Nominations were announced today for the Sydney Theatre Awards for 2013, which will be presented at a gala ceremony on Monday 20 January 2014 at the Paddington RSL.
Leading the list with seven nominations each are Sydney Theatre Company and Sydney Festival’s The Secret River and New Theatre’s Jerusalem, followed by STC’s Waiting for Godot and the musical Dirty Rotten Scoundrels with six nominations. Belvoir’s Angels in America, Sport for Jove’s Cyrano de Bergerac, Griffin’s The Floating World and Tamarama Rock Surfers’ The Removalists all have five.
Nominations were spread across 37 different productions which played on Sydney stages during the calendar year of 2013.
The Sydney Theatre Awards are presented annually by a group of leading theatre critics to celebrate the strength, quality and diversity of theatre in Sydney.
The Sydney Theatre Reviewers consist of Elissa Blake (Sun Herald), Jason Blake (Sydney Morning Herald), Deborah Jones (The Australian), Jo Litson (The Sunday Telegraph), John McCallum (The Australian), Diana Simmonds (Stagenoise website), Polly Simons (Daily Telegraph) and Brad Syke (Crikey).
Additional categories have been added this year in the Independent sector, commending stage design, costume design and score or sound design. The reviewers all felt 2013 was an extraordinary year for theatre in Sydney.
“We have been overwhelmed by the number and quality of nominees in this year’s Sydney Theatre Awards. Agreeing on a winner in many categories this year has been a challenge,” said Jason Blake.
“What it all points to is a widening band of what is loosely termed “excellence” in all fields and a willingness to go out on a limb to achieve it. Looking at the nominees this year, you’d be hard pressed to point to anyone playing safe.”
“There’s a real spirit of adventure in Sydney theatre right now and a sense that a recent period of renewal and generational change has paid off. Sydney’s theatregoers are the real winners here.”
Vying for Best Mainstage Production are Angels In America (Belvoir), The Floating World (Griffin), The Secret River (Sydney Theatre Company and Sydney Festival) and Waiting for Godot (Sydney Theatre Company).
The nominees for Best Independent Production are Cyrano de Bergerac (Sport for Jove), Jerusalem (New Theatre), The Motherf**ker with the Hat (Workhorse Theatre Company) and Penelope (Siren Theatre Company).
For more information, visit: www.sydneytheatreawards.com for details.
Image: New Theatre’s Jerusalem – photo by Bob Seary
2013 SYDNEY THEATRE AWARD NOMINATIONS
BEST MAINSTAGE PRODUCTION
Angels In America (Belvoir)
The Floating World (Griffin)
The Secret River (Sydney Theatre Company and Sydney Festival)
Waiting for Godot (Sydney Theatre Company)
BEST INDEPENDENT PRODUCTION
Cyrano de Bergerac (Sport for Jove)
Jerusalem (New Theatre)
The Motherf**ker with the Hat (Workhorse Theatre Company)
Penelope (Siren Theatre Company)
BEST DIRECTION OF A MAINSTAGE PRODUCTION
Neil Armfield (The Secret River)
Eamon Flack (Angels in America)
Sam Strong (The Floating World)
Andrew Upton (Waiting for Godot)
BEST DIRECTION OF AN INDEPENDENT PRODUCTION
Kate Gaul (Penelope)
Damien Ryan (Cyrano de Bergerac)
Iain Sinclair (All My Sons)
Helen Tonkin (Jerusalem)
BEST ACTRESS IN A LEADING ROLE IN A MAINSTREAM PRODUCTION
Valerie Bader (The Floating World)
Cate Blanchett (The Maids)
Harriet Dyer (Machinal)
Sharon Millerchip (Bombshells)
Helen Thomson (Mrs Warren’s Profession)
BEST ACTOR IN A LEADING ROLE IN A MAINSTREAM PRODUCTION
Paul Blackwell (Vere)
Lee Jones (Frankenstein)
Peter Kowitz (The Floating World)
Luke Mullins (Small and Tired)
Richard Roxburgh (Waiting for Godot)
Hugo Weaving (Waiting for Godot)
BEST ACTRESS IN A LEADING ROLE IN AN INDEPENDENT PRODUCTION
Abigail Austin (Twelfth Night)
Diana McLean (4000 Miles)
Toni Scanlan (All My Sons)
Zoe Trilsbach (The Motherf**ker with the Hat)
