When reached, Zuppa Circus co-artistic director LeBlanc-Crawford is in the midst of rehearsing for Poor Boy, a show that will go up at Neptune Theatre in February as part of Neptune’s studio series. “We’re still in the middle of creating it,” she says. This will be a bit of a departure for Zuppa, taking an already existing score, written and performed by Heavy Blinkers Dave Christensen and Jason MacIsaac, and using it to create a contemporary retelling of the myth of Orpheus and Eurydice. “We feel very healthy right now,” she says. “We’re spending more time making shows.” A big plus, says LeBlanc-Crawford, has been the fact they’re now in the Canada Council operating funding pool, which provides year-round support. “Our peers around the country are saying we should be running all year.”

1st Runner-up: Annie Valentina

2nd Runner-up: Mary Faye Coady