2023 META Awards jam the GESU

Montreal English Theatre Awards announces its winners

By Byron Toben

November 16, 2023

The annual Montreal English Theatre Awards (META) took place on November 12 at the GESU hall to an enthusiastic crowd. META, a peer-evaluated project, replaced the former MECCA, which was limited to theatre critics, in 2012.

Hosts Keith Fernandez and Debbie Friedmann

This 11th-year META event was energetically hosted by Debbie Friedman and Keith Fernandez.

The unheralded Redbone Coonhound garnered the most cylindrical Meta trophies. A detailed list of the winners and nominees can be viewed on the META website, while my quickie summary of the winners appears below.

The six categories won by Redbone Coonhound, a co-production of Toronto’s Tarragon Theatre and Montreal’s IMAGO Theatre, were:

Outstanding Supporting Actor – PACT – Lucinda Davis
Outstanding Costume Design – Naio Soyini Bruce
Outstanding Direction – Micheline Chevrier and Assistant Kwaku Okyere
Outstanding New Text – Amy Lee Lavoie and Omar Newton
Outstanding PACT Production
Outstanding Emerging Artist (Production -Set Design) – Jawon Kang

Teesri Duniya Theatre accepting Outstanding Independent Production Award for Meet Me – Live Action Theatre Project

The other category winners were:

Outstanding Lead Performance (PACT) – Patrick Emanuel Abellard in King Dave

Outstanding Supporting Performance – Jennifer Roberts in What Rough Beast

Outstanding Emerging Performer – Simon Pelletier in Tribes

Outstanding Ensemble – David Chiazee, Julie Tamiko Manning and Kathleen Stavert in Wildfire

Outstanding Set Design – Liv Wright for Foxfinder

Outstanding Sound Design – Rob Denton for Tribes

Outstanding Lighting Design – Tim Rodrigues for English

Outstanding Independent Production – Meet Me – Live Action Theatre Project presented by Teesri Duniya Theatre

A Special Award for Unsung Hero of the Theatre went to Ken Streule for his work with both the MainLine Theatre and the St-Ambroise Montreal Fringe Festival.

Feature image: Redbone Coonhound accepting Outstanding PACT Production Award
Images: Andrée Lanthier

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Byron Toben, a past president of The Montreal Press Club, has been WestmountMag.ca’s theatre reviewer since July 2015. Previously, he wrote for since terminated websites Rover Arts and Charlebois Post, print weekly The Downtowner, and print monthly The Senior Times. He also is an expert consultant on U.S. work permits for Canadians.