The winners of the 36th annual Green Room Awards we announced last night at the Comedy Theatre in Melbourne.
The awards presented last night covered work presented on Melbourne stages in 2018.
In the Musical Theatre category Beautiful the Carol King Musical, was the big winner taking out five of the awards including Esther Hannaford winning Best Female Lead in a Musical. They also won awards for Set, Costume, Direction and Best Production. Brent Hill (School of Rock) won Best Male Lead in a musical and the Best Supporting Male and Female went to Nick Simpson-Deeks (Falstettos) and Johanna Allen (A Little Night Music) respectively.
The Winners
CABARET
Artiste
Selina Jenkins – Thy Neighbour (Selina Jenkins)
Reuben Kaye – Reuben Kaye (Reuben Kaye)
Jude Perl – I Have A Face (Jude Perl) – Winner
Geraldine Quinn – Queen Bitch (Geraldine Quinn)
Ensemble
Baby Bi Bi Bi – Samantha Andrew, Annabel Larcombe, Erin Pattison (Flesh Coloured Panties Productions) – Winner
Creatures Of The Deep – Ryan Smith, Sean Sully, Jake Edgar, Chris Harris, Cat Sanzaro, Sarah Wall (Picked Last For Sport)
Double Denim – Michelle Brasier and Laura Frew (Hey Boss and Double Denim)
The Aspie Hour – Sophie Smyth and Ryan Smedley (Sophie Smyth and Ryan Smedley)
‘Tis The Season – Maverick Newman and Stacey Thomsett (Maverick Newman and Stacey Thomsett)
Writing
Anni & Maude Davey, Teresa Blake and Anna Lumb – Retro Futurismus – Brave World (Retro Futurismus)
Telia Neville – Untitled No. 7 (Telia Neville)
Kit Richards – Wool! A History of Australia’s Wool Industry: The Musical (Kit Richards)
Sophie Smyth and Ryan Smedley – The Aspie Hour (Sophie Smyth and Ryan Smedley) – Winner
Original Songs
Maverick Newman and Stacey Thomsett – ‘Tis The Season (Maverick Newman and Stacey Thomsett) – Winner
Jude Perl – I Have A Face (Jude Perl)
Geraldine Quinn – Queen Bitch (Geraldine Quinn)
Otto & Astrid Rot with Marius Müllbach – Rock Bang (Circus Oz in collaboration with Otto & Astrid)
Ryan Smith, Sean Sully and Sarah Wall – Creatures of The Deep (Picked Last For Sport)
Musical Direction
Casey Bennetto – Rock Bang (Circus Oz in collaboration with Otto & Astrid)
Crackers n Dip with Chase n Toey (Carly Sheppard & Josh Twee presented by Arts House) – Winner
This is Grayson (Gold Satino, the SUBSTATION and Melbourne Fringe)
Vanitas (Robert Walton and Jason Maling in association with Arts House)
The Director (Lara Thoms presented by Arts House)
Performance (by an Individual or Ensemble)
Sarah Houbolt – Koo Koo the Bird Girl (Darebin Arts Speakeasy) – Winner
Ensemble – Casting Off (A Good Catch)
Ensemble – Crackers n Dip with Chase n Toey (Carly Sheppard & Josh Twee presented by Arts House)
Scott Turnbull – The Director (Lara Thoms presented by Arts House)
Ensemble – This is Grayson (Gold Satino, the SUBSTATION and Melbourne Fringe)
Innovation in Site Responsive Performance
This is Grayson (Gold Satino, the SUBSTATION and Melbourne Fringe) – Winner
Vanitas (Robert Walton and Jason Maling in association with Arts House)
Carnival of Futures (one step at a time like this)
SK!N (TerryandTheCuz)
SEER (House of Vnholy presented by Next Wave Festival and Darebin Arts Speakeasy)
Performance for Young Audiences
This is Grayson (Gold Satino, the SUBSTATION and Melbourne Fringe) – Winner
Jugg Life (Jugg Life Productions, Melba Spiegeltent and Circus Oz)
The Pilgrim (Bello Abril * Theatre of Coincidences)
Innovation in Curatorial Contribution & Programming
Black Sonic Futures (Still Nomads)
XS (Melbourne Fringe Festival)
Ritual (Next Wave Festival) – Winner
Public Cooling House (Punctum and Royal Botanic Gardens Victoria in association with Arts House)
Sidesault (Circus Oz at the Melba Spiegeltent)
Innovation in Durational Performance
Landing (Tanya Lee)
SQUASH! (Meg Wilson) – Winner
ICON (Field Theory)
Endless Romantica (Field Theory)
Contemporary Sound Performance
