Lynn Belvedere

The Full List of Winners of the 2015 SYDNEY THEATRE AWARDS

sydney_theatre_awards_logo_2015

On Monday Night 18th January 2016, all the winners of the 2015 Sydney Theatre Awards were announced in a star-studded gala ceremony. This year thirty-six Awards were presented, shared between nineteen Sydney productions, seen on stage during calendar year 2015.

The musical theatre categories were this year expanded to recognise the increased breadth of work across both the commercial and independent sector in 2015. Reflecting the recent growth in musical productions in Sydney, additional categories received awards this year.

Over 350 members of the Sydney theatre community gathered in the auditorium at Paddington RSL Club, to celebrate all the winners of the 2015 Sydney Theatre Awards. At the ceremony, you very quickly learn about how very many people it takes to keep a city of theatre going, and an example is MATILDA which has over two hundred people actively involved in the production.

The Annual Sydney Theatre Award for Lifetime Achievement was presented to one of the doyennes of Australian theatre, veteran producer Christine Dunstan, who has hundreds of productions to her name.

Over an extraordinary fifty year career, Dunstan has been “the first female” to undertake significant production roles for most of the major Australian theatre companies. Dunstan set up her own company in 1993, and CDP is an award-winning and nationally recognised touring theatre production house.,

Entertainment included delightful singing performances with six of the  cast members of  The Sound of Music on the stage performing a medley of songs from the Nick Enright songbook. Performers on the night included  Annie Aitken, Johanna Allen, Du Toit Bredenkamp, Colin Dean, Anthony Harkin, Stefanie Jones, Esther Hannaford, Dash Kruck.

Later in the evening  Esther Hannaford was on stage to sing I’ll Hold On composed by Max Lambert. Presenters at the Sydney Theatre Awards 2015 included Kelley Abbey, Simon Burke, Philip Dodd, Daniel Edmonds, Wesley Enoch, Kate Fitzpatrick, Geraldine Hakewill, Damon Herriman, Maggie Kirkpatrick, Stephen Mahy, Katrina Retallick, Tess Schofield, Sal Sharah, Yael Stone, Helen Tonkin and Matthew Whittet.

The Sydney Theatre Awards are run by a group of theatre critics to celebrate the strength, quality and diversity of theatre in Sydney.  This was the 11th annual celebration, of the best of the past year’s work as judged and decided by some of Sydney’s  leading theatre critics, that include Daily Review’s Ben Neutze, Elissa Blake (Sun Herald), Jason Blake (Sydney Morning Herald), Dee Jefferson (Time Out), Deborah Jones (The Australian), Jo Litson (Sunday Telegraph), John McCallum (The Australian), Diana Simmonds (stagenoise.com), Polly Simons (Daily Telegraph) and Cassie Tongue (AussieTheatre).

Eamon Flack’s acceptance speech highlighted the constant need to demand investment at all levels, in the creation of works that contribute to everyone’s “National Public Life”. Blazey Best also honoured her fellow nominees, and stated that when she was nineteen years of age, that she looked to the women that shared her category, for the inspiration that helped her in her career. Josh Robson acknowledged the incredible support received from Hayes Theatre and also mentioned their  strong subscriber base, that allows relatively unknown works to have successful runs.

2015 SYDNEY THEATRE AWARD WINNERS

BEST MAINSTAGE PRODUCTION

Ivanov (Belvoir)

BEST INDEPENDENT PRODUCTIONN

Of Mice and Men (Sport for Jove and Seymour Centre)

BEST DIRECTION OF A MAINSTAGE PRODUCTION

Eamon Flack (Ivanov)

BEST DIRECTION OF AN INDEPENDENT PRODUCTION

Iain Sinclair (Of Mice and Men)

BEST ACTRESS IN A LEADING ROLE IN A MAINSTAGE PRODUCTION

Eryn Jean Norvill (Suddenly Last Summer)

BEST ACTOR IN A LEADING ROLE IN A MAINSTAGE PRODUCTION

Hugo Weaving (Endgame)

BEST ACTRESS IN A LEADING ROLE IN AN INDEPENDENT PRODUCTION

Kate Cole (Grounded)

BEST ACTOR IN A LEADING ROLE IN AN INDEPENDENT PRODUCTION

Thomas Campbell (Misterman)

BEST ACTRESS IN A SUPPORTING ROLE IN A MAINSTAGE PRODUCTION

Blazey Best (Ivanov)

BEST ACTOR IN A SUPPORTING ROLE IN A MAINSTAGE PRODUCTION

John Howard (Ivanov)

BEST ACTRESS IN A SUPPORTING ROLE IN AN INDEPENDENT PRODUCTION

Taylor Ferguson (Good Works)

BEST ACTOR IN A SUPPORTING ROLE IN AN INDEPENDENT PRODUCTION

James Bell (The Aliens)

