Why do the Brickendens exist?

To celebrate and acknowledge excellence in independent theatre in London, in recognition of the continued burgeoning of new and non-mainstream theatre groups in London since the mid-90s.

The Birth of the Brickendens

In 2002, Christopher Doty, resident critic for the Theatre in London website, proposed filling an information gap by compiling a listing of the best shows of the year, thus recapping the year in London, Ontario live theatre. Jeff Culbert, founder of the Theatre in London website turned Doty’s idea into a competition where nominees would be posted on the website, followed by an announcement of the winners on New Year’s Day.

In December 2002, then-webmaster Sean Wilson created an on-line voting system for members of the public. Two sets of winners, critic’s choice and people’s choice, were created. These awards, in name only, were called The Brickendens, in honour of the late local actress, director and playwright, Catharine Brickenden.

What is the structure of the Brickenden Committee?

The Brickenden Committee has three levels of involvement, the Chairperson (Ashleigh Barney) and administration, the Adjudication Panel, and the Academy.

What is the make-up of the current Brickenden Committee?

They are committed individuals with a love of and varied experience in live theatre. For example, theatre columnists; those with experience in arts administration; those who have been involved in live theatre, but currently are not actively involved; members of the media with an interest in the arts; or avid theatregoers plain and simple.

Adjudication Panel Members

The “core” Adjudication Panel members are responsible for viewing a minimum of 60% of all registered productions. This means that a minimum of 5 core panel members will have seen every registered production presented in London; in the case of touring productions and youth productions, a minimum of 3 panel members.

Core Panel

• Laurie Bursch
• Richard Gilmore
• Jane Hanbuch
• Peter Janes
• Richard Martin
• Rosemary Moreau
• Sue Parkinson

Youth Panel

• Robyn Israel
• Mark Killeen
• Diana Rodwell-Allen
• Matthew Wilson

What does the Brickenden Committee do?

The Brickenden Committee presents annual awards recognising outstanding work in all aspects of live independent theatre staged in London during the previous year. Awards are presented in the following categories:

Production

outstanding independent theatrical production of the year

Director

outstanding director of the year

Actor

outstanding actor of the year

Actress

outstanding actress of the year

Supporting Actor

outstanding supporting actor of the year

Supporting Actress

outstanding supporting actress of the year

Lighting

outstanding lighting design of the year

Set

outstanding set design of the year (including props)

Sound

outstanding sound design of the year

Costumes

outstanding costume design of the year

Ballyhoo

outstanding promotion of the year (all forms of promotion are recognized)

Bravest Production

awarded to a local production that exemplifies courage on the part of its production company and that challenges and/or provokes its audience

Original Script

outstanding original script by a local playwright

Youth Production

outstanding production produced by a cast and crew under the age of 17

Musical Production

outstanding musical production of the year

Comedy

outstanding comedy production of the year — includes any form of comedy based on a script (i.e. does not include stand-up comedy, ventriloquism or novelty acts unless they have been encompassed within a play)

Touring Production

outstanding independent touring production (not local) performing in London during the year

Adjudication Panel members attend up to one hundred productions a year. For 2009, nominations in all categories will be made by the Academy in December. When the nomination process is complete, the public will have the opportunity to register their vote online. Finally, utilizing the results of the Academy`s nominations, the adjudication panel members will meet to select the award recipients in all categories. The awards are presented at an awards ceremony in January. (The 2009 awards ceremony is scheduled for January 25, 2010).

One award is selected solely by the Adjudication Panel members. The Chris Doty Award is given to an individual or organization to honour their lifelong contributions to theatre in London.

Criteria for an eligible production

Any production mounted during the calendar year (January 1st to December 15th) within the city limits of London by a predominantly local cast and crew*. The only exception is the Touring Production category, which is reserved for shows originating outside the community.