And the Musical Theatre Winners Are …
At a star-studded ceremony tonight, the winners of the 2016 Sydney Theatre Awards were announced, with 35 Awards presented, shared between 15 productions, which played in Sydney during the calendar year of 2016. Over 450 members of the Sydney theatre community packed the York Theatre at the Seymour Centre to celebrate the best of Sydney theatre – the first time the awards have been held there.
While the Awards covered the full spectrum of live theatre, the winners in the fields associated with Musical Theatre and Dance are detailed below.
In the Musical categories, Hayes Theatre Co’s Little Shop of Horrors scooped the pool, winning Best Musical, Best Direction of a Musical (Dean Bryant), Best Choreography (Andrew Hallsworth), Best Female Actor in a Leading Role in a Musical (Esther Hannaford) and Best Male Actor in a Leading Role in a Musical (Brent Hill). In an unusual decision, the critics voted Working Class Boy: An Evening of Stories and Songs, Jimmy Barnes’ very personal show about his life which played at the Sydney Opera House Concert Hall, as Best Cabaret.
The Sydney Theatre Awards are run by a group of leading theatre critics to celebrate the strength, quality and diversity of theatre in Sydney. The Sydney Theatre Reviewers are Elissa Blake (Fairfax), Jason Blake (Fairfax), Dee Jefferson (Time Out), Deborah Jones (The Australian), Jo Litson (Sunday Telegraph/ Limelight), John McCallum (The Australian), Ben Neutze (Daily Review), Diana Simmonds (stagenoise.com), Polly Simons (Daily Telegraph) and Cassie Tongue (AussieTheatre).
The Sydney Theatre Awards gratefully thanks our sponsors: The Seaborn, Broughton and Walford Foundation, Industrie, William Fletcher Foundation, Showcast, Currency Press, Ticketmaster, Hayes Theatre Co, Bellbird Cottages, ACMN and JPJ Audio.
MUSICAL THEATRE WINNERS OF 2016 SYDNEY THEATRE AWARDS
BEST STAGE DESIGN OF A MAINSTAGE PRODUCTION
Owen Phillips (Little Shop of Horrors)
BEST COSTUME DESIGN OF A MAINSTAGE PRODUCTION
Tim Chappel (Little Shop of Horrors)
BEST PRODUCTION OF A MUSICAL
Little Shop of Horrors (Luckiest Productions and Tinderbox Productions in association with Hayes Theatre Co)
BEST DIRECTION OF A MUSICAL
Dean Bryant (Little Shop of Horrors)
JUDITH JOHNSON AWARD FOR BEST PERFORMANCE BY A FEMALE ACTOR IN A MUSICAL
Esther Hannaford (Little Shop of Horrors)
JUDITH JOHNSON AWARD FOR BEST PERFORMANCE BY A MALE ACTOR IN A MUSICAL
Brent Hill (Little Shop of Horrors)
BEST PERFORMANCE BY A FEMALE ACTOR IN A SUPPORTING ROLE IN A MUSICAL
Laura Murphy (You’re a Good Man, Charlie Brown)
BEST PERFORMANCE BY A MALE ACTOR IN A SUPPORTING ROLE IN A MUSICAL
Scott Johnson (Little Shop of Horrors)
BEST MUSICAL DIRECTION
Lucy Bermingham (Spring Awakening)
BEST CHOREOGRAPHY IN A MUSICAL
Andrew Hallsworth (Little Shop of Horrors)
BEST CABARET PRODUCTION
Working Class Boy: An Evening of Stories and Songs (Jimmy Barnes)
BEST PRODUCTION FOR YOUNG PEOPLE
Spring Awakening (atyp)
CLICK HERE FOR THE FULL LIST OF 2016 WINNERS
