Love Never Dies leads 2012 Sydney Theatre Award Nominations
It’s that time of year again, ladies and gents! Every December, as the theatrical year winds up in time for Christmas, nominations for the Sydney Theatre Awards are announced. Today, the 2012 Award nominations were released, representing 36 different productions which played on Sydney stages during 2012.
Blockbuster musical Love Never Dies and independent production Punk Rock lead the list, with eight nominations each. The Boys (Sydney Festival) and Thyestes sit behind with six nods each and four nominations were awarded to Chitty Chitty Bang Bang, Hamlet, Les Liaisons Dangereuses, South Pacific, Strange Interlude and Truck Stop.
Additional categories were added this year, commending supporting performers and set design in the Independent sector, and supporting performers in musicals.
In the new male category for musical theatre Simon Gleeson (Love Never Dies), Eddie Perfect (South Pacific), Alex Rathgeber and Bert LaBonte (both from An Officer and a Gentleman) were nominated. Kate Ceberano (South Pacific), Sharon Millerchip (Love Never Dies) Jenny Vuletic (Chitty Chitty Bang Bang) and Debora Krizak (A Chorus Line) make up the inaugural nominees for best female in a supporting role in a musical.
Celebrating the strength, quality and diversity of theatre in Sydney, the Sydney Theatre Awards are presented by a group of leading theatre critics including Elissa Blake (Sun Herald), Jason Blake (Sydney Morning Herald), Chris Hook (Daily Telegraph), Deborah Jones (The Australian), Darryn King (Time Out Sydney), Jo Litson (The Sunday Telegraph), John McCallum (The Australian) and Diana Simmonds (Stagenoise).
2012 was a particularly strong year for theatre in Sydney, and the reviewers were faced with tough choices when selecting nominees.
“We were all very excited about the range and quality of performances in both mainstream and independent productions. This year’s abundance meant our deliberations were fierce and close – a terrific position to be in,” said Deborah Jones.
Jason Blake added, “Our stage artists are not only consistently excelling but creating new benchmarks. On any given night in Sydney, you can turn up to a theatre you’ve never been to before and stand a better than even chance of having an experience that is moving, enlightening, challenging or just plain old entertaining.”
Winners of the 2012 Sydney Theatre Awards wil be announced at a gala ceremony on Monday January 14, 2013 at 6pm at the Paddington RSL.
2012 SYDNEY THEATRE AWARD NOMINATIONS
BEST MAINSTAGE PRODUCTION
The Boys (Griffin in association with Sydney Festival)
Les Liaisons Dangereuses (STC)
Medea (Belvoir in association with Australian Theatre for Young People)
Thyestes (Belvoir and Sydney Festival in association with Carriageworks. Originally created by The Hayloft Project. A Malthouse Theatre commission)
BEST INDEPENDENT PRODUCTION
Hamlet (Sport for Jove)
The New Electric Ballroom (Siren Theatre Co and Griffin Independent)
Punk Rock (Pantsguys Productions with atyp Under The Wharf)
The Taming of the Shrew (Sport for Jove)
BEST PRODUCTION OF A MUSICAL
Chitty Chitty Bang Bang
Legally Blonde
Love Never Dies
South Pacific
BEST DIRECTION OF A MAINSTAGE PRODUCTION
Roslyn Oades (I’m Your Man)
Anne-Louise Sarks (Medea)
Simon Stone (Thyestes)
Sam Strong (The Boys)
BEST DIRECTION OF AN INDEPENDENT PRODUCTION
Katrina Douglas (Truck Stop)
Damien Ryan (Hamlet)
Damien Ryan (The Taming of the Shrew)
Anthony Skuse (Punk Rock)
BEST ACTRESS IN A LEADING ROLE IN A MAINSTAGE PRODUCTION
Blazey Best (Medea)
Harriet Dyer (The School for Wives)
Leah Purcell (Don’t Take Your Love to Town)
Pamela Rabe (Les Liaisons Dangereuses)
