Nominations have been announced for the 2025 Sydney Theatre Awards, which will be presented at an industry gala ceremony on Monday 19 January 2026 at the York Theatre, Seymour Centre. Nominations in the 28 categories were spread across 56 different productions, which played on Sydney stages during 2025.
Leading the list with nine nominations is The Edit (Unlikely Productions, Legit Theatre Company and 25A), while Grief is the Thing with Feathers (Belvoir and Andrew Henry Presents) and Sistren (Green Door Theatre in association with Griffin Theatre Company) received eight.
Phar Lap: The Electro-Swing Musical (Hayes Theatre Co) received seven nominations, and The Player Kings (Sport for Jove) and Bright Star (Sport for Jove in association with Hayes Theatre Co) both received six.
The nominees for Best Mainstage Production are Grief is the Thing with Feathers (Belvoir and Andrew Henry Presents), Jacky (Belvoir), Picnic at Hanging Rock (Sydney Theatre Company) and The Player Kings (Sport for Jove).
The nominees for Best Independent Production are Cruise (Fruit Box Theatre), The Edit (Unlikely Productions, Legit Theatre Company and 25A), Fewer Emergencies (The Company Theatre) and Sistren (Green Door Theatre in association with Griffin Theatre Company).
Vying for Best Production of a Musical are Bright Star (Sport for Jove in association with Hayes Theatre Co), Hadestown (Jones Theatrical and Opera Australia), Phar Lap: The Electro-Swing Musical (Hayes Theatre Co) and The Producers (Joshua Robson Productions in association with Hayes Theatre Co).
“Despite a financial crisis in the arts, Sydney’s theatre scene continues to keep live performance alive across all corners of the city – offering entertainment, insight and community to all of us who love to sit in dark rooms and experience a group of artists hold up mirrors and show us hundreds of different ways to be human, working through big feelings and big ideas that remind us that we are not alone,” said Cassie Tongue, who regularly reviews for The Guardian, Sydney Morning Herald and the Saturday Paper.
“Bright, ambitious and honest gems abound in the list of nominations, even in a year where making any work at all feels like a small miracle: this is a sector of which we can all be immensely proud,” said Cassie.
“Across 2025 there was a desire to expand the richness and diversity of storytelling we see in Sydney’s independent theatres,” added Justin Clarke, Editor of Theatre Thoughts. “Through creatives across the sector facing the challenges arising from the rising cost of living, we saw breakout solo performances, gripping two handers and compelling narratives told in new and exciting ways.”
“Alongside the revisiting of contemporary plays, there was a large focus on making new and original works with diverse voices at the forefront. Ultimately, the independent artists and creatives showed once more that they’re the true backbone of the arts industry in Australia.”
The Sydney Theatre Awards was founded in 2005 by a group of Sydney’s leading theatre critics to celebrate the strength and diversity of Sydney’s theatre artists and productions. Judging panels include prominent industry specialists and theatre critics who see all eligible productions in their sector and vote on the nominations.
The Sydney Theatre Awards gratefully thanks our major sponsor, the Seaborn, Broughton & Walford Foundation, without which the Awards would not be possible.
The Seaborn, Broughton & Walford Foundation is a charity founded to assist the performing arts and, following the wishes of founding President Dr Rodney Seaborn AO OBE, proudly supports a wide variety of performing arts initiatives through funding, attending performances and preserving precious theatrical records for education and research, as well as providing accessible and affordable space for rehearsals and small performances.
“As avid theatre goers, many of us have attended the shows and seen the performances that will be honoured at the 2025 Sydney Theatre Awards. We congratulate all nominees, and we commend the Board and Judging Panels responsible for the Awards, now in its 21st year,” said Peter Lowry AM, President of the Seaborn, Broughton & Walford Foundation.
Other sponsors of the Sydney Theatre Awards include The William Fletcher Foundation, Showcast, Currency Press, Ticketmaster, Actors Benevolent Fund, JPJ Audio, LL Co Creative, HereWeAre! and the Seymour Centre.
The 2025 Sydney Theatre Awards will be presented on Monday 19 January 2026 at the York Theatre – Seymour Centre. For more information and full list of Nominees, visit: www.sydneytheatreawards.com for details.
Images: Lincoln Elliott and Joel Granger in Phar Lap: The Electro-Swing Musical – photo by John McCrae | Fraser Morrison, Toby Schmitz and Philip Lynch in Grief is the Thing with Feathers – photo by Brett Boardman | The Edit – photo by Robert Catto