The annual awards for live performance in Australia, the Helpmanns, have moved to Melbourne. It’s like the Tonys leaving New York – it’s fine, really, but also we’re not going to miss out on all the fun.
The winners will be announced today – you can find all of this year’s nominees here, and of course we'll bring you the full list later tonight. The awards cover dance, opera, ballet, music festivals, comedy, classical concerts, as well as theatre, musicals and cabaret.
We’re not convinced a national awards show can truly represent our arts landscape: voters are scattered across the country so works that have played more than one city tends to win just because it has been more visible; and, while it’s better this year, few women and people of colour are nominated for prominent awards. Plus, once an actual long-dead costume designers was nominated for his decades-old work over deserving local, living talent. We’re still a little mad about that.
So for the second year in a row, we’re filling in the gaps with our own gongs! We’re sticking with Sydney works, because a) we live here and b) there’s so much talent here we’ve given up sleeping and social lives to experience it all, so we have to make the sacrifice worthwhile.
Sydney artists, these awards are for you. Don’t restrict your acceptance speeches to under 30 seconds: we want to hear every single word you have to say.
BEST MUSICAL IMPROVING ON HISTORY BY CASTING WOMEN INSTEAD OF WALL-TO-WALL DUDES
The Dismissal
BEST USE OF VIDEO/SCREENS
A Cheery Soul
WORST USE OF VIDEO/SCREENS
Saturday Night Fever
BEST EPIC LONGFORM PERFORMANCE, INDEPENDENT
Angels in America
BEST EPIC LONGFORM PERFORMANCE, MAINSTAGE
The Harp in the South
BEST SHOW TO ACTUALLY CELEBRATE FAT BODIES WHILE ALSO JUSTIFIABLY MOCKING THE MUSICAL CATS
Fat Musicals
FUNNIEST PROP
Allison’s tiny bed in Cry-Baby
MOST ASTONISHING PLAYWRITING DEBUT, INDEPENDENT
A Little Piece of Ash, Megan Wilding
MOST ASTONISHING PLAYWRITING DEBUT, MAINSTAGE
Counting and Cracking, S. Shakthidharan
BEST ONSTAGE PUPPER
Lady Darci, Tinkerbelle and Dame Zahli, Mary Stuart
BEST ONSTAGE CHIMP
Jamie Oxenbould, Trevor
BEST ONSTAGE IBIS
Matthew Predny, Yarramadoon the Musical
BEST USE OF ACTUAL TINA ARENA
Tina Arena as Eva Peron in Evita
THE “I’M STILL HERE AWARD” FOR THE GRAND DAME OF MUSICAL THEATRE
Toni Lamond, Sydney Cabaret Festival
MOST COURAGEOUS PERFORMANCE
Eryn-Jean Norvill on the witness stand
MOST META-THEATRICAL PLAY ABOUT AUSTRALIAN THEATRE TO REFERENCE AN AUSTRALIAN THEATRE PARODY TWITTER ACCOUNT IN A SCENE PARODYING AUSTRALIAN THEATRE IN A META-THEATRICAL WAY
Project Bestfriendship
MOST FEARLESS PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTOR
Claire Lovering, The Feather in the Web
BEST PERFORMANCE AS A MIGRAINE AURA
Tina Bursill, The Feather in the Web
BEST ENSEMBLE IN A PLAY
Gloria
BEST ENSEMBLE IN A MUSICAL
She Loves Me
BEST ENSEMBLE IN A SHOW WITHOUT ROWAN WITT
The Appleton Ladies Potato Race
MOST 2018-19 PLAY (IN A GOOD WAY)
How to Rule the World
LEAST 2018-19 PLAY (IN A BAD WAY)
The Widow Unplugged
THE “COME BACK” AWARD FOR BEST ACTOR WE LOST TO AMERICA AND AN HBO SHOW STARRING AL PACINO
Kate Mulvany, Every Brilliant Thing
THE “NEVER LEAVE” AWARD FOR BELOVED SYDNEY ACTOR WE WILL BRIBE TO KEEP ON OUR STAGES
Sheridan Harbridge, Prima Facie
MOST INFURIATING PLAY
Daughter
MOST MOVING ONSTAGE LEG SHAVING
Brenna Harding and Hannah Waterman, The Almighty Sometimes
CHAMELEON AWARD FOR ONE-HANDERS
Jay James Moody, Herringbone
Zahra Newman, random
JUST A WHOLE BUNCH OF ARTISTS WHO DESERVE AWARDS FOR THEIR WORK OVER THE LAST YEAR
Catherine Davies, actor
Bishanyia Vincent, actor
Olivia Vasquez, actor
Shaun Rennie, director
Megan Wilding, actor
Michelle Lim Davidson, actor
Lee Lewis, director
Charles Wu, actor/writer
Janine Watson, actor/director
Jeremy Waters, producer
Dino Dimitriades, director
Ursula Yovich, actor
Marty Alix, actor
Nakkiah Lui, playwright
Need more theatre in your life? Check out the best shows on stage this month and all the biggest musicals coming your way.