Vancouver lighting designer Itai Erdal named a finalist for the 2024 Siminovitch Prize

The Elbow Theatre founder, also a writer and performer, is in the running to take home the prestigious $100,000 award

VANCOUVER LIGHTING DESIGNER Itai Erdal—who’s also a writer, performer and founder of The Elbow Theatre—has been named one of four finalists for the 2024 Siminovitch Prize.

An initiative of the Siminovitch Theatre Foundation to recognize theatre artists across Canada who are redefining the stage, the prize is the country’s highest valued theatre award, at $100,000.

Erdal is vying for the honour alongside lighting designer Sonoyo Nishikawa; composer and sound designer Debashis Sinha; and The Old Trout Puppet Workshop, which also produces sculptures, films, and design work.

Having worked with choreographers such as Crystal Pite, Noam Gagnon, Serge Bennathan, Chick Snipper, Susan Elliot, and Idan Cohen, Erdal has designed more than 300 shows for theatre, dance and opera companies in over 50 cities around the world. Among the companies he has worked with are the Arts Club Theatre Company (16 productions), The Stratford Festival (11 shows), New Victory Theater (Off Broadway), Vancouver Opera, Vancouver Playhouse, Bard on the Beach, Electric Company Theatre, National Arts Centre, and more.

Shortlisted for the Siminovitch Prize in 2018, Erdal is the recipient of six Jessie Richardson Theatre Awards, a Dora Mavor Moore Award, a Winnipeg Theatre Award, the Jack King Award, a Tyrone Guthrie Award, Victoria’s Spotlight Choice Award, and the Design Award at the 2008 Dublin Fringe Festival.

Erdal’s first one-man show, How to Disappear Completely (directed by James Long), premiered in 2011 and had 25 remounts in 21 cities. It won the best director award at the Summerworks Festival in Toronto, and was shortlisted to the Dublin Fringe Award, the Brighton Fringe Award, and the Total Theatre Award at the 2014 Edinburgh Fringe Festival.

Soldiers of Tomorrow, which is about his service in the Israeli army and played at the 2023 PuSh Festival, received Summerhall’s Lustrum Award and was nominated to an OffFest Award at the 2023 Edinburgh Fringe Festival.

Each year, the winner of the Siminovitch Prize selects a protégé to receive $25,000 and a year of ongoing coaching and counsel. Aside from the grand prize winner, the three other finalists are recognized with $5,000; a documentary about their work; an opportunity to provide $5,000 to an emerging artist of their choosing; and access to the Siminovitch Network, which connects them with fellow artists.

A national jury of distinguished members of the theatre community is chosen annually to select the finalists and winner. Jurors consider nominees’ originality; sense of evolution; growing maturity; continuing experimentation; and impact upon audiences, their community, emerging artists, colleagues, and the art form.

The winner will be announced in December.

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Gail Johnson

Gail Johnson is cofounder of Stir. She is a Vancouver-based journalist who has earned local and national nominations and awards for her work. She is a certified Gladue Report writer via Indigenous Perspectives Society in partnership with Royal Roads University and is a member of a judging panel for top Vancouver restaurants.

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