2015 SYDNEY THEATRE AWARD NOMINATIONS
It’s that time of year again: we met, we remembered, we argued, we remembered some more, we argued a bit more, we wished we could forget a few things, we voted and got on with it as usual. Then we drank champagne and ate roast turkey with all the trimmings. It was good.
“We” are the self-selected reviewers and commentators who come together to honour our city’s theatremakers with the Sydney Theatre Awards. They are presented annually (this is the 11th year) and the group at the moment consists of me – Diana Simmonds – and Elissa Blake (Sun-Herald), Jason Blake (Sydney Morning Herald), Dee Jefferson (Time Out), Deborah Jones (The Australian), Jo Litson (The Sunday Telegraph), John McCallum (The Australian), Ben Neutze (Daily Review), Polly Simons (Daily Telegraph) and Cassie Tongue (Aussietheatre.com).
The awards will be presented at the traditionally glittering, no-expense spared ceremony at Paddo RSL on January 18. Here’s the full list of nominations with warmest congratulations to all…
MAINSTAGE
BEST MAINSTAGE PRODUCTION: Endgame (Sydney Theatre Company); Ivanov (Belvoir); The Present (Sydney Theatre Company); Suddenly Last Summer (Sydney Theatre Company) The Wizard of Oz (Belvoir)
BEST DIRECTION
Eamon Flack (Ivanov); Andrew Upton (Endgame); Kip Williams (Love and Information); Kip Williams (Suddenly Last Summer)
BEST ACTRESS IN A LEADING ROLE
Paula Arundell (The Bleeding Tree); Cate Blanchett (The Present); Jacqueline McKenzie (Orlando); Eryn Jean Norvill (Suddenly Last Summer)
BEST ACTOR IN A LEADING ROLE
Colin Friels (Mortido); Ewen Leslie (Ivanov); Josh McConville (Hamlet); Hugo Weaving (Endgame)
BEST ACTRESS IN A SUPPORTING ROLE
Blazey Best (Ivanov); Jacqueline McKenzie (The Present); Susan Prior (The Present); Helen Thomson (Ivanov)
BEST ACTOR IN A SUPPORTING ROLE
Matthew Backer (The Tempest); John Bell (Ivanov); John Howard (Ivanov); Barry Otto (Seventeen)
BEST STAGE DESIGN
Alice Babidge (Suddenly Last Summer); Marg Horwell (La Traviata); Renée Mulder (The Bleeding Tree); Nick Schlieper (Endgame)
BEST COSTUME DESIGN
Alice Babidge (Mother Courage and her Children); Alice Babidge (Suddenly Last Summer); Alicia Clements (After Dinner); Marg Horwell (La Traviata)
BEST LIGHTING DESIGN
Paul Jackson (Love and Information); Nick Schlieper (Endgame); Nick Schlieper (King Lear); Emma Valente (The Wizard of Oz)
BEST SCORE OR SOUND DESIGN
Stefan Gregory (Suddenly Last Summer); Max Lyandvert (Endgame); Max Lyandvert (The Wizard of Oz); The Sweats (Love and Information)
INDEPENDENT
BEST INDEPENDENT PRODUCTION
Cock (Red Line Productions in association with Mardi Gras Festival); The Dapto Chaser (Apocalypse Theatre Company in association with Griffin Theatre Company); Grounded (Seymour Centre, Red Stitch and the US Studies Centre at the University of Sydney); Misterman (Siren Theatre Co in association with Red Line Productions); Of Mice and Men (Sport for Jove and Seymour Centre)
BEST DIRECTION
Shane Bosher (Cock); Kate Gaul (Misterman); Glynn Nicholas (The Dapto Chaser); Iain Sinclair (Of Mice and Men)
BEST ACTRESS IN A LEADING ROLE
Kate Box (Dolores); Kate Cole (Grounded); Belinda Giblin (Blonde Poison); Matilda Ridgway (Cock)
BEST ACTOR IN A LEADING ROLE
Thomas Campbell (Misterman); Ben Gerrard (I Am My Own Wife); Anthony Gooley (Of Mice and Men); Andrew Henry (Of Mice and Men)
BEST ACTRESS IN A SUPPORTING ROLE
Taylor Ferguson (Good Works); Lucy Goleby (Good Works); Deborah Galanos (The House of Ramon Iglesias); Natasha Herbert (The Unspoken Word is “Joe”)
BEST ACTOR IN A SUPPORTING ROLE
