7]

Categories

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Awards are given in the following categories:

  • Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble
  • Outstanding Performance by an Actress in a Supporting Role
  • Outstanding Lighting Design
  • Outstanding Set Design
  • Outstanding Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role
•Outstanding Projection or Video Design
2019[8]
Nicolas DotsieBOOM X
Bretta GereckeThe Invisible Agents of Ungentlemanly Warfare
Amelia ScottA Love Letter to Emily C
Andy MoroHonour Beat
Elaine J. McCarthyEverest
2018[9]
Jamie NesbittNine Dragons
Remy SiuEmpire of the Son
T. Erin GruberEaster Island
Corwin FergusonJulius Caesar
Amelia ScottTo the Light
2017[10]
Corwin FergusonRichard III
David LeclercBOOM
Jamie NesbittThe Big Sleep
Amelia Scott with illustrations by Tyler JenkinsCrime Does Not Pay
JP ThibodeauLest We Forget
2016[11]
Jamie NesbittCalamity Town
Sean NieuwenhuisThe Little Prince
Scott ReidDie Tote Stadt
JP ThibodeauThe Boy’s Own Jedi Handbook
Amelia Scott and Joel AdriaCockroach
2015[12]
Andrzej GouldingSilent Night
Jamie NesbittLiberation Days
Jamie NesbittFarewell, My Lovely
Kalyna ConradLegoland
Wladimiro A. Woyno R., Matthew Waddell and Laura AnzolaThe Last Voyage of Donald Crowhurst
2014[13]
Kaely Dekkern00b
Corwin FergusonYou Will Remember Me
T. Erin GruberA Bomb in the Heart
Jamie NesbittThe Hound of the Baskervilles
Sean NieuwenhuisThe Mountaintop
  • Outstanding Costume Design
  • Outstanding Sound Design or Composition
  • Outstanding Choreography or Fight Direction
  • Outstanding Musical Direction
  • Outstanding Performance by an Actress in a Comedy or Musical
  • Outstanding Performance by an Actor in a Comedy or Musical
  • Outstanding New Play
  • Outstanding Direction
  • Outstanding Performance by an Actress in a Drama
  • Outstanding Performance by an Actor in a Drama
  • Outstanding Production of a Musical
  • Outstanding Production of a Play

Ceremony

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Betty Mitchell Award Ceremonies
CeremonyVenueDateHost(s)
1stStage WestAugust 24, 1998Lindsay Burns[14]
2ndStage WestAugust 30, 1999[15]
3rdStage WestAugust 28, 2000
4thStage WestAugust 28, 2001Dave Kelly
Elizabeth Stepkowski[16]
5thStage WestAugust 26, 2002Dave Kelly
Karen Johnson-Diamond[17]
6thStage WestAugust 25, 2003Mark Bellamy
Kevin Rothery[18]
7thStage WestAugust 30, 2004
8thStage WestAugust 29, 2005Bob White
Laura Parken[19]
9thStage WestAugust 28, 2006Grant Linneberg[20]
10thStage West2007
11thStage WestAugust 25, 2008Dave Kelly[21][22]
12thMax Bell Theatre, EPCOR CENTRE for the Performing ArtsAugust 24, 2009
13thMax Bell Theatre, EPCOR CENTRE for the Performing ArtsAugust 30, 2010AJ Demers
Julie Orton
14thStage WestAugust 20, 2011Karen Johnson-Diamond
Kevin Rothery
15thStage WestAugust 27, 2012Russell Bowers
16thStage WestAugust 26, 2013Nicole Zylstra
Stafford Perry
17thStage WestAugust 18, 2014Stephen Hair[23]
18thVertigo TheatreAugust 24, 2015Julie Orton
19thVertigo Theatre2016Josh Bertwistle, Carly McKee
Chris Enright, Nicole Zylstra
20thVertigo Theatre2017Mark Bellamy
Selena Wong
21stVertigo TheatreJune 25, 2018Katherine Fadum
Michael Tan[24]
22ndVertigo TheatreJune 24, 2019Raven Virginia

Statue update

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The original Betty Mitchell Award statue, designed by local Calgary sculptor, Petronella Overes, was inspired by the geography surrounding Calgary. It was a steel base containing a glass monolith with motifs of mountains and prairies. For the 10th anniversary of the awards in 2007 she redesigned it replacing the steel base with powder coated aluminum and increased the contrast in the tone and texture of the awards metal and glass.[25]

The Award received its most recent design update in 2014 when the Overes design was replaced with a multi-colour teardrop-shaped glass sculpture created by a local glass blowing collective, Bee Kingdom Glass. Each one is unique, as they are hand-blown.

