Christopher Hunt (l), John Ullyatt, Andy Curtis in Vertigo’s The 39 Steps.

You have to take off your socks — yes, both of them — to count Vertigo Theatre’s Betty Mitchell Award nominations. If they had snagged just a couple more, you’d even have to recruit a friend.

But even at 17 nominations, it isn’t only the number itself that’s impressive. Look closely and you’ll see that Vertigo earned nominations for four different productions in categories from set design and music to acting and directing.

Vertigo’s artistic director Mark Bellamy points out that the range of nominations validates that the theatre company’s work is consistent and recognized as excellent. This recognition is particularly gratifying to Vertigo because while it’s best known as mystery theatre, in the past few years it’s been expanding its possibilities. For example, Bellamy says five years ago, the theatre company might not have produced a play such as 12 Angry Men, a courtroom drama that earned three nominations.

So, with so many different types of theatre awards across the country, just how valuable is a Betty Mitchell Award nomination?

“This year there were 57 shows that were eligible for consideration and the nominating committee must select their top five from those 57 shows to make the final ballot,” explains Trevor Rueger, Betty Mitchell steering committee chair. But that’s not all. Add some multiplication: “When you get into the acting categories like the six actor and actress categories we have, the nominating committee must consider every single performance by every actor and then choose five per category.”

So what are some of the highlights? Take the whirlwind 39 Steps, based on a Hitchcock film. “Oh gosh,” says Bellamy, describing the show as an “Olympics of comedy” and a “marathon” for the four performers who play about 150 characters in total. Besides the front-end talent of actors and director (Bellamy himself nabbed a nomination for this one), “there’s as much of a show behind the scenes,” he explains, requiring equal rehearsal to pull off nigh-instantaneous costume swaps — and costumes deservedly earned a nomination of their own.

Nevermore: The Imaginary Life and Mysterious Death of Edgar Allen Poe, originally conceived by Edmonton’s Catalyst Theatre and produced in Calgary as part of One Yellow Rabbit’s High Performance Rodeo, accounts for almost one- third of Vertigo’s nominations. Bellamy describes the dark Tim Burtonesque play as an incredible piece of theatre. “It’s unlike anything else I’ve seen — a beautifully crafted piece.” From larger-than-life costuming to exquisite choreography and superb acting, Nevermore is still enjoying the spotlight long after the curtain has fallen.

If you look at Vertigo as a case study, the pattern in this year’s Betty Mitchell Award nominations perhaps speaks to a greater diversification of the Calgary Theatre community.

“Even though Vertigo Theatre received the most nominations this year, what I find interesting about the nominees is that there is not one particular show that ran away with the nominations,” says Rueger. “There is an incredible range of diversity within the nominations with representation from the largest budget companies to the smallest of companies.”

Bellamy is on the same wavelength. “It’s all about a celebration — for everyone — not about winning,” he says.

And what award competition would be complete without the phrase “it’s an honour just to be nominated” — but both Bellamy and Rueger say it with complete sincerity. After all, the nominations, thanks to their broader spectrum, might be a better barometer of the Calgary theatre scene than the winners alone.