Maggie McKenna and Sydney Theatre Award Winner Madeleine Jones in Muriel's Wedding. Image by Lisa Tomasetti
The 2018 Helpmann Award nominations were released today by Live Performance Australia (LPA) at simultaneous events in Adelaide, Brisbane, Melbourne, Perth and Sydney.
Muriel’s Wedding scored 11 nominations, Dream Lover and Beautiful: The Carole King Musical both earned 6 nominations each. Sydney Theatre Company earned an enormous 27 nominations while Melbourne theatre company collected a total of 8 nominations for its productions in the 2017-2018 judging year.
LPA also announced a new format for the national Live Performnance Awards ceremonies, which will see the winners of the 42 nomination categories announced at two separate events over two nights at two different Sydney venues.
“Two shorter shows enable us to better highlight the artistry and excellence in our dynamic live performance industry”, LPA Chief Executive Evelyn Richardson said of the new awards ceremony model, which is employed by many major awards ceremonies both nationally and internationally, including the AACTA awards for film and television.
The first ceremony – or Act I – will take place on Sunday 15 July at Sydney Town Hall from 6:00 – 7:30pm. The event will be a sit-down cocktail affair, celebrating the very best creative, designer and supporting roles. It will also include Awards for Best Presentation for Children and the Best Regional Touring Production. This industry-insider event will include performances and be co-hosted by celebrated broadcaster, director, producer, actor, advisor and artistic director Rhoda Roberts AM and Michael Lynch CBE AO, one of Australia’s most experienced and internationally renowned Arts Administrators.
The second ceremony – Act II – will be a (shorter) version of the Helpmann Awards Ceremonies of previous years and will be held on Monday 16 July at the Capitol Theatre, 8pm. All live performance Award genres will be presented at this event, along with a celebration of the 2017 Centenary JC Williamson and Sue Nattrass Award recipients. The internationally acclaimed Olivier & Tony Nominee, Helpmann Award winning performer and writer, Tony Sheldon will be one of the evenings revered hosts. Performances will be announced at a later date, but will include the cast of Priscilla Queen of the Desert the Musical.
An after party will be held at the Sydney Town Hall from 10pm – 1am on Monday 16 July.
Australia’s live performance sectors including musicals, contemporary music, comedy, opera and classical music, theatre, ballet, dance and physical theatre, presentations for children, regional touring and cabaret.
JUD ARTHUR
Hamlet
Glyndebourne Festival and Adelaide Festival in association with the State Opera of South Australia and the Adelaide Symphony Orchestra
KANEN BREEN
Coronation of Poppea
Pinchgut Opera
KIM BEGLEY
Hamlet
Glyndebourne Festival and Adelaide Festival in association with the State Opera of South Australia and the Adelaide Symphony Orchestra
WARWICK FYFE
Don Quichotte
Opera Australia
ANTOINETTE HALLORAN
Cunning Little Vixen
Victorian Opera
LORINA GORE
Hamlet
Glyndebourne Festival and Adelaide Festival in association with the State Opera of South Australia and the Adelaide Symphony Orchestra
MEOW MEOW
Black Rider: The Casting of the Magic Bullets
Victorian Opera and Malthouse Theatre in association with Melbourne Festival
NATALIE CHRISTIE PELUSO
Coronation of Poppea
Pinchgut Opera
COLIN MOODY
The Resistible Rise of Arturo Ui
Sydney Theatre Company
HARRY GREENWOOD