See also

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References

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  1. ^ Northof, Anne (February 18, 2018), Betty Mitchell, The Canadian Theatre Encyclopedia, Athabasca University Press, retrieved June 16, 2019
  2. ^ Morrow, Martin (18 June 1998), "City theatre launches Betty Mitchell Awards", Calgary Herald, pp. E2, retrieved 15 June 2019
  3. ^ Brooks, Bill (4 September 2014), "Betty Mitchell Awards honor the best of city's theatre world", Calgary Herald, retrieved 15 June 2019
  4. ^ Louis B. Hobson, Schemers and spies top the Betty Mitchell Award nominations, Calgary Herald, June 5, 2019
  5. ^ News Desk, Ahad Raza Mir becomes first Pakistani to star as Hamlet in Canada, Daily Times (Pakistan), March 31, 2019
  6. ^ Ahad Raza Mir Wins the Betty Mitchell Award for Hamlet!, Hip In Pakistan
  7. ^ "Inuit actress wins 'Outstanding Performance' prize". Windspeaker. June 27, 2019.
  8. ^ Louis B. Hobson, Schemers and spies top the Betty Mitchell Award nominations, Calgary Herald, June 5, 2019
  9. ^ Louis B. Hobson, Puppets and sisters big winners at Betty Mitchell Awards, Calgary Herald, June 26, 2018
  10. ^ Louis B. Hobson, Betty Mitchell Theatre Awards go Crazy for Theatre Calgary, Calgary Herald, August 22, 2017
  11. ^ Louis B. Hobson, Best of Calgary theatre honoured at Betty Mitchell Awards, Calgary Herald, August 23, 2016
  12. ^ Bill Brooks, Betty honors Calgary's shining stars, [Calgary Herald], September 12, 2015
  13. ^ Bill Brooks, Betty Mitchell Awards honor the best of city's theatre world, Calgary Herald, September 5, 2014
  14. ^ Boettcher, Shelley (August 30, 1998). "Bright Lights". Calgary Herald. Retrieved August 25, 2019.
  15. ^ Morrow, Martin. "Sage Theatre dominates Betties". Calgary Herald.
  16. ^ Muretich, James (July 3, 1999). "Comedy, drama at Betties". Calgary Herald. Retrieved August 25, 2019.
  17. ^ Clark, Bob (August 27, 2002). "Calgary's theatre community bestows Bettys". Calgary Herald. Retrieved August 25, 2019.
  18. ^ Clark, Bob (August 26, 2003). "Filumena, ATP stage major wins". Calgary Herald. Retrieved August 25, 2019.
  19. ^ Clark, Bob (August 30, 2005). "Pinocchio, Black Rider lead way at sold-out Bettys". Calgary Herald. p. D2. Retrieved August 25, 2019.
  20. ^ Clark, Bob (September 3, 2006). "Betty shines on Calgary stars". Calgary Herald. p. C6. Retrieved August 25, 2019.
  21. ^ Clark, Bob (August 26, 2008). "Ties the tale at 2008 Betty Mitchell Awards". Calgary Herald. Retrieved August 25, 2019.
  22. ^ "The Drowning Girls surfaces with 4 Calgary theatre awards". CBC Arts, Aug 26, 2008
  23. ^ Brooks, Bill (September 5, 2014). "Betty Mitchell Awards honour the best of city's theatre world". Calgary Herald. Retrieved August 25, 2019.
  24. ^ Theatre Alberta Staff (June 20, 2018). "Interview with Braden Griffiths: 21st Annual Betty Mitchell Awards". Theatre Alberta. Retrieved August 25, 2019.
  25. ^ Clark, B (27 August 2014), "Award gets an update", Calgary Herald, pp. C2, retrieved 15 June 2019
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