Sydney Theatre Awards
The second year of the Sydney Theatre Awards - for the calendar year 2006 - were presented this evening (January 15) in an entertaining and starry event at the Statement Bar beneath the State theatre in Sydney.
While many fancied scoping visiting English actor and guest presenter Ralph Fiennes plus a swag of home-grown luminaries, most came to celebrate the best of Sydney theatre.
An indication of the growth and depth of theatre (mainstream and independent) is that the nominations were spread across 30 different productions. However, it was decided that an award for children's theatre be withheld as no one production was deemed to stand out sufficiently to merit an award.
A new category was added this year: Best Performance in a Musical in recognition of the life and work of Sydney's greatly respected and much loved theatre publicisit Judith Johnson, who died suddenly in October.
The Reviewers also recognised the extraordinary dedication to theatre of Ensemble Theatre's director Sandra Bates. She was presented with the Lifetime Achievement Award by a playwright with whom she has often worked over the decades: David Williamson.
Best Actor and Actress are sponsored by www.bellbirdcottage.com.au (wake up to bellbirds in the Hunter Valley), Best Newcomer is sponsored by Showcast and Best Supporting Actor and Actress are sponsored by your very own www.stagenoise.com.
Scroll over the pictures for captions, and click to view the larger images!
The full list of nominations follows (winners in bold)
BEST MAINSTAGE PRODUCTION
The Goat (Company B and State Theatre Company of South Australia)
Holding the Man (Griffin Theatre Company)
Honour Bound (Sydney Opera House/Malthouse Theatre)
The Lost Echo (Sydney Theatre Company)
BEST INDEPENDENT PRODUCTION
Love (Inscription in association with B Sharp)
Politely Savage (My Darling Patricia at the Performance Space)
Some Explicit Polaroids (Smug Theatre and Darlinghurst Theatre)
The Suitors (Easily Distracted at the Old Fitzroy)
BEST DIRECTION
Marion Potts (The Goat)
Michael Gow (Away)
Nigel Jamieson (Honour Bound)
Barrie Kosky (The Lost Echo)
BEST ACTRESS IN A LEAD ROLE
Vanessa Downing (Bone)
Victoria Longley (The Goat)
Pamela Rabe (The Lost Echo)
Denise Roberts (Charitable Intent)
BEST ACTOR IN A LEAD ROLE
Leon Cain (Away)
Guy Edmonds (Holding the Man)
John Gaden (The Lost Echo)
William Zappa (The Goat)
BEST ACTRESS IN A SUPPORTING ROLE (sponsored by www.stagenoise.com)
Jeanette Cronin (Holding the Man)
Hayley McElhinney (Mother Courage and her Children)
Saskia Smith (The Tempest)
Ursula Yovich (Capricornia)
BEST ACTOR IN A SUPPORTING ROLE (sponsored by www.stagenoise.com)
Thomas Campbell (The Illusion)
Colin Moody (Mother Courage and her Children)
Matthew Moore (Romeo and Juliet)
Dan Spielman (The Lost Echo)
JUDITH JOHNSON AWARD FOR BEST PERFORMANCE IN A MUSICAL
Tamsin Carroll (Dusty)
iOTA (Hedwig and the Angry Inch)
Alexander Lewis (Titanic)
Tony Sheldon (Priscilla Queen of the Desert)
NEW AUSTRALIAN WORK
Holding the Man (Tommy Murphy)
Honour Bound (Nigel Jamieson)
It Just Stopped (Stephen Sewell)
The Lost Echo (Barrie Kosky)
BEST NEWCOMER
Leon Cain (Away)
iOTA (Hedwig and the Angry Inch)
Amber McMahon (The Lost Echo)
Scott Timmins (The Peach Season)
BEST SET DESIGN
Nigel Jamieson and Nick Dare (Honour Bound)
Dane Laffrey (Some Explicit Polaroids)
Ralph Myers (Reunion/A Kind of Alaska)
Dan Potra (The Bourgeois Gentleman)
BEST LIGHTING DESIGN
Damien Cooper (Honour Bound)
Damien Cooper (The Lost Echo)
Luiz Pampolha (Love)
Nick Schleiper (Priscilla Queen of the Desert)
BEST COSTUME DESIGN
Alice Babidge (Capricornia)
Alice Babidge (The Lost Echo)
Tim Chappel and Lizzy Gardiner (Priscilla Queen of the Desert)
Julie Lynch (The Bourgeois Gentleman)
BEST SCORE OR SOUND DESIGN
Paul Charlier (Honour Bound)
Alan John (Mother Courage and her Children)
Max Lyandvert (The Lost Echo)
Max Lyandvert (Now That Communism is Dead My Life Feels Empty)
BEST MUSICAL
Hedwig and the Angry Inch
Keating!
Priscilla Queen of the Desert
Titanic
BEST CABARET PRODUCTION
Dark Side - Tim Minchin (Studio)
Lemon Tart - Genevieve Lemon & Josh Quong Tart (Statement Cabaret)
Matters of the Heart - Judi Connelli (Bar Me)
Meow Meow - Melissa Madden Grey (Studio)
LIFETIME ACHIEVEMENT AWARD
Sandra Bates, director of Ensemble Theatre
