The Seymour Centre is about to play host to Sydney’s Theatre Awards for 2018 after the nominees were announced. It’s time to get excited.
Nominations in the 33 categories were spread across 49 productions which played on Sydney stages during 2018. Sydney Theatre Company has a clean sweep in the Best Mainstage Production category with Blackie Blackie Brown, The Harp In The South, The Resistible Rise of Arturo Ui and Saint Joan all vying for the award, the first time one theatre company has dominated all nominations in this category. The nominees for Best Independent Production are The Flick (Outhouse Theatre Company in association with Seymour Centre), Metamorphoses (Apocalypse Theatre Company in association with Red Line Productions), Stupid Fucking Bird (New Theatre) and There Will Be A Climax (Red Line Productions in partnership with NIDA).
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 panel consist of Elissa Blake (Audrey Journal), Jason Blake (Audrey Journal), Deborah Jones (The Australian), Jo Litson (Limelight), John McCallum (The Australian), Joyce Morgan (The Sydney Morning Herald), Ben Neutze (Time Out), John Shand (The Sydney Morning Herald) Diana Simmonds (Stagenoise), Cassie Tongue (Time Out) and Suzy Wrong (Suzy Goes See).
Here are the nominees…
BEST MAINSTAGE PRODUCTION
Blackie Blackie Brown (Sydney Theatre Company)
The Harp in the South (Sydney Theatre Company)
The Resistible Rise of Arturo Ui (Sydney Theatre Company)
Saint Joan (Sydney Theatre Company)
BEST INDEPENDENT PRODUCTION
The Flick (Outhouse Theatre Company in association with Seymour Centre)
Metamorphoses (Apocalypse Theatre Company in association with Red Line Productions)
Stupid Fucking Bird (New Theatre)
There Will Be a Climax (Red Line Productions in partnership with NIDA)
BEST DIRECTION OF A MAINSTAGE PRODUCTION
Leticia Cáceres (random)
Imara Savage (Saint Joan)
Kip Williams (The Resistible Rise of Arturo Ui)
Kip Williams (The Harp in the South)
BEST DIRECTION OF AN INDEPENDENT PRODUCTION
Alexander Berlage (There Will Be a Climax)
Dino Dimitriadis (Metamorphoses)
Warwick Doddrell (Stupid Fucking Bird)
BEST FEMALE ACTOR IN A LEADING ROLE IN A MAINSTAGE PRODUCTION
Claire Lovering (The Feather in the Web)
Zahra Newman (random)
Sarah Snook (Saint Joan)
Megan Wilding (Blackie Blackie Brown)
BEST MALE ACTOR IN A LEADING ROLE IN A MAINSTAGE PRODUCTION
Jimi Bani (My Name is Jimi)
Jack Finsterer (The Harp in the South)
Yalin Ozucelik (The Norman Conquests)
Hugo Weaving (The Resistible Rise of Arturo Ui)
BEST FEMALE ACTOR IN A LEADING ROLE IN AN INDEPENDENT PRODUCTION
Gabrielle Scawthorn (Ironbound)
Ella Scott-Lynch (King of Pigs)
Nikki Shiels (They Divided the Sky)
Bishanyia Vincent (Nell Gwynn)
BEST MALE ACTOR IN A LEADING ROLE IN AN INDEPENDENT PRODUCTION
Justin Amankwah (The Flick)
Mansoor Noor (Stupid Fucking Bird)
Jeremy Waters (The Flick)
Elijah Williams (The Rolling Stone)
BEST FEMALE ACTOR IN A SUPPORTING ROLE IN A MAINSTAGE PRODUCTION
Kate Box (Top Girls)
Julie Forsyth (Accidental Death of an Anarchist)
Michelle Lim Davidson (The Feather in the Web)
Contessa Treffone (The Harp in the South)
BEST MALE ACTOR IN A SUPPORTING ROLE IN A MAINSTAGE PRODUCTION
Mitchell Butel (The Resistible Rise of Arturo Ui)
Ash Flanders (Blackie Blackie Brown)
Colin Moody (The Resistible Rise of Arturo Ui)
Guy Simon (The Harp in the South)
BEST FEMALE ACTOR IN A SUPPORTING ROLE IN AN INDEPENDENT PRODUCTION
Morgan Maguire (Home Invasion)
Wendy Mocke (Moby Dick)
Annie Stafford (Stupid Fucking Bird)
Kaitlyn Thor (Stupid Fucking Bird)
BEST MALE ACTOR IN A SUPPORTING ROLE IN AN INDEPENDENT PRODUCTION
Simon Burke (Strangers in Between)
Damon Manns (The Rolling Stone)
Mandela Mathia (The Rolling Stone)
Christopher Stollery (Ear to the Edge of Time)
BEST STAGE DESIGN OF A MAINSTAGE PRODUCTION
Robert Cousins (The Resistible Rise of Arturo Ui)
David Fleischer (The Harp in the South)
