The Victoria Theatre Collective presents the first ever Spotlight Awards on Friday, July 24. Come celebrate the work and passion of our community with all who make theatre in Greater Victoria, no matter how big or small the stage.
Hosted by Comedian Steve Eastman, with performances by Cam Culham, ira cooper & Keith Sonic of SpecTheatre, and the “A Stud and a Babe” by Danielle Greschner and Spencer Irwin from I love you, you’re perfect, now change. Light snacks provided and camaraderie encouraged!
The dress code is theatrical creative: take your cue from a stage, any stage. Maybe it’s a character you once played, a production you’ll never forget, or even your stage blacks. Let it guide what you wear. We just want to see what theatre means to you, dressed.
📍 The Other Guise Theatre, 716 Johnson
📅 Friday, July 24, 2026
🕒 7.00-9:00 PM
2025/26 VTC Spotlight Award Finalists
- The Comeuppance, Theatre Inconnu
- Genki Bear, Kizuna Theatre
- Acting Can Be Murder, St. Luke’s Players
- The Gondoliers, Victoria Gilbert and Sullivan Society
- Shakespeare in Love, Langham Court Theatre
- Peter Gatt, Acting Can Be Murder
- Misty Yumiko Cozac, The Comeuppance
- Misty Yumiko Cozac & Kevin Eastman, Genki Bear
- Heather-Elayne Day, Shakespeare in Love
- James Johnson, A Number
- Kathy Macovichuk, Acting Can Be Murder
- Sheldon Parathundyil, The Comeuppance
- Jerry Callaghan, Perseverance
- Ensemble, Shakespeare in Love
VTC Spotlight: Individual Design
- David Fenger, Lighting Design, Acting Can Be Murder
- Jason King, Projection Design, Casting for Murder
- Tim Gosley, Shadow Puppet Design, Genki Bear
- Helena Hitchcock, Set Design, Jack and the Beanstalk
- Catriona “Cat” Black
- Kurt Archer
- Misty Cozac
- Zelda Dean
First Annual Spotlight Awards
The Victoria Theatre Collective is pleased to announce the establishment of a new community theatre awards program for the 2025/26 theatre season.
Introducing the Victoria Theatre Collective Spotlight Awards!
The VTC Spotlights will shine a light on the tremendous work being done by community theatre organizations, artist collectives, and semi-professional theatre companies in Greater Victoria. For the inaugural awards program celebrating the 2025/26 season, we will recognize artists across six categories: Community Production, Semi-Professional Production, Direction, Individual Design, Individual Performance (Actor/Ensemble), and Community Spirit. Winners will be announced at a community gathering on July 24th, 2026.
Eligibility
- Your group or organization must become a member of the Victoria Theatre Collective to qualify for the VTC Spotlights.
- Productions must occur within the boundaries of the CRD.
- Productions must have at least three performances to a run, one-off shows are NOT eligible.
- Productions presented as part of a local festival with an awards component are NOT eligible (ie. Fringe, Victoria One Act Play Festival, SKAMpede).
Nomination Process
Productions must be submitted by each member’s designated representative AT LEAST one month before opening night through the VTC Spotlight Award Nominations Google Form.
You must provide one complimentary ticket to each of the three jury members, usable for any performance during your run.
Jury Process
- The awards for Community Production, Semi-Professional Production, Direction, Individual Design, and Individual Performance (Actor/Ensemble) will be selected by a three person jury made up individuals connected to the Victoria theatre community. At least two of the three jurors will see each production.
- The award for Community Spirit will be voted on by the membership of the collective.
- The jury will be guided and advised by the VTC Spotlight Award Chair, a member of the board of the Victoria Theatre Collective.
- The VTC Spotlight Award Chair is responsible for interpreting and enforcing the VTC Spotlight Award Guidelines, and ensuring the jury process is fair and impartial.
- In July 2026, the VTC Spotlight Award Chair will lead the jurors through a final assessment process to determine the award winners. Full details on that process will be available in the full award guidelines, but our intent is to utilize a ‘highest average rank’ system similar to the BC Arts Council Jury process to determine winners, to account for variance in scoring approaches amongst jurors.
2025/2026 Jurors
We are excited to announce Christina Haska, Brianna Bock, and Monica Prendergast as our three Jurors this year.
Award Descriptions
- VTC Spotlight: Community Production
Recognizes an outstanding production presented by a community-based company or collective. This award honours excellence in storytelling, performance, and production values by a volunteer or non-professional team. - VTC Spotlight: Semi-Professional Production
Honours a production of exceptional quality by a company that includes both paid and unpaid artists. This award is based solely on the creative and technical merits of the production. - VTC Spotlight: Direction
Celebrates a director whose leadership and artistic vision resulted in a cohesive, dynamic, and engaging production. - VTC Spotlight: Individual Design
Recognizes excellence in a specific area of theatrical design, such as set, lighting, costume, sound, or projections. This award honours the skill, imagination, and execution behind the visual or auditory elements of a production. - VTC Spotlight: Performance (Individual or Ensemble)
Highlights an exceptional performance, either by a solo actor or an ensemble. This award acknowledges talent, presence, and the ability to convey emotion and character with impact. - VTC Spotlight: Community Spirit
Voted on by the VTC membership, this award honours a person, group, or project that embodied generosity, encouragement, or positivity during the season. This award is not tied to artistic output.