BEST STAGE DESIGN OF A MAINSTAGE PRODUCTION

Nick Schlieper (Endgame)

BEST STAGE DESIGN OF AN INDEPENDENT PRODUCTION

Michael Hankin (Of Mice and Men)

BEST COSTUME DESIGN OF A MAINSTAGE PRODUCTION

Alice Babidge (Suddenly Last Summer)

BEST COSTUME DESIGN OF AN INDEPENDENT PRODUCTION

Angela White (Heathers)

BEST LIGHTING DESIGN OF A MAINSTAGE PRODUCTION

Paul Jackson (Love and Information)

BEST LIGHTING DESIGN OF AN INDEPENDENT PRODUCTION

Hartley TA Kemp (Misterman)

BEST SCORE OR SOUND DESIGN OF A MAINSTAGE PRODUCTION

The Sweats (Love and Information)

BEST SCORE OR SOUND DESIGN OF AN INDEPENDENT PRODUCTION

Nate Edmondson (Misterman)

BEST NEW AUSTRALIAN WORK

The Bleeding Tree (Angus Cerini)

BEST NEWCOMER

Lauren McKenna (Heathers)

BEST ENSEMBLE CAST

After Dinner (Sydney Theatre Company)

BEST PRODUCTION OF A MAINSTREAM MUSICAL

Matilda (The Royal Shakespeare Company, Louise Withers, Michael Coppel and Michael Watt)

BEST PRODUCTION OF AN INDEPENDENT MUSICAL

Violet (Blue Saint Productions in association with Hayes Theatre Co)

BEST DIRECTION OF A MUSICAL

Mitchell Butel (Violet)

JUDITH JOHNSON AWARD FOR BEST PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTRESS IN A MUSICAL

Amy Lehpamer (The Sound of Music)

JUDITH JOHNSON AWARD FOR BEST PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTOR IN A MUSICAL

Hayden Tee (Les Miserables)

BEST PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTRESS IN A SUPPORTING ROLE IN A MUSICAL

Elise McCann (Matilda)

BEST PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTOR IN A SUPPORTING ROLE IN A MUSICAL

James Millar (Matilda)

BEST MUSICAL DIRECTION

Lucy Bermingham (Violet)

BEST CABARET PRODUCTION

Josie Lane (Asian Provocateur)

BEST PRODUCTION FOR CHILDREN

The 52-Storey Treehouse (CDP)

BEST PRODUCTION FOR YOUNG PEOPLE

War Crimes (ATYP)

SPECIAL ACHIEVEMENT AWARD

Molly Barwick, Sasha Rose, Georgia Taplin, Bella Thomas (Matilda)

LIFETIME ACHIEVEMENT AWARD

Christine Dunstan

Published by Lynn Belvedere

Once we were old enough, my parents took the whole family to the Sydney CBD cinemas every week. Thus began a lifetime interest, in going to the cinema every week, and became a passionate cinephile by watching all those very heavily edited ''Australian Film Censorship Board'' true cinéaste versions of brand new release ''Cinematograph Films''. Greater Union always gave my father (who worked in Cinema Distribution Exhibition) guest double movie passes, to every first-night ''red carpet Opening Night'' at The State Theatre Cinema at 49 Market Street. Up until his death, my dad always received ''two house seats'' for every Opening Night performance events at the Theatre Royal SYDNEY and at Her Majesty's Theatre SYDNEY. As a child, when mum choose not to go, I often went with him, to those live performance events. As a young child, I remember being taken for each new show, at both The New Theatre at 60 Sussex Street, and the Phillip Street Theatre when located at 150 Elizabeth Street, and for classical music concerts at Sydney Town Hall. = = = ★★★★★ = = = Being happy is a choice, and I have always viewed my life, as material ready be made into a series of amazing tentpole movies. My New Years Resolution is kept every year: ''Get to see/review five new live theatre shows each week, and get to see/review six new cinema movies each week'', plus is one of the Australian Cinema Pioneers, and apparently have seen far too much already, but always wanting to experience more and more each year. I am also able to do almost everything that I enjoy doing. Yes, I do have a great daytime job in I.T. as ''Software Design Project Manager'', PLUS each evening until quite late - - - Australian Cinematograph Films historical censorship consultant - product-placement consultant - mystery-shopper consultant - playwright, writer, author, director, producer, photographer, cinematographer, color-grader, subtitles proofreader - arts/ drama/ music/ film critic and judge, journalist, member FIPRESCI & FCCA & AFCA, member AACTA accredited film reviewer-critic-writer, accredited IMDB.COM critic-reviewer-author, projectionist, plus an innovative iconoclast - - - ★★★★★ LYNN BELVEDERE ★★★★★ - - - [usr 5] - - -