Cloud Nine
Sydney Theatre Company
MITCHELL BUTEL
Mr Burns, A Post-Electric Play
Belvoir and State Theatre Company South Australia
PETER CARROLL
The Resistible Rise of Arturo Ui
Sydney Theatre Company
ANITA HEGH
The Resistible Rise of Arturo Ui
Sydney Theatre Company
ELAINE CROMBIE
An Octoroon
Queensland Theatre and Brisbane Festival
JANE MONTGOMERY-GRIFFITHS
Macbeth
Melbourne Theatre Company
KATE BOX
Top Girls
Sydney Theatre Company
BOBBY FOX
Assassins
Hayes Theatre Co
MARTIN CREWES
Dream Lover
John Frost and Gilbert Theatrical
MAT VEREVIS
Beautiful: The Carole King Musical
Michael Cassel in association with Paul Blake & Sony/ATV Music Publishing & Mike Bosner
ROBERT GRUBB
Priscilla Queen of the Desert – The Musical
Michael Cassel Group and Nullarbor Productions in association with MGM on Stage
AMY LEHPAMER
Beautiful: The Carole King Musical
Michael Cassel in association with Paul Blake & Sony/ATV Music Publishing & Mike Bosner
CHRISTIE WHELAN BROWNE
Muriel’s Wedding The Musical
Sydney Theatre Company and Global Creatures
JEMMA RIX
The Wizard of Oz
John Frost and Suzanne Jones by arrangement with The Production Company
MADELEINE JONES
Muriel’s Wedding The Musical
Sydney Theatre Company and Global Creatures
GABRIELA TYLESOVA
Muriel’s Wedding The Musical
Sydney Theatre Company and Global Creatures
JENNIFER IRWIN
Bennelong
Bangarra Dance Theatre
JONATHON OXLADE
Mr Burns, A Post-Electric Play
Belvoir and State Theatre Company South Australia
ZOË ATKINSON
Black Rider: The Casting of the Magic Bullets
Victorian Opera and Malthouse Theatre in association with Melbourne Festival
BOB CROWLEY
Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland
The Australian Ballet
BUNNY CHRISTIE
The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time
National Theatre, Melbourne Theatre Company and Arts Centre Melbourne
DAVID MORTON, JONATHON OXLADE AND JUSTIN HARRISON
Laser Beak Man
Brisbane Festival, La Boite Theatre Company and Dead Puppet Society in association with PowerArts
JACOB NASH
Bennelong
Bangarra Dance Theatre
DAMIEN COOPER
You Animal, You
Force Majeure, Sydney Festival and Carriageworks
GEOFF COBHAM
Emil and the Detectives
Slingsby
NICK SCHLIEPER
Bennelong
Bangarra Dance Theatre
PAULE CONSTABLE
The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time
National Theatre, Melbourne Theatre Company and Arts Centre Melbourne
BYRON J. SCULLIN, TOM SUPPLE AND HANNAH FOX
Siren Song
Byron J. Scullin & Supple Fox and Perth Festival
IAN DICKINSON FOR AUTOGRAPH
The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time
National Theatre, Melbourne Theatre Company and Arts Centre Melbourne
MICHAEL WATERS
Dream Lover
John Frost and Gilbert Theatrical
MICHAEL WATERS
Muriel’s Wedding The Musical
Sydney Theatre Company and Global Creatures
BRIAN RITCHIE
The Spirit of Churaki
Bleach* Festival and Banaam
ISAAC HAYWARD
Muriel’s Wedding The Musical
Sydney Theatre Company and Global Creatures
NICOLETTE FRAILLON
Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland
The Australian Ballet
PHOEBE BRIGGS
Black Rider: The Casting of the Magic Bullets
Victorian Opera and Malthouse Theatre in association with Melbourne Festival
KATE MILLER-HEIDKE & KEIR NUTTAL
Muriel’s Wedding The Musical
Sydney Theatre Company and Global Creatures
MAX RICHTER
Woolf Works
The Royal Ballet & QPAC
SAM CROMACK
Laser Beak Man
Brisbane Festival, La Boite Theatre Company and Dead Puppet Society in association with PowerArts
STEVE FRANCIS
Bennelong
Bangarra Dance Theatre
TAYLOR MAC: A 24-DECADE HISTORY OF POPULAR MUSIC
