Winners announced for the 2018 Sydney Theatre Awards

The 2018 Sydney Theatre Awards were announced tonight at a star-studded event at the Seymour Centre’s York Theatre.

34 awards were shared between 16 productions, with LPD and the Hayes Theatre Co’s Cry-Baby picking up 4 gongs including Best Musical, Best Direction (Alex Berlage), Best Stage Design of an Independent Production (Isabel Hudson) and Best Performance by a Female Actor in a Musical (Ashleigh Rubenach). Best Male Actor in a Leading Role in a Musical went to Ryan Gonzalez (In the Heights) and the Best Supporting Male and Female in a Musical both went to Book of Mormon with Rowan Witt and Zahra Newman winning their respective categories.

Best Mainstage Production was awarded to Sydney Theatre Company’s The Harp in the South: Part One  and Part Two, which also won Best Direction of a Mainstage Production (Kip Williams) and Best New Australian Work (Kate Mulvany). Best Independent Production went to New Theatre’s Stupid Fucking Bird, which also won Best Female Supporting Actor in an Independent Production (Annie Stafford).

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 Sydney Theatre Reviewers consist of Elissa Blake (Audrey Journal), Jason Blake (Audrey Journal), Deborah Jones (The Australian), Jo Litson (Limelight), John McCallum (The Australian), Joyce Morgan (Sydney Morning Herald), Ben Neutze (Time Out), John Shand (Sydney Morning Herald), Diana Simmonds (Stagenoise), Cassie Tongue (Time Out) and Suzy Wrong (Suzy Goes See).

WINNERS OF 2018 SYDNEY THEATRE AWARDS

BEST MAINSTAGE PRODUCTION
The Harp in the South (Sydney Theatre Company)

BEST INDEPENDENT PRODUCTION
Stupid Fucking Bird (New Theatre)

BEST DIRECTION OF A MAINSTAGE PRODUCTION
Kip Williams (Harp in the South)

BEST DIRECTION OF AN INDEPENDENT PRODUCTION
Dino Dimitriadis (Metamorphoses)

BEST FEMALE ACTOR IN A LEADING ROLE IN A MAINSTAGE PRODUCTION
Claire Lovering (The Feather in the Web)

BEST MALE ACTOR IN A LEADING ROLE IN A MAINSTAGE PRODUCTION
Hugo Weaving (The Resistible Rise of Arturo Ui)

BEST FEMALE ACTOR IN A LEADING ROLE IN AN INDEPENDENT PRODUCTION
Nikki Shiels (They Divided the Sky)

BEST MALE ACTOR IN A LEADING ROLE IN AN INDEPENDENT PRODUCTION
Justin Amankwah (The Flick)

BEST FEMALE ACTOR IN A SUPPORTING ROLE IN A MAINSTAGE PRODUCTION
Kate Box (Top Girls)

BEST MALE ACTOR IN A SUPPORTING ROLE IN A MAINSTAGE PRODUCTION
Mitchell Butel (The Resistible Rise of Arturo Ui)

BEST FEMALE ACTOR IN A SUPPORTING ROLE IN AN INDEPENDENT PRODUCTION
Annie Stafford (Stupid Fucking Bird)

BEST MALE ACTOR IN A SUPPORTING ROLE IN AN INDEPENDENT PRODUCTION
Damon Manns (The Rolling Stone)

BEST STAGE DESIGN OF A MAINSTAGE PRODUCTION
Robert Cousins (The Resistible Rise of Arturo Ui)

BEST STAGE DESIGN OF AN INDEPENDENT PRODUCTION
Isabel Hudson (Cry-Baby)

BEST COSTUME DESIGN OF A MAINSTAGE PRODUCTION
Renée Mulder (Top Girls)

BEST COSTUME DESIGN OF AN INDEPENDENT PRODUCTION
Jonathan Hindmarsh (Metamorphoses)

BEST LIGHTING DESIGN OF A MAINSTAGE PRODUCTION
Verity Hampson (Blackie Blackie Brown)

BEST LIGHTING DESIGN OF AN INDEPENDENT PRODUCTION
Benjamin Brockman (Metamorphoses)

BEST SOUND DESIGN OF A MAINSTAGE PRODUCTION
Stefan Gregory (The Resistible Rise of Arturo Ui)

BEST ORIGINAL SCORE OF A MAINSTAGE PRODUCTION
William Barton (The Long Forgotten Dream)

BEST SOUND DESIGN OF AN INDEPENDENT PRODUCTION
Ben Pierpoint (Metamorphoses)

BEST NEW AUSTRALIAN WORK
The Harp in the South (Kate Mulvany)

BEST NEWCOMER
Justin Amankwah (The Flick)

BEST PRODUCTION OF A MUSICAL
Cry-Baby (LPD in association with Hayes Theatre Co)

BEST DIRECTION OF A MUSICAL
Alexander Berlage (Cry-Baby)

JUDITH JOHNSON AWARD FOR BEST PERFORMANCE BY A FEMALE ACTOR IN A MUSICAL
Ashleigh Rubenach (Cry-Baby)

JUDITH JOHNSON AWARD FOR BEST PERFORMANCE BY A MALE ACTOR IN A MUSICAL
Ryan Gonzalez (In the Heights)

BEST PERFORMANCE BY A FEMALE ACTRESS IN A SUPPORTING ROLE IN A MUSICAL
Zahra Newman (The Book of Mormon)

BEST PERFORMANCE BY A MALE ACTOR IN A SUPPORTING ROLE IN A MUSICAL
Rowan Witt (The Book of Mormon)

BEST MUSICAL DIRECTION OF A MUSICAL
Lucy Bermingham (In the Heights)

BEST CHOREOGRAPHY IN A MUSICAL
Amy Campbell (In the Heights)

BEST CABARET PRODUCTION
Since Ali Died (Omar Musa)

BEST PRODUCTION FOR CHILDREN OR YOUNG PEOPLE
Josephine Wants to Dance (Monkey Baa)

LIFETIME ACHIEVEMENT AWARD
Robert Love