James Bell (The Aliens); Andre de Vanny (Of Mice and Men); Christopher Stollery (Of Mice and Men); Jeremy Waters (The Aliens)
BEST STAGE DESIGN
Simon Greer (Violet); Michael Hankin (Deathtrap); Michael Hankin (Of Mice and Men); Hugh O’Connor (The Aliens)
BEST COSTUME DESIGN
Brendan Hay (Man of La Mancha); Michael Hankin (Of Mice and Men); Melanie Liertz (Love’s Labour’s Lost); Angela White (Heathers)
BEST LIGHTING DESIGN
Michele Bauer (Cock); Ross Graham (Violet); Sian James-Holland (Of Mice and Men); Hartley TA Kemp (Misterman)
BEST SCORE OR SOUND DESIGN
Nate Edmondson (Misterman); Nate Edmondson (Of Mice and Men); Jeremy Silver (Violet); Daryl Wallis (The Dapto Chaser)
OTHER NOMINATIONS
BEST NEW AUSTRALIAN WORK
The Bleeding Tree (Angus Cerini); Boys Will Be Boys (Melissa Bubnic); Kill the Messenger (Nakkiah Lui); Mortido (Angela Betzien)
BEST NEWCOMER
Kerrie Anne Greenland (Les Miserables); Charlotte Hazzard (War Crimes); Lauren McKenna (Heathers); Stephen Madsen (Heathers); Lasarus Ratuere (Kill the Messenger)
BEST ENSEMBLE
After Dinner (Sydney Theatre Company); Love and Information (Sydney Theatre Company); Seventeen (Belvoir); War Crimes (ATYP)
BEST PRODUCTION OF A MAINSTREAM MUSICAL
Anything Goes (Opera Australia and John Frost); Les Miserables (Cameron Mackintosh); Matilda (The Royal Shakespeare Company, Louise Withers, Michael Coppel and Michael Watt); The Sound of Music (John Frost, Andrew Lloyd Webber, David Ian and the Really Useful Group)
BEST INDEPENDENT PRODUCTION OF A MUSICAL
Dogfight (Neil Gooding Productions in association with Hayes Theatre Co); Heathers (Showqueen Productions and Working Management in association with Hayes Theatre Co); Man of La Mancha (Squabbalogic); Violet (Blue Saint Productions in association with Hayes Theatre Co)
BEST DIRECTION OF A MUSICAL
Trevor Ashley (Heathers); Mitchell Butel (Violet); Neil Gooding (Dogfight); Jay James-Moody (Man of La Mancha)
JUDITH JOHNSON AWARD FOR BEST PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTRESS IN A MUSICAL
Hilary Cole (Dogfight); Samantha Dodemaide (Violet); Jaz Flowers (Heathers)
Amy Lehpamer (The Sound of Music)
JUDITH JOHNSON AWARD FOR BEST PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTOR IN A MUSICAL
Simon Gleeson (Les Miserables); Stephen Madsen (Rent); Tony Sheldon (Man of La Mancha); Hayden Tee (Les Miserables)
BEST PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTRESS IN A SUPPORTING ROLE IN A MUSICAL
Marika Aubrey (Matilda); Jacqueline Dark (The Sound of Music); Elise McCann (Matilda); Lauren McKenna (Heathers)
BEST PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTOR IN A SUPPORTING ROLE IN A MUSICAL
Damien Bermingham (Violet); Daniel Frederiksen (Matilda); Stephen Madsen (Heathers); James Millar (Matilda)
MUSICAL DIRECTION
Lucy Bermingham (Violet); Paul Geddes (Man of La Mancha); Isaac Hayward (Dogfight); Bev Kennedy (Heathers)
BEST CABARET PRODUCTION
Josie Lane (Asian Provocateur); Elise McCann (Everybody Loves Lucy); Rob Mills (Rob Mills is Surprisingly Good); Phil Scott (Reviewing the Situation)
BEST PRODUCTION FOR CHILDREN
The 52-Storey Treehouse (CDP); Erth’s Prehistoric Aquarium (Erth); The Listies Ruin Xmas (Sydney Opera House); Snugglepot and Cuddlepie (CDP)
BEST PRODUCTION FOR YOUNG PEOPLE
Shellshock (Riverside Productions); A Town Named War Boy (ATYP)
The Unknown Soldier (Monkey Baa Theatre Company); War Crimes (ATYP)
SPECIAL ACHIEVEMENT AWARD
Molly Barwick, Sasha Rose, Georgia Taplin, Bella Thomas (Matilda)
LIFETIME ACHIEVEMENT AWARD
To be announced on the night.