Elizabeth Gadsby, Oh Yeah Wow and Verity Hampson (Blackie Blackie Brown)
Jonathon Oxlade (Accidental Death of an Anarchist)
BEST STAGE DESIGN OF AN INDEPENDENT PRODUCTION
Jonathan Hindmarsh (Metamorphoses)
Isabel Hudson (Cry-Baby)
Isabel Hudson (The View UpStairs)
Maya Keys (The Wolves)
BEST COSTUME DESIGN OF A MAINSTAGE PRODUCTION
Alice Babidge (A Cheery Soul)
James Browne (Josephine Wants to Dance)
Renée Mulder (The Harp in the South)
Renée Mulder (Top Girls)
BEST COSTUME DESIGN OF AN INDEPENDENT PRODUCTION
Mason Browne (Cry-Baby)
Elizabeth Franklin (In the Heights)
Nicholas Fry (There Will Be a Climax)
Jonathan Hindmarsh (Metamorphoses)
BEST LIGHTING DESIGN OF A MAINSTAGE PRODUCTION
Damien Cooper (Top Girls)
Verity Hampson (Blackie Blackie Brown)
Nick Schlieper (The Resistible Rise of Arturo Ui)
Nick Schlieper (The Harp in the South)
BEST LIGHTING DESIGN OF AN INDEPENDENT PRODUCTION
Benjamin Brockman (Metamorphoses)
Martin Kinnane (The Flick)
Trent Suidgeest (Darlinghurst Nights)
Trent Suidgeest (The View UpStairs)
BEST SOUND DESIGN OF A MAINSTAGE PRODUCTION
Nate Edmondson (The Harp in the South)
Stefan Gregory (The Resistible Rise of Arturo Ui)
Max Lyandvert (Saint Joan)
Jethro Woodward (Sami in Paradise)
BEST ORIGINAL SCORE OF A MAINSTAGE PRODUCTION
William Barton (The Long Forgotten Dream)
Stefan Gregory (The Resistible Rise of Arturo Ui)
The Sweats (The Harp in the South)
Clemence Williams (A Cheery Soul)
BEST SOUND DESIGN OF AN INDEPENDENT PRODUCTION
Nate Edmondson (The Flick)
Ben Pierpoint (Metamorphoses)
Ben Pierpont and Mary Rapp (Stupid Fucking Bird)
Clemence Williams (The Wolves)
BEST NEW AUSTRALIAN WORK
The Almighty Sometimes (Kendall Feaver)
Blackie Blackie Brown (Nakkiah Lui)
The Feather in the Web (Nick Coyle)
The Harp in the South (Kate Mulvany)
Kill Climate Deniers (David Finnigan)
The Sugar House (Alana Valentine)
BEST NEWCOMER
Marty Alix (In the Heights)
Justin Amankwah (The Flick)
Damon Manns (The Rolling Stone)
Grace Truman (Jesus Wants Me for a Sunbeam)
Nadia Zwecker (The Wolves)
BEST PRODUCTION OF A MUSICAL
The Book of Mormon (Anne Garefino, Scott Rudin, Important Musicals and John Frost)
Cry-Baby (LPD in association with Hayes Theatre Co)
In the Heights (Blue Saint Productions in association with Hayes Theatre Co)
The View UpStairs (Invisible Wall Productions and Sugary Rum productions in association with Hayes Theatre Co)
BEST DIRECTION OF A MUSICAL
Alexander Berlage (Cry-Baby)
Luke Joslin (In the Heights)
Lee Lewis (Darlinghurst Nights)
Shaun Rennie (The View UpStairs)
JUDITH JOHNSON AWARD FOR BEST PERFORMANCE BY A FEMALE ACTOR IN A MUSICAL
Tina Arena (Evita)
Caitlin Berry (She Loves Me)
Loren Hunter (Evie May)
Ashleigh Rubenach (Cry-Baby)
JUDITH JOHNSON AWARD FOR BEST PERFORMANCE BY A MALE ACTOR IN A MUSICAL
Ryan Gonzalez (In the Heights)
Ryan Gonzalez (Jersey Boys)
Justin Smith (Darlinghurst Nights)
Rowan Witt (She Loves Me)
BEST PERFORMANCE BY A FEMALE ACTOR IN A SUPPORTING ROLE IN A MUSICAL
Beth Daly (Cry-Baby)
Laura Murphy (Cry-Baby)
Zahra Newman (The Book of Mormon)
Bishanyia Vincent (Evie May)
BEST PERFORMANCE BY A MALE ACTOR IN A SUPPORTING ROLE IN A MUSICAL
Marty Alix (In the Heights)
Joel Granger (She Loves Me)
Jay James-Moody (She Loves Me)
Rowan Witt (The Book of Mormon)
BEST MUSICAL DIRECTION OF A MUSICAL
Lucy Bermingham (In the Heights)
Geoffrey Castles (Aspects of Love)
Nicholas Griffin (Cry-Baby)
Max Lambert (Darlinghurst Nights)
BEST CHOREOGRAPHY IN A MUSICAL
Leslie Bell (She Loves Me)
Amy Campbell (In the Heights)
Madison Lee (The Wild Party)
Cameron Mitchell (Cry-Baby)
BEST CABARET PRODUCTION
Bosom Buddies (Nancye Hayes and Todd McKenney)
Meow Meow’s Pandemonium
Since Ali Died (Omar Musa)
BEST PRODUCTION FOR CHILDREN OR YOUNG PEOPLE
Alice in Wonderland (Sydney Festival)
Charlie Pilgrim (atyp)
Josephine Wants to Dance (Monkey Baa)
The Wider Earth (Queensland Theatre and Dead Puppet Society)
LIFETIME ACHIEVEMENT AWARD
To be announced at the Awards ceremony