The Green Room Awards Association announced the nominations today for their 2011 Awards for excellence on the Melbourne stage for the period January 1 – December 2011.
Last year, members of the Green Room Award Association panels saw 144 independent theatre productions, 42 professional dance works, 14 musicals, 13 operas, 38 productions by major theatre companies, more than 30 cabaret shows and 56 alternative and hybrid performance works (encompassing contemporary circus, live art, physical theatre, new media, interdisciplinary performance and site-specific events).
From over 330 individual shows, a list of nominations for awards in each category have been posted and the recipients will be announced at a ceremony on Sunday 18th March at the Playhouse, Arts Centre Melbourne.
The cast and crew of Rock of Ages have scored themselves 12 nominations all up, including Kelly Devine’s solo nomination in the Choreography (Musical Theatre) category, while Simon Phillips’ re-imagined production of Love Never Dies have come away with 8 nominations.
Interesting to note however, that there are no nominations for Best Production in the Musical Theatre category this year, despite productions like the Helpmann Award winning Dr. Zhivago and Love Never Dies as well as MTC’s Next To Normal and Rock Of Ages gracing the Melbourne stage in 2011.
In the Cabaret nominations, a special award for “Contribution To Cabaret” has been included, with the sole nomination going to Finucane & Smith (Moira Finucane and Jackie Smith).
It is understood that each of the awards included in the list of nominations is up to the discretion of the panel. Head of the Cabaret Panel David Read, told AussieTheatre.com today that things “change from year to year”.
[The contribution to cabaret] award is not something we may award every year – only if there is an outstanding contributor”, he said.
Gideon Obarzanek, Assembly (Chunky Move / Victorian Opera, presented by Melbourne Festival in association with Sydney Festival & Brisbane Festival)
DESIGN
Benjamin Cisterne (Lighting) and Byron Perry in collaboration with Ben Cobham (Bluebottle 3) (Set), Double Think (Byron Perry / Arts House / Force Majeure in association with Melbourne Festival)
Adam Gardnir (Set), Happy as Larry (Arts House / Shaun Parker & Company)
Toni Maticevski (Costumes), Richard Nylon (Millinery), Matthew Bird (Nest Design & Backdrop), Gavin Brown (Curtain Design) & Benjamin Cisterne (Lighting), Aviary (Phillip Adams BalletLab in association with Melbourne Festival)
Jacob Nash (Set), Belong (Bangarra Dance Theatre)
SOUND AND MUSIC COMPOSITION AND/OR PERFORMANCE
Cast of Assembly (Live Performance), Assembly (Chunky Move / Victoria Opera presented by Melbourne Festival in association with Sydney Festival & Brisbane Festival)
Robin Fox & Oren Ambarchi (Composition), Connected (Chunky Move / Malthouse Theatre)
J. David Franzke & Geoffrey Hales (Composition) & Phillip Adams (Live Performance), Aviary (Phillip Adams BalletLab in association with Melbourne Festival)
Geoffrey Rush earned a nomination for his Lady Bracknell in The Importance of Being Earnest. Image by Jeff Busby
Theatre – Companies
LIGHTING
Paul Jackson, Julius Caesar (Bell Shakespeare Company)
Paul Jackson, Meow Meow’s Little Match Girl (Malthouse Theatre)
Teegan Lee, The End (Malthouse Theatre)
Andrew Livingston, Ganesh Versus The Third Reich (Malthouse Theatre)
Nick Schlieper, Baal (Malthouse Theatre)
SET/COSTUME DESIGN
Anna Cordingley, Body of Work
Adam Gardnir (Set & Costume), Die Winterreise (Malthouse Theatre)
Bruce Gladwin (Design), Mark Cuthbertson (Design Construction), Rhian Hinkley (Design & Animation, Shio Otani (Costume), Sam Jinks & Paul Smits (Mask Design), Ganesh Versus The Third Reich (Malthouse Theatre)
Tracy Grant Lord (Set & Costume), The Vibrator Play (Melbourne Theatre Company)
Nick Schlieper (Set), Baal (Malthouse Theatre)
SOUND/COMPOSITION
Iain Grandage, Body of Work
Andrée Greenwell (Original Music) and Jethro Woodward (Sound Designer), ‘Tis Pity She’s A Whore (Malthouse Theatre)
Johan Johansson (Composition), Ganesh Versus the Third Reich (Malthouse Theatre)
Mark Jones (Musical Director & Vocal Arrangement), A Golem Story (Malthouse Theatre)
FEMALE ACTOR
Emily Barclay (Cecily Cardew), The Importance of Being Ernest (Melbourne Theatre Company)
Jacqueline McKenzie, The Vibrator Play (Melbourne Theatre Company)
Zahra Newman (Performer), Random (Melbourne Theatre Company)
Eryn-Jean Norvill (Ophelia), Hamlet (Melbourne Theatre Company)
Yael Stone, The Golem Story (Malthouse Theatre)
MALE ACTOR
Trevor Jamieson (Performer), Namatjira (Big hART production / Malthouse Theatre)
Robert Menzies (Performer), The End (Malthouse Theatre)
Geoffrey Rush (Lady Bracknell), The Importance of Being Ernest (Melbourne Theatre Company)
Toby Schmitz, Body of Work
Greg Stone (Russ / Dan), Clybourne Park (Melbourne Theatre Company)
DIRECTION
Leticia Caceres, Random (Melbourne Theatre Company)
Peter Evans, Clybourne Park (Melbourne Theatre Company)
Peter Evans, Julius Caesar (Bell Shakespeare Company)
Bruce Gladwin, Ganesh Versus the Third Reich (Malthouse Theatre)
Pamela Rabe, The Vibrator Play (Melbourne Theatre Company)
Erin James is AussieTheatre.com's former Editor in Chief and a performer on both stage and screen. Credits include My Fair Lady, South Pacific and The King and I (Opera Australia), Love Never Dies and Cats (Really Useful Group), Blood Brothers (Enda Markey Presents), A Place To Call Home (Foxtel/Channel 7) and the feature film The Little Death (written and directed by Josh Lawson).
Disappointed that in Music Theatre nominations were not forth coming to Ben Lewis - Leading Actor, Simon Gleeson - Featured Actor and Graeme Murphy - Choreography - all artists involved the wonderful production of Love Never Dies. Had thought all these men be worthy of recognition for their talents on the Melbourne stage last year.
Ludicrous that with all the nominations and award winning productions there is no nomination for Best Production in the Musical category. Green Room awards? Sorry, you've just lost all credibility.
View Comments
Disappointed that in Music Theatre nominations were not forth coming to Ben Lewis - Leading Actor, Simon Gleeson - Featured Actor and Graeme Murphy - Choreography - all artists involved the wonderful production of Love Never Dies. Had thought all these men be worthy of recognition for their talents on the Melbourne stage last year.
Ludicrous that with all the nominations and award winning productions there is no nomination for Best Production in the Musical category. Green Room awards? Sorry, you've just lost all credibility.