SYDNEY THEATRE AWARDS NOMINATONS: 2010
NOMINATIONS for the 2010 Sydney Theatre Awards have been announced. They’ll be presented at a galah on Monday, January 17 at 6 pm at the Paddington RSL. As one of the Sydney Theatre reviewers who gather to long-list, short-list, then vote on the winners I can say it was a great pleasure to do it yet again. It’s always fascinating to look back over a year’s theatre-going to see which ones lodged in the mind and heart; and which ones disappear virtually without trace. It can be surprising; but it’s always thrilling to gather and go “Ooooh! Wasn’t that fantastic?” Or, less frequently, “Gaaaah, that was a most godawful waste of an evening!”
What’s also interesting is to see which productions and individuals rise, seemingly effortlessly, to the top of the heaps. We come in to the process as individuals of different approaches and tastes; our real meeting point is a love and respect for theatre and theatremakers. So it wasn’t until we were well into the voting process that it became apparent that Belvoir St has had a particularly brilliant year with eight nominations each going to two of its productions: The Diary of a Madman and Namatjira, co-produced with Big hART. A third Belvoir show, Measure for Measure, has seven nominations, while in the Musical Theatre categories, its production of The Sapphiresleads with four nominations, despite the commercial juggernaut of Jersey Boys that follows with three; not much choice in 2010, however, as most of the musical action is in Melbourne. Belvoir was also co-producer of nominee The Book of Everything and its now defunct BSharp wing gave us the Best Independent nominee Bang. Nevertheless, as we’ve seen so often before, it’s swings and roundabouts and the nominations – spread across 35 different productions – tells the full story of the continuing diversity and excellence of theatre in Sydney during 2010.
Huge and heartfelt thanks and congratulations to everyone who works in Sydney theatre.
FULL LIST OF 2010 NOMINATIONS
BEST MAINSTAGE PRODUCTION
The Diary of a Madman (Belvoir) Measure for Measure (Belvoir) Namatjira (Belvoir and Big hART) Uncle Vanya (Sydney Theatre Company and Bell Shakespeare Company)
BEST INDEPENDENT PRODUCTION
Bang (White Box Theatre in association with B Sharp) The Fence (Urban Theatre Projects and Sydney Festival) Seven Kilometres North-East (Version 1.0 in association with the Tamarama Rock Surfers) Way to Heaven (Ride On Theatre in association with Griffin Independent)
BEST DIRECTION
Benedict Andrews (Measure for Measure) Neil Armfield (The Diary of a Madman) Scott Rankin and Wayne Blair (Namatjira) Sam Strong (The Power of Yes)
BEST ACTRESS IN A LEADING ROLE
Melissa Jaffer (Gwen in Purgatory) Robin McLeavy (Measure for Measure) Robyn Nevin (Long Day’s Journey Into Night) Susie Porter (That Face)
BEST ACTOR IN A LEADING ROLE
Wayne Blair (True West) Trevor Jamieson (Namatjira) Richard Roxburgh (Uncle Vanya) Geoffrey Rush (The Diary of a Madman)
BEST ACTRESS IN A SUPPORTING ROLE
Cate Blanchett (Uncle Vanya) Sue Ingleton (Gwen in Purgatory) Hayley McElhinney (Uncle Vanya) Yael Stone (The Diary of a Madman)
BEST ACTOR IN A SUPPORTING ROLE
Peter Carroll (King Lear) Derek Lynch (Namatjira) Toby Schmitz (Measure for Measure) Hugo Weaving (Uncle Vanya)
BEST NEW AUSTRALIAN WORK
Paul Capsis and Julian Meyrick (Angela’s Kitchen) Jonathan Gavin (Bang) Scott Rankin (Namatjira) Richard Tulloch (The Book of Everything)
BEST NEWCOMER
Arka Das (Animals Out of Paper) Casey Donovan (The Sapphires) Derek Lynch (Namatjira) Lizzie Schebesta (The Seagull)
BEST STAGE DESIGN
Dale Ferguson (The Power of Yes) Catherine Martin (The Diary of a Madman) Ralph Myers with Sean Bacon (Measure for Measure) Pip Runciman (Our Town)
BEST COSTUME DESIGN
Kim Carpenter (The Book of Everything) Dale Ferguson (Measure for Measure) Nicholas Dare (Smoke and Mirrors) Tess Schofield (The Diary of a Madman)
BEST LIGHTING DESIGN
Nigel Levings (Namatjira) Nicklas Pajanti (Spring Awakening) Nick Schlieper (Uncle Vanya) Mark Shelton (The Diary of a Madman)
BEST SCORE OR SOUND DESIGN
Stefan Gregory (Measure for Measure) David Heinrich (Quack) Alan John and Paul Charlier (The Diary of a Madman) Genevieve Lacey and Jim Atkins (Namatjira)
BEST PRODUCTION OF A MUSICAL
Jersey Boys (Dodger Theatricals, Rodney Rigby, Dainty Consolidated Entertainment, Joseph J Grano, Tamara and Kevin Kinsella, Pelican Group, Michael Watt) Kiss of the Spiderwoman (Darlinghurst Theatre) The Sapphires (Company B) Spring Awakening (Sydney Theatre Company)
JUDITH JOHNSON AWARD FOR BEST PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTRESS IN A MUSICAL
Christine Anu (The Sapphires) Alinta Chidzey (West Side Story) Casey Donovan (The Sapphires) Nancye Hayes (A Little Night Music)
JUDITH JOHNSON AWARD FOR BEST PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTOR IN A MUSICAL OR CABARET
Bobby Fox (Jersey Boys) iOTA (Smoke and Mirrors) Scott Johnson (Jersey Boys) James Lee (Kiss of the Spiderwoman)
BEST CABARET PRODUCTION
I’m Every Woman Trevor Ashley (Sydney Opera House) Newley Discovered Hugh Sheridan (Sydney Opera House) Smoke and Mirrors (Sydney Festival) Man in Black (Folsom Prison Productions at the Sydney Opera House)
BEST PRODUCTION FOR CHILDREN
Actor on a Box – The Loaded Dog (Sydney Theatre Company) The Book of Everything (Company B/Theatre of Image) House on Fire (atyp) Mr Freezy (Arena Theatre Company in association with Men of Steel)
LIFETIME ACHIEVEMENT AWARD
To be announced on the night.
