In its 33rd year of acknowledging excellence in the performing arts on the Melbourne stage during 2015, the Green Room Awards Association have announced the recipients of more than 60 awards at a star-studded ceremony at Melbourne’s Comedy Theatre on Monday 21 March 2016.
Hosted by Bert Labonte, the ceremony included live performances from VCA’s Company 17, Tripod, and a special performance by Circus Oz in a tribute to Laurel Frank.
The evening held a number of standout moments including the presentation of the Geoffrey Milne Award for Contribution to the Development of Contemporary & Experimental Performance or Independent Theatre. The award alternates between these two panels with which Geoffrey Milne was so closely associated. The Independent Theatre panel presented this year’s award to Mary Lou Jelbart, Artistic Director of fortyfivedownstairs.
Antony Hamilton received the Shirley McKechnie Award for Outstanding Choreography for MEETING; Michael Ralph received the Betty Pounder Award for Outstanding Music Theatre Choreography for Loving Repeating, while John Thorn was honoured with the Outstanding Contribution to Cabaret Award.
The night’s Outstanding Production awards went to: Piece for Person and Ghetto Blaster (Contemporary & Experimental Performance), Briefs (Cabaret), SHIT (Independent Theatre), Strictly Ballroom (Music Theatre), Le nozze di Figaro (Opera), I Am a Miracle (Theatre Companies) and Quintett and Frame of Mind (Dance).
The ceremony rounded out with renowned costume designer, Laurel Frank receiving the Technical Achievement Award and the 2016 Lifetime Achievement Award being presented to the late Malcolm Robertson in honour of his substantial contribution to Melbourne’s theatre industry.
A complete list of Award Recipients is listed below. For more information, visit: www.greenroom.org.au for details.
Image: Peta Brady, Nicci Wilks and Sarah Ward in SHIT – photo by Sebastian Bourges
CABARET
Production:
Briefs
Artiste:
Sheridan Harbridge – Songs For The Fallen
Ensemble:
Briefs – Fez Fa’anana, Mark ‘Captain Kidd’ Winmill, Dallas Dellaforce, Evil Hate Monkey, Louis Biggs, Lachy Shelley and Thomas Worrell
Writing:
Daniel Tobias – The Orchid and The Crow
Musical Direction:
Daryl Wallis – Strange Bedfellows
Original Songs:
Jude Perl – Is It Just Me?
Outstanding Contribution to Cabaret:
John Thorn
CONTEMPORARY AND EXPERIMENTAL PERFORMANCE
Innovation in Contemporary Performance for Young People:
Separation Street – Polyglot Theatre with The Suitcase Royale
Innovation in Site Specific Work:
MASS – Zoe Scoglio (Field Theory)
Innovation in Contemporary Circus:
Bodies over Bitumen – Skye Gellmann, Naomi Francis, Alex Gellmann and Kieran Law
Curatorial Contribution to Contemporary Performance:
Site is Set = Field Theory
Design and Realisation in Contemporary Performance:
Endings – Ben Cobham, Peter Knight, Tamara Saulwick, Paddy Mann and Nick Roux / Captives of the City – Sarah Kriegler, David Young, Jethro Woodward, Dave Jones, Jacob Williams, Ben Grant, Rainbow Sweeny, Mark Cauvin, Adam Pierzchalski and Matthias Schack-Arnott
Puppetry Performance:
Captives of the City – Chamber Made Opera, Lemony S Puppet Theatre and Arts Centre Melbourne
Performance (by an individual or ensemble) in Contemporary and Experiment Performance:
Nicola Gunn – Piece for Person and Ghetto Blaster
Contemporary Performance Text:
Oedipus Schmoedipus – post
Contemporary and Experimental Performance:
Piece for Person and Ghetto Blaster – Nicola Gunn
DANCE
Concept and Realisation:
Antony Hamilton and Alisdair Macindoe – MEETING
Duet and Ensemble Performance:
Cast of Quintett and Frame of Mind – Sydney Dance Company
Shirley McKechnie Award For Choreography