Melbourne International Arts Festival
EMIL AND THE DETECTIVES
Slingsby
JUNK
Flying Fruit Fly Circus, Sydney Opera House and Arts Centre Melbourne
TETRIS
DreamBIG Children’s Festival 2017 at Adelaide Festival Centre
THE SECRET LIFE OF SUITCASES
Arts Centre Melbourne, Ailie Cohen Puppet Maker and The Unicorn Theatre London
HELLO, GOODBYE AND HAPPY BIRTHDAY
Roslyn Oades and Performing Lines
ODDYSEA
Sensorium Theatre and Performing Lines WA
OUR LAND PEOPLE STORIES
Bangarra Dance Theatre
SALTBUSH
Insite Arts, Compagnia TPO and Performing Lines/Blak Lines
CHRISTOPHER WHEELDON
Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland
The Australian Ballet
PHILLIP ADAMS
EVER
Phillip Adams BalletLab in association with Melbourne Festival
STEPHEN PAGE
Bennelong
Bangarra Dance Theatre
WAYNE MCGREGOR
Woolf Works
The Royal Ballet & QPAC
ANDREW HALLSWORTH
Muriel’s Wedding The Musical
Sydney Theatre Company and Global Creatures
JOSH PRINCE
Beautiful: The Carole King Musical
Michael Cassel in association with Paul Blake & Sony/ATV Music Publishing & Mike Bosner
KAREN BRUCE
The Bodyguard
John Frost, Michael Harrison and David Ian with Michael Watt, Brian Fenty, Tulchin/Bartner, BB Group/Freddy Burger, Elizabeth Williams and Jeanne and Ed Arnold
TOM HODGSON
MAMMA MIA! The Musical
Michael Coppel, Louise Withers & Linda Bewick
KIP WILLIAMS
Cloud Nine
Sydney Theatre Company
KIP WILLIAMS
The Resistible Rise of Arturo Ui
Sydney Theatre Company
MATTHEW LUTTON
The Real and Imagined History of the Elephant Man
Malthouse Theatre
SARAH GOODES
The Children
Melbourne Theatre Company and Sydney Theatre Company
BARRIE KOSKY
The Nose
Opera Australia
MATTHEW LUTTON
Black Rider: The Casting of the Magic Bullets
Victorian Opera and Malthouse Theatre in association with Melbourne Festival
NEIL ARMFIELD
Hamlet
Glyndebourne Festival and Adelaide Festival in association with the State Opera of South Australia and the Adelaide Symphony Orchestra
STUART MAUNDER AM
Cunning Little Vixen
Victorian Opera
DEAN BRYANT
Assassins
Hayes Theatre Co
MARC BRUNI
Beautiful: The Carole King Musical
Michael Cassel in association with Paul Blake & Sony/ATV Music Publishing & Mike Bosner
SIMON PHILLIPS
Dream Lover
John Frost and Gilbert Theatrical
SIMON PHILLIPS
Muriel’s Wedding The Musical
Sydney Theatre Company and Global Creatures
DAVID CAMPBELL
Assassins
Hayes Theatre Co
DAVID CAMPBELL
Dream Lover
John Frost and Gilbert Theatrical
DAVID HARRIS
Priscilla Queen of the Desert – The Musical
Michael Cassel Group and Nullarbor Productions in association with MGM on Stage
EUAN DOIDGE
Priscilla Queen of the Desert – The Musical
Michael Cassel Group and Nullarbor Productions in association with MGM on Stage
IAN STENLAKE
MAMMA MIA! The Musical
Michael Coppel, Louise Withers & Linda Bewick
ESTHER HANNAFORD
Beautiful: The Carole King Musical
Michael Cassel in association with Paul Blake & Sony/ATV Music Publishing & Mike Bosner
MAGGIE MCKENNA
Muriel’s Wedding The Musical
Sydney Theatre Company and Global Creatures
MARINA PRIOR
Dream Lover
John Frost and Gilbert Theatrical
NATALIE O’DONNELL
MAMMA MIA! The Musical
Michael Coppel, Louise Withers & Linda Bewick
DANIEL MONKS
The Real and Imagined History of the Elephant Man
Malthouse Theatre
HUGO WEAVING
The Resistible Rise of Arturo Ui
Sydney Theatre Company
JOHN BELL
The Father
Sydney Theatre Company and Melbourne Theatre Company
TOBY SCHMITZ
Thyestes
A Belvoir production, originally created by The Hayloft Project
HELEN MORSE
Memorial
