June 2026 — More than a year after first imagining an event that could bring Vancouver’s performing arts community together under one roof, producers Jasmine Chen and Angelica Schwartz watched that dream become reality.
On June 1, 2026, the inaugural Rumpus Awards sold out at 1422 Progress Lab, gathering artists, technicians, administrators, volunteers, stage managers, performers, producers, and community members for an evening dedicated to celebrating the people and positions that often go unrecognized in traditional theatre awards.
Created by Chen and Schwartz, co-workers at Neworld Theatre, The Rumpus Awards were inspired by the spirit of community-building found in Toronto’s Harold Awards and the joyful absurdity of Matt Rogers and Bowen Yang’s Las Culturistas Culture Awards. The goal was simple: create a uniquely Vancouver celebration where everyone could feel seen.
The name “Rumpus” comes from the Rumpus Room at Progress Lab—a space that has served over the years as a movie room, gathering place, library, green room, meeting space, and informal hub for artists. It felt like the perfect symbol for what the event hoped to achieve: bringing people together.
From there, Chen and Schwartz created a mix of heartfelt and delightfully absurd award categories, ranging from Best Tech Week Snack and Best in Show: Best Performance by a Dog in a Show to honour, recognizing excellence in stage management, dramaturgy, administration, emergency understudy, and community leadership.
Several awards were determined through an open community nomination process. With 86 nominees submitted through a public callout, the response exceeded all expectations.
“This industry can be exhausting,” says co-producer Angelica Schwartz. “So much of being an artist involves administration, fundraising, grant writing, and all the unseen labour that happens behind the scenes. It can be hard to pause long enough to celebrate our wins—especially together. The Rumpus Awards was our attempt to create that moment. A space where people could laugh, be recognized, and remember that none of us are doing this work alone.”
The evening featured a remarkable lineup of artists and volunteers who donated their time and talents. Hosted by the incomparable Steffanie Davis, with musical collaboration from Mishelle Cuttler—whose participation was made possible through Greater Vancouver Professional Theatre Alliance (GVPTA)—the ceremony included original parody songs created specifically for the event.
The Rumpus Awards also partnered with friends and neighbours at Tightrope Improv, who helped bring the ceremony’s more absurd moments to life. Improvisers Ali Froggatt and Lili Beaudoin of Tightrope Improv, alongside local improviser and playwright Nora Mourant, accepted awards in character throughout the evening—from sentient slices of free pizza celebrating Best Tech Week Snack to Neko the Cockapoo accepting Best in Show on behalf of Gateway Theatre’s production of Annie.
The evening also featured a show-stopping tap dance performance by East Vancouver’s own Amanda Sum, who performed a tap interpretation of Charli XCX’s “360” to the delight of the crowd.
Community support powered every aspect of the event. When Lee’s Donuts was announced as the winner of Best Rehearsal Snack, boxes of donuts were distributed throughout the audience, thanks to the company’s donation of 90 donuts. Earnest Ice Cream donated free scoops for volunteers who helped make the event possible.
Unlike many arts initiatives, The Rumpus Awards received no government funding. The event was made possible through ticket donations, bar sales, and an outpouring of support from across the community. Neworld Theatre served as lead producer, while Progress Lab companies Rumble Theatre, rice & beans theatre, frank theatre company, C-Space, and Company 605 contributed funds to help bring the event to life.
Additional support came from artist Mel Zaini, who created the event’s visual identity and certificates; Inherent Press, which donated all printing, stickers, and award certificates; Lee’s Donuts and Earnest Ice Cream; and GVPTA.
Like Tinker Bell coming back to life through applause, The Rumpus Awards came to life because many artists, organizations, volunteers, and audience members chose to believe in it together.
The sold-out evening demonstrated the strength, generosity, and interconnectedness of Vancouver’s performing arts community. In the spirit of the event, everyone was treated as a winner—celebrating not only artistic achievement, but the countless acts of care, labour, creativity, and support that make theatre possible.
2026 Rumpus Award Recipients
Freak in the Sheets: Outstanding Administration of Artistic Activities
Heather Barr & Caitlin Fysh
Best Tech Week Snack
Free Pizza
Unsung Hero Awards
Bard on the Beach Volunteers
Melissa Oei
Adam Grant Warren
Kayleigh Sandomirsky
Harmanie Rose
Kenji Maeda
Steffanie Davis
Best in Show: Best Performance by a Dog in a Show
Neko the Cockapoo (Annie, Gateway Theatre)
Act of God Award for Resilience During a Biblical Catastrophe
Donnie Tejani, Kaitlin Williams & Erika Morey/Cast of Frozen
Most Tenacious Support Letter Writer Award
Kate Franklin
Most Perimenopausal Jokes in a Single Season Award
Tara Cheyenne Friedenberg
Marcus Youssef Shit Disturber Award
Aryo Khakpour
Hudson Williams Presents: The Gay Icon Award
Alen Dominguez & Rae Takei
Progress Lab Presents the VIP Award for Very Important Person
Brianna Bernard
Saved Our Butts Award for Excellence in Emergency Coverage
Chirag Niak & Christine Quintana
Nicest Rejection Letter Award
Susan Miyagashima & Jivesh Parasram
Shoebox Award
Boombox
Francesca Frewer, Sierra Megas, Erika Mitsuhashi & Kira Radosevic
Backstage Ninja Award for Outstanding Technicianship
Nico Dicecco & Sarah McCready
Shadiest Dressing Room Behavior
Microwaving Fish in the Greenroom (Based on a True Story)
Standby, Go! Excellence in Stage Management Award
Rebecca Mulvihill & Yvonne Yip
Maiko Yamamoto Cool Mom Award
Dawn Petten
Multilingual Award for Excellence in More Than One Language
Cory Haas, Ana Lorena Pérez Rolando & Johnny Wu
What the F*ck Do You Do? Award for Excellence in Dramaturgy
Daniela Atiencia
The Music of the Night Award
Mishelle Cuttler
Very Serious Theatre Award for Very Serious Theatre Actors (Unscripted)
Tightrope Improv
Event Credits
Hosted by Steffanie Davis
Musical Collaboration by Mishelle Cuttler
Produced by Jasmine Chen & Angelica Schwartz
Technical Direction by Brianna Bernard & Howard Dai
Royal Rumpus Choir: Christine Quintana, Molly MacKinnon, Sara Vickruck, Sarah Cantuba, Bethany Caldwell, Tiana Jung, Hal Rogers, and Paige Fraser
Improvisers: Nora Mourant, Ali Froggatt, and Lili Beaudoin
Tap Dance by Amanda Sum
Bar Volunteers: Heather Barr & Mateusz West
Front of House Volunteer: Libby Willoughby
Ushers: Daniela Atiencia & Alen Dominguez
Logo & Certificates: Mel Zaini
Printing: Inherent Press
Special thanks to all presenters, nominees, voters, volunteers, donors, and community members who helped make the first-ever Rumpus Awards possible.
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