Sidney Myer Performing Arts Awards 2006
In an informal and entertaining ceremony in the Famous Spiegeltent in Sydney’s Hyde Park, the winners of the Sidney Myer Performing Arts Awards 2006 were announced this week (January 12).
Commemorating the life of a man who arrived in Australia in 1891 as a refugee with little English but a passion for the arts, social justice, philanthropy, family and making money, the Myer Foundation is the outstanding philanthropic organisation relating to the arts in Australia today.
In presenting the awards, the Sydney Theatre Company’s Robyn Nevin (a past winner) banged her favourite drum in support of increased funding for the arts. “I believe in the value, worth and significance of these awards. Most artists are pretty sanguine about subsidising the arts. And that’s what you do when you work in the arts. I didn’t whinge when I was just an actor but I’m whingeing now. I am cruelly aware of being in an environment where the arts are not valued...”
But the arts and artists are valued by the Myer Foundation, Nevin went on to say before presenting a cheque for $10,000 and the Facilitator’s Award to Bill Hauritz, the ebullient and dedicated creator of Queensland’s Woodford Folk Festival; to theatremaker extraordinaire Nigel Jamieson ($35,000 Individual Award) for his continuing and distinctive contribution to theatre. And the Group Award ($60,000) to drumming ensemble TaikOz whose founder Ian Cleworth noted that after ten years dedication to their credo of “to beat with every muscle, bone and sinew in our bodies, with an open and joyous spirit”, the prize would go a long way to enabling the group to continue doing it for another ten years.
Then, audience and winners sat back and enjoyed a couple of highlights from Sydney Festival hit show La Clique: the Two English Gents did their witty strongman act (bowler hats, pinstriped suits and muscle); and David O’Mer demonstrated his unique bathtime habits -gymnastics-trapeze act and tantalising the audience with a display of great bod, daring and insouciant humour.
