At a star-studded ceremony last night, the winners of the 2016 Sydney Theatre Awards were announced, with 35 Awards presented, shared between 15 productions, which played in Sydney during the calendar year of 2016. Over 450 members of the Sydney theatre community packed the York Theatre at the Seymour Centre to celebrate the best of Sydney theatre – the first time the awards have been held there.
Best Mainstage Production was awarded to Belvoir’s The Drover’s Wife, which also won Mainstage awards for Best Director (Leticia Caceres), Best Score or Sound Design (The Sweats) and Best New Australian Work (Leah Purcell). Best Independent Production went to Sport for Jove’s Antigone, which also took Independent gongs for Best Director (Damien Ryan and Terry Karabelas), Best Female Actor in a Leading Role (Andrea Demetriades), Best Male Actor in a Leading Role (William Zappa), Best Stage Design and Best Costume Design (Melanie Liertz), and Best Lighting Design (Matt Cox).
Belvoir’s Faith Healer took out three acting awards in the Mainstage categories, Best Male Actor in a Leading Role (Colin Friels), Best Female Actor in a Supporting Role (Alison Whyte) and Best Male Actor in a Supporting Role (Pip Miller), while Best Female Actor in a Leading Role in a Mainstage Production went to Marta Dusseldorp for Griffin’s Gloria.
In the Musical categories, Hayes Theatre Co’s Little Shop of Horrors scooped the pool, winning Best Musical, Best Direction of a Musical (Dean Bryant), Best Choreography (Andrew Hallsworth), Best Female Actor in a Leading Role in a Musical (Esther Hannaford) and Best Male Actor in a Leading Role in a Musical (Brent Hill). In an unusual decision, the critics voted Working Class Boy: An Evening of Stories and Songs, Jimmy Barnes’ very personal show about his life which played at the Sydney Opera House Concert Hall, as Best Cabaret.
The Sydney Theatre Award for Lifetime Achievement was presented to actor Judi Farr. From her early roles with the Old Tote Theatre Company, to her legendary performance as Linda Loman in Death of a Salesman for Nimrod opposite Warren Mitchell and Mel Gibson, and on to roles with the Sydney Theatre Company (Angels In America, Beauty Queen of Leenane), Belvoir (Cloudstreet, Buried Child) and all major Australian theatre companies, as well as an extensive body of work in film and television, Judi Farr has been at the top of her profession for more than 40 years.
Presenters at the Awards ceremony were Damien Bermingham, Adam Cook, Mel Dyer, Danielle Ironside, Madeleine Jones, Angharad Lindley, Luke McGettigan, Pacharo Mzembe, Tyran Parke, Anthony Phelan, Rebecca Poulter, Ellen Simpson, Minka Stevens, Ben Wood, Vanessa Wright and Meyne Wyatt; and there were performances from Robyn Archer, Ben Hall and David Campbell (Only Heaven Knows), and David Whitney and Kurt Phelan with a song and dance ensemble.
The Sydney Theatre Awards are run by a group of leading theatre critics to celebrate the strength, quality and diversity of theatre in Sydney. The Sydney Theatre Reviewers are Elissa Blake (Fairfax), Jason Blake (Fairfax), Dee Jefferson (Time Out), Deborah Jones (The Australian), Jo Litson (Sunday Telegraph/ Limelight), John McCallum (The Australian), Ben Neutze (Daily Review), Diana Simmonds (stagenoise.com), Polly Simons (Daily Telegraph) and Cassie Tongue (AussieTheatre).
For more information, visit: www.sydneytheatreawards.com for details.