BEST ACTOR IN A LEADING ROLE IN AN INDEPENDENT PRODUCTION
Laurence Coy (The Removalists)
Nicholas Eadie (Jerusalem)
Marshall Napier (All My Sons)
Yalin Ozucelik (Cyrano de Bergerac)
BEST ACTRESS IN A SUPPORTING ROLE IN A MAINSTREAM PRODUCTION
Lynette Curran (Cat on a Hot Tin Roof)
Elizabeth Debicki (The Maids)
Amber McMahon (Angels in America)
Susan Prior (Small and Tired)
BEST ACTOR IN A SUPPORTING ROLE IN A MAINSTREAM PRODUCTION
Marcus Graham (Angels in America)
Ewen Leslie (Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead)
Luke Mullins (Waiting for Godot)
Philip Quast (Waiting for Godot)
BEST ACTRESS IN A SUPPORTING ROLE IN AN INDEPENDENT PRODUCTION
Megan O’Connell (The Motherf**ker with the Hat)
Eloise Snape (4000 Miles)
Eloise Winestock (The Comedy of Errors)
Lizzie Schebesta (Cyrano de Bergerac)
BEST ACTOR IN A SUPPORTING ROLE IN AN INDEPENDENT PRODUCTION
Justin Stewart Cotta (The Removalists)
Andrew Henry (All My Sons)
Damien Ryan (Othello)
Jeremy Waters (Jerusalem)
BEST STAGE DESIGN IN A MAINSTREAM PRODUCTION
Alice Babidge with Sean Bacon (The Maids)
Stephen Curtis (The Secret River)
Michael Hankin (Angels in America)
Gabriela Tylesova (Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead)
BEST COSTUME DESIGN IN A MAINSTREAM PRODUCTION
Renee Mulder (Mrs Warren’s Profession)
Teresa Negroponte (Dirty Rotten Scoundrels)
Tess Schofield (The Secret River)
Gabriela Tylesova (Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead)
BEST LIGHTING DESIGNIN A MAINSTREAM PRODUCTION
Verity Hampson (Machinal)
Nicholas Higgins (Frankenstein)
Mark Howett (The Secret River)
Nick Schlieper (Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead)
BEST SCORE OR SOUND DESIGN IN A MAINSTREAM PRODUCTION
Steve Francis and Iain Grandage (The Secret River)
Elena Kats-Chernin and Daryl Wallis (Frankenstein)
Kelly Ryall (The Floating World)
Luke Smiles (School Dance)
BEST STAGE DESIGNIN AN INDEPENDENT PRODUCTION
Tom Bannerman (Jerusalem)
Tom Bannerman and Kate Gaul (Penelope)
Marg Horwell (Summertime in the Garden of Eden)
Ally Mansell (The Removalists)
BEST COSTUME DESIGNIN AN INDEPENDENT PRODUCTION
Rita Carmody (The Removalists)
Anna Gardiner (Cyrano de Bergerac)
Marg Horwell (Summertime in the Garden of Eden)
Jennifer Ham (Jerusalem)
BEST SCORE OR SOUND DESIGNIN AN INDEPENDENT PRODUCTION
Benny Davis and Alister Mew (Delectable Shelter)
Jed Silver (The Removalists)
Alistair Wallace (Jerusalem)
Darryl Wallis (Penelope)
BEST NEW AUSTRALIAN WORK
Andrew Bovell (The Secret River)
Kit Brookman (Small and Tired)
John Doyle (Vere)
Matthew Whittet (School Dance)
BEST NEWCOMER
Elizabeth Debicki (The Maids)
Taylor Ferguson (Miss Julie)
Harry Greenwood (Fury)
Elizabeth Nabben (Dance Better at Parties)
BEST PRODUCTION OF A MUSICAL
Bloody Bloody Andrew Jackson
Carrie the Musical
Dirty Rotten Scoundrels
The Lion King
JUDITH JOHNSON AWARD FOR BEST PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTRESS IN A MUSICAL
Hilary Cole (Carrie the Musical)
Amy Lehpamer (Dirty Rotten Scoundrels)
Lucy Maunder (Grease)
Katrina Retallick (Dirty Rotten Scoundrels)
JUDITH JOHNSON AWARD FOR BEST PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTOR IN A MUSICAL
Russell Dykstra (The Lion King)
Matt Hetherington (Dirty Rotten Scoundrels)
Tim Minchin (Jesus Christ Superstar)
Tony Sheldon (Dirty Rotten Scoundrels)
BEST PRODUCTION FOR CHILDREN
Compass (atyp)
The Listies in 6D (Sydney Opera House)
Random Musical (Spontaneous Broadway and Sydney Opera House)
The 13-Storey Treehouse (CDP and Sydney Opera House)
BEST PRODUCTION FOR YOUNG PEOPLE
Peter Pan (Belvoir)
School Dance (Windmill Theatre and Sydney Theatre Company in association with Sydney Festival)
Spur of the Moment (atyp)
Storm Boy (Sydney Theatre Companyand Barking Gecko Theatre Company)
LIFETIME ACHIEVEMENT AWARD
To be announced at the ceremony