Antony Hamilton – MEETING (Antony Hamilton and Alisdair Macindoe)
Female Dancer:
Jesse Scales – Quintett (Sydney Dance Company)
Male Dancer:
David Mack – Quintett and Frame of Mind (Sydney Dance Company)
Design:
Ben Cobham – The Boom Project (Rosalind Crisp/Omeo Dance)
Music and Sound Composition and Performance:
Alisdair Macindoe – MEETING (Antony Hamilton and Alisdair Macindoe)
INDEPENDENT THEATRE
Male Performer:
Brian Lipson – EDMUND. THE BEGINNING (Arts House and Antechamber Productions)
Female Performer:
Jillian Murray – L’amante anglaise (La Mama)
Ensemble:
Cast of SHIT (Dee & Cornelius as part of Neon Festival for Independent Theatre)
Set and Costume Design:
Marg Horwell – SHIT (Dee & Cornelius as part of Neon Festival for Independent Theatre)
Lighting Design:
Amelia Lever-Davidson – Body of Work
Sound/Music:
Christopher De Groot – Dream Home (Darebin Arts Speakeasy)
Direction:
Luke Kerridge – Dream Home (Darebin Arts Speakeasy)
Production:
SHIT (Dee & Cornelius as part of Neon Festival for Independent Theatre)
Writing:
Patricia Cornelius – SHIT (Dee & Cornelius as part of Neon Festival for Independent Theatre)
Geoffrey Milne Memorial Award:
Mary Lou Jelbart – For contribution to the development of Contemporary and Experimental Performance or Independent Theatre
MUSIC THEATRE
Female In A Leading Role:
Verity Hunt-Ballard – Sweet Charity
Male In A Leading Role:
Martin Crewes – Sweet Charity
Male In A Supporting Role:
Josh Piterman – Cats
Female In A Supporting Role:
Heather Mitchell – Strictly Ballroom
Ensemble:
Cast of Cats
Betty Pounder Award For Excellence In Choreography:
Michael Ralph – Loving Repeating
Musical Direction/Supervision:
Kellie Dickerson – City Of Angels
Lighting Design:
Hugh Vanstone – Strictly Ballroom
Sound Design:
John Scandrett, David Tonion and Julian Spink – West Side Story
Set and/or Costume Design:
Catherine Martin – Strictly Ballroom
Direction:
Jason Langley – Loving Repeating
Production:
Strictly Ballroom
OPERA
Direction: Roger Hodgman – The Flying Dutchman (Victorian Opera)
Production:
Le nozze di Figaro – Opera Australia
Conductor:
Guillaume Tourniaire – Madama Butterfly (Opera Australia)
Female Lead:
Milijana Nikolic – ‘Eboli’ Don Carlos (Opera Australia)
Female In A Supporting Role:
Jessica Hitchcock – ‘Flinch’ The Rabbits (Opera Australia and Barking Gecko Theatre Company)
Male Lead:
Giacomo Prestia – ‘Phillip II’ Don Carlos (Opera Australia)
Male In A Supporting Role:
Carlos E. Bárcenas – ‘Steuermann’ The Flying Dutchman (Victorian Opera)
Design:
Jenny Tiramani – Le nozze di Figaro (Opera Australia)
Lighting:
David Finn – Le nozze di Figaro (Opera Australia)
Special Award for Orchestral Excellence:
The Australian Youth Orchestra – The Flying Dutchman (Victorian Opera)
THEATRE COMPANIES
Female Actor:
Melita Jurisic – I Am a Miracle (Malthouse Theatre)
Male Actor:
Ben Prendergast – Dead Centre/Sea Wall (Red Stitch Actors Theatre)
Ensemble:
Cast of North by Northwest (Melbourne Theatre Company and Kay + McLean Productions)
Lighting Design:
Katie Sfetkidis – Meme Girls (Malthouse Theatre)
Set and Costume Design:
Marg Horwell (Set and Costume) and Paul Jackson (Set) – I Am a Miracle (Malthouse Theatre)
Sound Design and Composition:
David Chisholm and Marco Cher-Gibard – I Am a Miracle (Malthouse Theatre)
Writing/Adaptation for the Australian Stage:
Declan Greene – I Am a Miracle (Malthouse Theatre) / Dan Giovannoni – Jurassica (Red Stitch Actors Theatre)
Production:
I Am a Miracle – Malthouse Theatre
Direction:
Leticia Cáceras – Birdland (Melbourne Theatre Company)
SPECIAL AWARDS
Technical Achievement Award:
Laurel Frank
Lifetime Achievement Award:
Malcolm Robertson