Theatre scene's Rumpus Awards sold out with 86 nominees celebrating unsung heroes
A cheeky DIY awards night for Vancouver's theatre community returned recognition to stage managers, dramaturgs, and volunteers.
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Vancouver's theatre community threw itself a sold-out party on June 1 at Progress Lab with the inaugural Rumpus Awards — a deliberately absurd celebration designed to shine light on the people behind the scenes who rarely make the marquee.
Organizers Jasmine Chen and Angelica Schwartz, who work together at Neworld Theatre, drew inspiration from Toronto's Harold Awards and the satirical Las Culturistas Culture Awards. What they built was something for their own city: an awards night where everyone could feel seen.
The event handed out such honours as the Most Perimenopausal Jokes in a Single Season Award (Tara Cheyenne Friedenberg) and Best in Show: Best Performance by a Dog in a Show (Neko the Cockapoo in Gateway Theatre's production of Annie). But the real win was the breadth of recognition. Out of 86 total nominees submitted through a public callout, awards went to stage managers, dramaturgs, volunteers, and performers alike.
Hosted by Steffanie Davis with musical collaboration from Mishelle Cuttler, the night featured performances from the Royal Rumpus Choir. Major awards included the Marcus Youssef Shit Disturber Award (Aryo Khakpour) and the Backstage Ninja Award for Outstanding Technicianship (Nico Dicecco and Sarah McCready).
Chen and Schwartz said they were blown away by the response. The event was mainly funded through ticket and bar sales. Organizers hope it becomes annual — a night that proves theatre is a collective art.
The Rumpus Awards proved that recognition doesn't need to be serious to be meaningful.