The Merritts are over for another year, and if I’d actually laid money on my predictions, I would have come out to the good. (Four out of seven right! Read the complete list of winners at merrittawards.ca .) The Schooner Room at Casino Nova Scotia proved to be the perfect venue for the glitzy night. Every seat in the house was a good one, the service was friendly and the food was finger-licking good. The show itself was snappy and entertaining, with just the right ratio of sniping to congratulating. (But of course, host Jackie Torrens could MC a funeral and make it fun.) Video clips of familiar theatre personalities reliving some of the highlights of last year’s shows were a brilliant addition to the evening. For next year, I’d like to suggest that someone give more recognition to our municipal leaders for the two Mayor’s Awards that are presented at the Merritts. Although there’s no doubt that the arts are under-funded here in HRM, these two monetary prizes make a difference for one young and one established theatre artist. Let’s let City Hall know that’s important to us!
This article appears in Mar 29 – Apr 4, 2012.