BEST ACTRESS IN A LEADING ROLE IN AN INDEPENDENT PRODUCTION
Caroline Brazier (I Want To Sleep With Tom Stoppard)
Darcie Irwin Simpson (Punk Rock)
Danielle King (The Taming of the Shrew)
Eryn Jean Norvill (Truck Stop)
BEST ACTOR IN A LEADING ROLE IN A MAINSTAGE PRODUCTION
John Adam (The School for Wives)
Colin Friels (Death of a Salesman)
Josh McConville (The Boys)
Mark Winter (Thyestes)
BEST ACTOR IN A LEADING ROLE IN AN INDEPENDENT PRODUCTION
Justin Stewart Cotta (Syncopation)
Lindsay Farris (Hamlet)
James Lugton (The Taming of the Shrew)
Sam O’Sullivan (Punk Rock)
BEST ACTRESS IN A SUPPORTING ROLE IN A MAINSTAGE PRODUCTION
Alison Bell (Old Man)
Helen Buday (Babyteeth)
Justine Clarke (Les Liaisons Dangereuses)
Eryn Jean Norvill (The Boys)
BEST ACTRESS IN A SUPPORTING ROLE IN AN INDEPENDENT PRODUCTION
Elena Carapetis (Truck Stop)
Genevieve Giuffre (Psycho Beach Party)
Aimee Horne (The Highway Crossing)
Wendy Strehlow (I Want To Sleep With Tom Stoppard)
BEST ACTOR IN A SUPPORTING ROLE IN A MAINSTAGE PRODUCTION
Patrick Brammall (Death of a Salesman)
Mitchell Butel (Strange Interlude)
Glenn Hazeldine (A Hoax)
Toby Truslove (Strange Interlude)
BEST ACTOR IN A SUPPORTING ROLE IN AN INDEPENDENT PRODUCTION
Patrick Connolly (The Seafarer)
Gabriel Fancourt (Punk Rock)
Graeme McRae (Punk Rock)
Nigel Turner-Carroll (The Greening of Grace)
BEST STAGE DESIGN OF A MAINSTAGE PRODUCTION
Robert Cousins (Strange Interlude)
Claude Marcos (Thyestes)
Renee Mulder (The Boys)
Gabriela Tylesova (Love Never Dies)
BEST STAGE DESIGN OF AN INDEPENDENT PRODUCTION
Anna Gardiner (The Taming of the Shrew)
Michael Hankin with film/video by Sean Bacon (Truck Stop)
Gez Xavier Mansfield (Punk Rock)
Lucilla Smith (Hamlet)
BEST COSTUME DESIGN
Marg Horwell (The School for Wives)
Renee Mulder (Mariage Blanc)
Mel Page (Les Liaisons Dangereuses)
Gabriela Tylesova (Love Never Dies)
BEST LIGHTING DESIGN
Geoff Cobham (Never Did Me Any Harm)
Damien Cooper (Strange Interlude)
Nick Schlieper (Love Never Dies)
Gavan Swift (Mariage Blanc)
BEST SCORE OR SOUND DESIGN
Stefan Gregory (Thyestes)
Alan John (Under Milk Wood)
Max Lyandvert (Never Did Me Any Harm)
Kelly Ryall (The Boys)
BEST NEW AUSTRALIAN WORK
I Want To Sleep With Tom Stoppard (Toby Schmitz)
I’m Your Man (Roslyn Oades with cast)
Medea (Kate Mulvany and Anne-Louise Sarks after Euripides)
Thyestes (Simon Stone, Chris Ryan, Mark Winter and Thomas Henning after Seneca)
BEST NEWCOMER
Darcie Irwin Simpson (Punk Rock)
Joseph Kelly and Rory Potter (Medea)
Shari Sebbens (A Hoax)
Sara West (Babyteeth)
BEST PRODUCTION FOR CHILDREN
Actor on a Box: The Luck Child (STC)
Escape from Peligro Island (Windmill Theatre Company in association with The Border Project and Sydney Opera House)
The List Operators For Kids Do Compooters (Dirty Work Comedy with Sydney Festival)
Man Covets Bird (Slingsby and Sydney Opera House)
JUDITH JOHNSON AWARD FOR BEST ACTRESS IN A LEADING ROLE IN A MUSICAL
Rachael Beck (Chitty Chitty Bang Bang)
Lucy Durack (Legally Blonde)
Lisa McCune (South Pacific)
Anna O’Byrne (Love Never Dies)
JUDITH JOHNSON AWARD FOR BEST ACTOR IN A LEADING ROLE IN A MUSICAL
David Harris (Legally Blonde)
David Hobson (Chitty Chitty Bang Bang)
Ben Lewis (Love Never Dies)
Teddy Tahu Rhodes (South Pacific)
BEST ACTRESS IN A SUPPORTING ROLE IN A MUSICAL
Kate Ceberano (South Pacific)
Debora Krizak (A Chorus Line)
Sharon Millerchip (Love Never Dies)
Jenny Vuletic (Chitty Chitty Bang Bang)
BEST ACTOR IN A SUPPORTING ROLE IN A MUSICAL
Simon Gleeson (Love Never Dies)
Bert LaBonte (An Officer and A Gentleman)
Eddie Perfect (South Pacific)
Alex Rathgeber (An Officer and A Gentleman)
The LIFETIME ACHIEVEMENT AWARD will be announced at the ceremony on 14 January.
