After a long and successful run, we feel it is the right time to fully end the annual Brickenden awards and ceremony. The Brickenden Board would like to thank the many volunteer jurors and past board members, and the ever tuxedoed Al Green for their incredible dedication. In addition, we are grateful for the significant and ongoing support of the Doty and Greenway (Brickenden) families. Katherine Brickenden and Chris Doty have left a lasting legacy in our community of which they can be most proud. We would be remiss not to thank the theatre community for bringing so many wonderful productions to the people of London. We believe the time has come for a new generation of thespians to decide how to best promote, celebrate, and recognize the theatre community here in London.

On behalf of the Brickenden Board,

Jane Hanbuch

Sean Brennan receives Brickenden for Best Original
Script
26 Apr 2022 – London, ON – Local playwright, director, and actor Sean Brennan’s Finding
Hyde earned him a Brickenden Award for Best Original Script.
While the awards ceremony has been on pandemic-related hold since 2020, the Brickendens continued
to accept original script submissions, provided they met regular eligibility requirements. “Writers kept
writing through the pandemic,” explained Jeremy Greenway, chair of the Original Script panel and
Brickenden board member. “We wanted to celebrate as much about local theatre as we could given the
realities it continues to face.”
Brennan, a member of Banished by the King Productions, is no stranger to local theatre. “Over the last
few years, I have had the privilege of being in the audience for many of Sean’s original plays. It is
great to be able to honour him with this award,” said Brickenden board chair Jane Hanbuch.
Finding Hyde presents a fictional remounting of T.R. Sullivan’s script of The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll
and Mr. Hyde, Robert Louis Stevenson’s Gothic novella first published in 1886. In his author’s note,
Brennan writes that the show is “about duality—in philosophy of theatre, science, and interpersonal
and romantic relationships.”
In March, the Brickendens presented the prestigious Chris Doty Award to outgoing Grand Theatre
executive director Deb Harvey. As pandemic conditions continue to evolve, board members hope to
restore a comprehensive slate of award categories for 2023.
The award was presented to Brennan on Wednesday, April 27 at 5:00pm at the Palace Theatre by
longtime Brickenden volunteer Al Green, dressed in his customary top hat and tails for the occasion.

“Without art, the cruelness of the world would be unbearable.” – George Bernard Shaw

We, on the Brickenden Board, agree with Shaw. The last year and a half has not been optimal; especially with the reality of what we can expect to be the new norm moving forward in the short term.  The most ‘interesting’ of times would be a tad of an understatement.

It is certainly not lost on us how this pandemic has drastically affected everyone’s daily life and in particular that of the local theatre scene. With the government mandated isolation and group restrictions the mounting and attending of productions has become a tricky endeavor.

Since the Board has been entrusted with the preservation of Christopher Doty’s 2002 vision, but restricted for the foreseeable future of adjudicating productions, we have set our sights on governance. In addition, we want to keep the category of Best Original Script open for both the 2021 and 2022 season.

In the event that the adjudicating of productions resumes January 1, 2023, the first post-pandemic Brickenden Awards Ceremony would then take place January/February 2024.

We are aware that the proverbial ‘getting the ball rolling’ will start shortly but we are concerned that the fewer number of productions will not meet the desired quantities that would be required to make various categories competitive.

This is certainly open to revision as the dictates of the moment present itself … this going with the flow approach will not be sprung unannounced on the theatre community but will be advertised on the Brickenden website prior to implementation.

In addition, playwrights are asked to submit any original work to the Brickendens. On January 15th, 2022, we are asking for scripts for the 20/21 season. On September 15th, 2022 we are asking for scripts for the 21/22 season. For the time being, the script does not need to have been produced or in production to qualify.  The award for each will come with a $500 monetary prize.  For full requirements, contact jehanbuch@gmail.com.

We all long for the day that will find us together again sitting in the theatre and enjoying the magic of the stage as both performers and audience members.

Unfortunately, we will not be hosting the Brickenden Awards even virtually this year. As per our earlier announcement, those shows that were juried at the beginning of the year 2020 will be eligible for the upcoming award season when it starts again. We look forward to celebrating the arts and returning to live theatre here in London.