Brink Productions and Adelaide Festival in association with Adelaide Festival Centre, Brisbane Festival and Melbourne Festival through the Major Festival’s Initiative, the 1418 NOW: WW1 Centenary Art Commissions, UK, and the Barbican
MIRANDA DAUGHTRY
A Doll’s House
State Theatre Company South Australia
PAMELA RABE
The Children
Melbourne Theatre Company and Sydney Theatre Company
SARAH PEIRSE
The Children
Melbourne Theatre Company and Sydney Theatre Company
ANNE EDMONDS
Helen Bidou – Enter the Spinnaker Lounge
Token Events
CELIA PACQUOLA
All Talk
Token Events
COLIN LANE & FRANK WOODLEY
Lano & Woodley – Fly
Token Events
JULIA MORRIS
Lift and Separate Golden Jubilee
Live Nation
RHYS NICHOLSON
Seminal
Century
URZILA CARLSON
Studies Have Shown
Live Nation
ZOE COOMBS MARR
Bossy Bottom
Token Events
BRIEFS ENSEMBLE
Briefs: Close Encounters
Briefs Factory
QUEENIE VAN DE ZANDT
BLUE: The Songs of Joni Mitchell
Neil Gooding Productions & Queenie van de Zandt
REUBEN KAYE
Journey to the Centre of Attention
Adelaide Festival Centre’s Adelaide Cabaret Festival
TAYLOR MAC
24-Decade History of Popular Music
Melbourne International Arts Festival
BEAU DEAN RILEY SMITH
Bennelong
Bangarra Dance Theatre
JOSHUA THOMSON
TIDE
Bleach* Festival, The Farm and City of Gold Coast
KEVIN JACKSON
Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland
The Australian Ballet
NELSON EARL
Ocho
Sydney Dance Company
AKO KONDO
Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland
The Australian Ballet
ELISE MAY
Behind Closed Doors
Expressions Dance Company and QPAC
MELISSA BONIFACE
The Great Gatsby
West Australian Ballet
VIVIENNE WONG
Infra
The Australian Ballet
CARRION
Justin Shoulder
LIMBO UNHINGED
Strut & Fret Production House
TIDE
BLEACH* Festival & The Farm
WHITE SPIRIT
Zaman Production & Galerie Itinerrance In Collaboration with the Musée Du Quai Branly – Jacques Chirac and Perth Festival
ALLAN CLAYTON
Hamlet
Glyndebourne Festival and Adelaide Festival in association with the State Opera of South Australia and the Adelaide Symphony Orchestra
BARRY RYAN
Cunning Little Vixen
Victorian Opera
FERRUCCIO FURLANETTO
Don Quichotte
Opera Australia
KANEN BREEN
Black Rider: The Casting of the Magic Bullets
Victorian Opera and Malthouse Theatre in association with Melbourne Festival
DIMITY SHEPHERD
Black Rider: The Casting of the Magic Bullets
Victorian Opera and Malthouse Theatre in association with Melbourne Festival
HELEN SHERMAN
Coronation of Poppea
Pinchgut Opera
NICOLE CAR
La Traviata
Opera Australia
TARYN FIEBIG
Triple Bill
Pinchgut Opera
CÉCILE MCLORIN SALVANT AND ADELAIDE FESTIVAL
Cécile McLorin Salvant
ED SHEERAN & FRONTIER TOURING
÷ World Tour 2018
PAUL MCCARTNEY, FRONTIER TOURING, MPL & MARSHALL ARTS Paul McCartney – One On One World Tour 2017
UNDERWORLD AND SYDNEY OPERA HOUSE PRESENTS Underworld
CHUGG ENTERTAINMENT AND ROB POTTS ENTERTAINMENT EDGE CMC Rocks QLD 2018
LUNATIC ENTERTAINMENT & LANEWAY PRESENTS St. Jeromes Laneway Festival 2018
MUSEUM OF OLD AND NEW ART (MONA)
MONA FOMA
WOMADELAIDE FOUNDATION
WOMADelaide 2018
ARMAND VAN HELDEN, MELBOURNE SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA, FRONTIER TOURING AND ARTS CENTRE MELBOURNE
Symphonica with Armand van Helden
GANG OF YOUTHS AND LIVE NATION
Gang of Youths – Australia 2017
GOTYE PRESENTED BY SYDNEY FESTIVAL & MONA FOMA Gotye Presents a Tribute to Jean-Jacques Perrey
MIDNIGHT OIL & FRONTIER TOURING
The Great Circle World Tour 2017
BEST INDIVIDUAL CLASSICAL MUSIC PERFORMANCE
EMANUEL AX
A Mozart Celebration: Emanuel Ax with the Sydney Symphony Orchestra The Sydney Symphony Orchestra
JONAS KAUFMANN
Parsifal
Opera Australia