Image: Esther Hannaford and Brent Hill starred in the Little Shop of Horrors – photo by Jeff Busby
Winners of the 2016 Sydney Theatre Awards:
BEST MAINSTAGE PRODUCTION
The Drover’s Wife (Belvoir)
BEST INDEPENDENT PRODUCTION
Antigone (Sport for Jove)
BEST DIRECTION OF A MAINSTAGE PRODUCTION
Leticia Caceres (The Drover’s Wife)
BEST DIRECTION OF AN INDEPENDENT PRODUCTION
Damien Ryan and Terry Karabelas (Antigone)
BEST FEMALE ACTOR IN A LEADING ROLE IN A MAINSTAGE PRODUCTION
Marta Dusseldorp (Gloria)
BEST MALE ACTOR IN A LEADING ROLE IN A MAINSTAGE PRODUCTION
Colin Friels (Faith Healer)
BEST FEMALE ACTOR IN A LEADING ROLE IN AN INDEPENDENT PRODUCTION
Andrea Demetriades (Antigone)
BEST MALE ACTOR IN A LEADING ROLE IN AN INDEPENDENT PRODUCTION
William Zappa (Antigone)
BEST FEMALE ACTOR IN A SUPPORTING ROLE IN A MAINSTAGE PRODUCTION
Alison Whyte (Faith Healer)
BEST MALE ACTOR IN A SUPPORTING ROLE IN A MAINSTAGE PRODUCTION
Pip Miller (Faith Healer)
BEST FEMALE ACTOR IN A SUPPORTING ROLE IN AN INDEPENDENT PRODUCTION
Meredith Penman (The Whale)
BEST MALE ACTOR IN A SUPPORTING ROLE IN AN INDEPENDENT PRODUCTION
Thomas Campbell (Three Sisters)
BEST STAGE DESIGN OF A MAINSTAGE PRODUCTION
Owen Phillips (Little Shop of Horrors)
BEST STAGE DESIGN OF AN INDEPENDENT PRODUCTION
Melanie Liertz (Antigone)
BEST COSTUME DESIGN OF A MAINSTAGE PRODUCTION
Tim Chappel (Little Shop of Horrors)
BEST COSTUME DESIGN OF AN INDEPENDENT PRODUCTION
Melanie Liertz (Antigone)
BEST LIGHTING DESIGN OF A MAINSTAGE PRODUCTION
Matt Cox (Lake Disappointment)
BEST LIGHTING DESIGN OF AN INDEPENDENT PRODUCTION
Matt Cox (Antigone)
BEST SCORE OR SOUND DESIGN OF A MAINSTAGE PRODUCTION
The Sweats (The Drover’s Wife)
BEST SCORE OR SOUND DESIGN OF AN INDEPENDENT PRODUCTION
Nate Edmondson (Good With Maps)
BEST NEW AUSTRALIAN WORK
Leah Purcell (The Drover’s Wife)
BEST NEWCOMER
Jonny Hawkins (Relatively Speaking)
BEST ENSEMBLE
Broken (Darlinghurst Theatre Company)
BEST PRODUCTION OF A MUSICAL
Little Shop of Horrors (Luckiest and Tinderbox Productions in association with Hayes Theatre Co)
BEST DIRECTION OF A MUSICAL
Dean Bryant (Little Shop of Horrors)
JUDITH JOHNSON AWARD FOR BEST PERFORMANCE BY A FEMALE ACTOR IN A MUSICAL
Esther Hannaford (Little Shop of Horrors)
JUDITH JOHNSON AWARD FOR BEST PERFORMANCE BY A MALE ACTOR IN A MUSICAL
Brent Hill (Little Shop of Horrors)
BEST PERFORMANCE BY A FEMALE ACTOR IN A SUPPORTING ROLE IN A MUSICAL
Laura Murphy (You’re a Good Man, Charlie Brown)
BEST PERFORMANCE BY A MALE ACTOR IN A SUPPORTING ROLE IN A MUSICAL
Scott Johnson (Little Shop of Horrors)
BEST MUSICAL DIRECTION
Lucy Bermingham (Spring Awakening)
BEST CHOREOGRAPHY IN A MUSICAL
Andrew Hallsworth (Little Shop of Horrors)
BEST CABARET PRODUCTION
Working Class Boy: An Evening of Stories and Songs (Jimmy Barnes)
BEST PRODUCTION FOR CHILDREN
The Peasant Prince (Monkey Baa)
BEST PRODUCTION FOR YOUNG PEOPLE
Spring Awakening (atyp)
LIFETIME ACHIEVEMENT AWARD
Judi Farr