2015 Glugs Theatrical Award winners announced
Beloved Sydney theatre group The Glugs hosted their annual Glugs Theatre Awards last night at a packed Castlereagh Inn filled with theatre royalty, the likes of Nancye Hayes, Tony Sheldon, Geraldine Turner and Henri Szeps.
Now in their 48th year, The Glugs is a group of passionate theatre critics, journalists, actors, producers, directors, writers and theatre-goers who meet bi-monthly for lunch and annually for their Theatre Awards.
Big winners of the 2015 awards included The Theatre Division’s Ruthless (Best Actress in a Musical Katrina Retallick and Best Supporting Actress in a Musical Geraldine Turner), Ensemble Theatre (Best Actor in a Play Sean Taylor for Blue/Orange and Best Supporting Actress in a Play Kate Fitzpatrick for Cruise Control) and Griffin Theatre’s Eight Gigabytes of Hardcore Pornography (Best Actor in a Play Steve Rogers and Best New Australian Work).
Consummate performer of the stage and screen (and competent tumbler as the audience discovered last night) Henri Szeps was honoured with a Lifetime Achievement Award and provided the charmed audience with the night’s highlight when he proceeded to tell a story about a man who saved a freezing bird by placing it in warm poo, only to have the bird be eaten by a wolf when the now happy and warm bird began to sing. Moral of the story? Don’t sing when you’re in the poo (and don’t take life too seriously, just have a bit of fun).
Lee Young also notably resigned from his 11-year position as Chief Glug, handing leadership over to beloved dentist and staple of Sydney’s supportive theatre scene, Dr. Bill Winspear.
Presenters on the night included David Sale, Sandra Bates, Ian Phipps, Nancye Hayes, Merran Doyle, Marika Aubrey, Rose Peterson, Tony Sheldon, Beverley Davies, Dr Bill Winspear, James Wright, Donna Lee, Bunny Gibson and Lee Young.
Check out the winners below!
The next Glugs lunch is Monday 2 March at The Castlereagh Inn. www.glugs.com.au for more information.
NORMAN KESSELL MEMORIAL AWARD FOR MOST OUTSTANDING ACTOR
FEMALE
Lucy Bell – Emerald City – Griffin
MALE
Sean Taylor – Blue/Orange – Ensemble
Steve Rodgers – Eight Gigabytes of Hardcore Pornography – Griffin
JEFFRY JOYNTON-SMITH MEMORIAL AWARD FOR MOST OUTSTANDING SUPPORTING ACTOR
FEMALE
Kate Fitzpatrick – Cruise Control – Ensemble
MALE
Andrew Henry – All My Sons – Darlinghurst Theatre
COLLEEN CLIFFORD MEMORIAL AWARD FOR BEST ACTOR IN MUSIC THEATRE
FEMALE
Katrina Retallick – Ruthless – The Theatre Division
MALE
Ian Stenlake – Truth, Beauty and a Picture of You – Neil Gooding Productions
COLLEEN CLIFFORD MEMORIAL AWARD FOR BEST SUPPORTING PERFORMER IN MUSIC THEATRE
FEMALE
Geraldine Turner – Ruthless – The Theatre Division
MALE
Tom Sharah – The Drowsy Chaperone – Squabbalogic
MOST OUTSTANDING NEWCOMER
Hunter Page-Lochard – Brothers Wreck – Belvoir
TAFFY DAVIES MEMORIAL AWARD FOR MOST OUSTANDING INDEPENDENT PRODUCTION Sponsored by Beverley Davies
All My Sons – Darlinghurst Theatre
JOHN WEST MEMORIAL AWARD FOR MOST OUTSTANDING NEW AUSTRALIAN PERFORMED WORK
Eight Gigabytes of Hardcore Pornography – by Declan Greene – Griffin/PTC
AWARD FOR MOST OUTSTANDING CHILDREN’S THEATRE PRODUCTION Sponsored by Rose Peterson
Pete the Sheep – adapted from the book by Jackie French and Bruce Whatley by Eva Di Cesare, Tim McGarry and Sandra Eldridge – music/lyrics by Phil Scott – dir. Jonathan Biggins – Monkey Baa Theatre Co.
ROBERT DAVIS MEMORIAL AWARD FOR MOST OUTSTANDING MAINSTREAM PRODUCTION
The King and I – Opera Australia and John Frost
THE AWARD FOR BEST MUSICAL PRODUCTION
Sweet Charity – Hayes Theatre; Luckiest Productions/ Neil Gooding Productions
BEST CABARET AWARD (CHOSEN BY CHIEF GLUG)
Donna Lee Sings Petula Clark – Hayes Theatre
DON REID MEMORIAL AWARD FOR PERFORMER ON THE WAY Sponsored by Fiona Press
Madeleine Benson
HAYES GORDON MEMORIAL AWARD FOR IMPORTANT CONTRIBUTION TO THEATRE
Andrew Worboys
THE CHIEF GLUG AWARD FOR EXCELLENCE BEHIND THE SCENES
Neil Gooding
SEABORN BROUGHTON AND WALFORD AWARD FOR LIFETIME ACHIEVEMENT
Henri Szeps