KWANGCHUL YOUN
Parsifal
Opera Australia
PIETER WISPELWEY
Pieter Wispelwey plays the Bach Cello Suites
The Sydney Symphony Orchestra
HUMAN REQUIEM
Rundfunkchor Berlin
Adelaide Festival
JORDI SAVALL WITH HESPERION XXI & TEMBEMBE ENSAMBLE CONTINUO Perth Festival, Sydney Opera House, Melbourne Recital Centre & QPAC
PIETER WISPELWEY: BEETHOVEN, BACH, BRAHMS WITH CAROLINE ALMONTE Pieter Wispelwey & Caroline Almonte and Melbourne Recital Centre
TAKACS QUARTET
Musica Viva Australia
BEETHOVEN AND BRUCKNER: SIMONE YOUNG CONDUCTS The Sydney Symphony Orchestra
BLUEBEARD’S CASTLE: WITH BACH AND BRAHMS The Sydney Symphony Orchestra
ORCHESTRA OF THE AGE OF ENLIGHTENMENT WITH RACHEL PODGER Musica Viva Australia
WAGNER AND BEYOND: INSPIRING WAGNER
West Australian Symphony Orchestra
ALICE’S ADVENTURES IN WONDERLAND
The Australian Ballet
THE GREAT GATSBY
West Australian Ballet
THE WINTER’S TALE
The Royal Ballet & QPAC
WOOLF WORKS
The Royal Ballet & QPAC
BENNELONG
Bangarra Dance Theatre
INTIMATE SPACE
Restless Dance Theatre
Restless Dance Theatre in association with Bleach* Festival and Festival 2018
MOZART AIRBORNE
Expressions Dance Company, Opera Queensland and QPAC
ONE FLAT THING, REPRODUCED
STRUT DANCE
BLACK IS THE NEW WHITE
Sydney Theatre Company
LASER BEAK MAN
Brisbane Festival, La Boite Theatre Company and Dead Puppet Society
Brisbane Festival, La Boite Theatre Company and Dead Puppet Society in association with PowerArts
THE CHILDREN
Melbourne Theatre Company and Sydney Theatre Company
THE IRRESISTIBLE
Side Pony Productions & The Last Great Hunt
THE REAL AND IMAGINED HISTORY OF THE ELEPHANT MAN
Malthouse Theatre
THE RESISTIBLE RISE OF ARTURO UI
Sydney Theatre Company
BLACK RIDER: THE CASTING OF THE MAGIC BULLETS
Malthouse Theatre and Victorian Opera
Victorian Opera and Malthouse Theatre in association with Melbourne Festival
CUNNING LITTLE VIXEN
Victorian Opera
HAMLET
Glyndebourne Festival, Adelaide Festival, State Opera Of South Australia and The Adelaide Symphony Orchestra
THE NOSE
Opera Australia
BEAUTIFUL: THE CAROLE KING MUSICAL
Michael Cassel In Association With Paul Blake & Sony/Atv Music Publishing & Mike Bosner
DREAM LOVER
John Frost And Gilbert Theatrical
MAMMA MIA! THE MUSICAL
Michael Coppel, Louise Withers & Linda Bewick
MURIEL’S WEDDING THE MUSCIAL
Sydney Theatre Company and Global Creatures
BRETT DEAN AND MATTHEW JOCELYN
Hamlet
Glyndebourne Festival and Adelaide Festival in association with the State Opera of South Australia and the Adelaide Symphony Orchestra
COLIN LANE & FRANK WOODLEY
Lano & Woodley – Fly
Token Events
NAKKIAH LUI
Black is the New White
Sydney Theatre Company
NICHOLAS PAINE, DAVID MORTON, TIM SHARP AND SAM CROMACK
Laser Beak Man
Brisbane Festival, La Boite Theatre Company and Dead Puppet Society in association with PowerArts
PJ HOGAN, KATE MILLER-HEIDKE & KEIR NUTTALL
Muriel’s Wedding The Musical
Sydney Theatre Company and Global Creatures
STEPHEN PAGE
Bennelong
Bangarra Dance Theatre
Music icon Sting will return to the stage in a newly adapted production of his…
Broadway’s biggest night is fast approaching, with the Tony Awards set to celebrate another busy…
The Genesian Theatre Company is proud to present a moving new production of Harper Lee’s…
Minister for Sport and Major Events Steve Dimopoulos, together with producers Tony Cochrane AM and…
Liverpool City Council’s much-loved celebration of Asian culture and cuisine, Lanterns and Lights, returns on…
The Australian Premiere of the smash-hit Broadway musical Tootsie, officially opens at Teatro at the…