NOMINEES

Adam Francis Proulx is a theatre artist and puppeteer whose award-winning solo shows have toured across the globe. His works include BAKER’S DOZEN: 12 Angry Puppets, THE FAMILY CROW: A Murder Mystery, and Emilio’s A Million Chameleons—which recently celebrated an Off-Broadway run and earned him a Dora Award nomination for Outstanding Performance. Adam is also a sought-after puppetry director and builder. 

In addition to creating original work, Adam has starred in the first Canadian productions of Avenue Q (Princeton/Rod) and Disney’s Frozen (Olaf). He can currently be seen as Fuzz the Hamster on the Canadian Screen Award-winning The Fabulous Show with Fay & Fluffy on Family Jr. In 2025, he was named a Protégé Winner of the Johanna Metcalf Award for the Performing Arts.

Alicia has been active in Toronto’s clown community since 2010 after obtaining a Master of Arts degree in Theatre and Performance studies from York University. She is the artistic director of Pajama Cat Productions and has been the force behind Red Nose Cabaret since its creation in 2017.

In addition, Alicia has over ten years experience working as an event administrator and community engagement coordinator. She is passionate about various forms of clown and comedy, as well as providing opportunities for artists to showcase their talent and reach new audiences. @rednosecabaret

Byron Laviolette is a director with over twenty years experience working in the arts, the agency, the academy and the arcade. He works alongside award-winning clowns, puppeteers and drag artists and is the Artistic Director of What The Festival.

Byron holds a PhD in Interactive Theatre and Pervasive Transmedia Fiction from the Theatre and Performance Studies Department at York University and his criticism/art journalism has appeared in Scene Changes, EYE Weekly,AdBusters and IN Toronto magazine. He also directs audio books, including the Headphone Award winning Empire of Wild by Cherie Dimaline and the Audie Nominated The Butcher and the Wren by Alaina Urquhart, host of the hit podcast Morbid.

Kendall Savage is a 19 year veteran of clowning, and a trained specialist. She is the founder of the Montreal Clown Festival, and former Artistic Director,Already made a name for herself in the international performance scene. Kendall regularly travels between New York, Los Angeles, and Las Vegas, captivating audiences with her unique blend of humor, physicality, and theatrical flair with her award winning clown performances.

Srutika Sabu (she/they) is a doctor-turned-clown and multidisciplinary artist. Though her first artistic loves were visual art, writing, and composing music, a medical school existential crisis prompted a move to Toronto, where she embraced her late-bloomer theatre kid era. Through clown and comedy training at Sweet Action Theatre, she stumbled upon her drag king persona, Santosh Santosh aka Tosh. In the less than two years since, she’s created, produced and performed two full length shows: 1 Santosh Santosh 2 Go (Toronto Fringe Festival, WTFestival, rEvolver Festival) and Neptune’s With A Fish (Paprika Theatre Festival). She’s also part of this year’s Buddies in Bad Times Emerging Creators Unit. Srutika’s work blends absurdity, vulnerability, and joy, crafting stories and worlds that explore identity, connection, and the hilarity of finding yourself in the most unexpected places.