Cruel Optimism – Lawrence English (The SUBSTATION and Room 40)
Love Songs – Thembe Soddell (The SUBSTATION and Room 40) – Winner
Polar Force – Speak Percussion (Speak Percussion)
TLSQ x ASMR – Letter String Quartet (The Letter String Quartet)
Circus Production
End Grain (Skye Gellmann) – Winner
Casting Off (A Good Catch)
Hell is Other People (Love is the Drug, Melba Spiegeltent and Circus Oz) – Winner
Innovation in International Collaboration
SK!N (TerryandTheCuz) – Winner
Unknown Neighbors (Ranters Theatre and Creative VaQi (KR) presented by Theatre Works as part of the Festival of Live Art)
Geoffrey Milne Memorial Award for Outstanding Contribution to the Development of Contemporary & Experimental Performance
Jude Anderson – Winner
DANCE
Performer
Joel Bray – Dharawungara (Chunky Move)
Deanne Butterworth – Year’s Work
Janessa Dufty – ab (intra) (Sydney Dance Company)
Rebecca Jensen – Overture (Arts House and Jo Lloyd)
Jarryd Madden – Year’s Work (The Australian Ballet) – Winner
Caroline Meaden – Lady Example (Alice Will Caroline)
James Vu Ahn Pham – Nether (Chunky Move)
Tara Jade Samaya – Common Ground (Chunky Move) – Winner
Yumi Umiumare – ButohOUT! (Yumi Umiumare and Takashi Takiguchi in partnership with Abbotsford Convent)
Luigi Vescio – The Venusian Slip (Harrison Hall)
Duet or Ensemble Performance
ab (intra) (Sydney Dance Company)
Lady Example (Alice Will Caroline)
Overture (Arts House and Jo Lloyd) – Winner
Rainbow Vomit (Dancenorth presented by Darebin Arts Speakeasy)
Spartacus (The Australian Ballet)
Visual Design
Benjamin Cisterne (Lighting Design) – Spartacus (The Australian Ballet)
Jennifer Hector (Lighting and Set Design) – Overture (Arts House and Jo Lloyd)
Paul Jackson (Lighting Design) – Common Ground (Chunky Move)
Govin Ruben (Lighting and Set Design) – Rainbow Vomit (Dancenorth presented by Darebin Arts Speakeasy)
Ben ‘Bosco’ Shaw (Lighting Design) – Colossus (Arts Centre Melbourne, Melbourne Fringe and Stephanie Lake Company) – Winner
Music Composition and Sound Design
Emah Fox (Composition and Sound Design) – Lady Example (Alice Will Caroline)
Alisdair Macindoe (Composition and Sound Design) – Year’s Work
Duane Morrison (Composition) – Overture (Arts House and Jo Lloyd)
Max de Wardener, Genevieve Lacey, Wang Peng and Jim Atkins (Composition) – One Infinity (Playking Productions andJun Tian Fang in association with Dancenorth and Beijing Dance Theatre) – Winner
Naretha Williams (Composition) – Dharawungara (Chunky Move)
Shirley McKechnie Award for Outstanding Choreography
Kyle Page and Amber Haines – Rainbow Vomit (Dancenorth presented by Darebin Arts Speakeasy)
Ray Chong Nee – Antony and Cleopatra (Bell Shakespeare)
Peter Paltos – Gloria (Melbourne Theatre Company)
Lighting Design
Verity Hampson – The Bleeding Tree (Griffin Theatre Company)
Paul Jackson – Melancholia (Malthouse Theatre) – Winner
Paul Jackson – Blasted (Malthouse Theatre)
Katie Sfetkidis – Suddenly Last Summer (Red Stitch Actors Theatre)
Matt Scott – The Architect (Melbourne Theatre Company) – Winner
Set/Costume/AV Design
Gabriela Tylesova – Twelfth Night (Melbourne Theatre Company)
Christina Smith – The Architect (Melbourne Theatre Company)
Elizabeth Gadsby, Mike Greaney (Oh Yeah Wow), Emily Johnson, Verity Hampson –Blackie Blackie Brown: The Traditional Owner of Death (Malthouse Theatre and Sydney Theatre Company) – Winner
Marg Horwell – Melancholia (Malthouse Theatre)
The Sisters Hayes – Going Down (Malthouse Theatre and Sydney Theatre Company)
Music Composition and Sound Design
Steve Toulmin – Blackie Blackie Brown: The Traditional Owner of Death (Malthouse Theatre and Sydney Theatre Company)
Jethro Woodward – Blasted (Malthouse Theatre)
Kate Miller-Heidke, Keir Nuttall, and Ian McDonald – Twelfth Night (Melbourne Theatre Company)
Daniel Nixon – Suddenly Last Summer (Red Stitch Actors Theatre)
J. David Franzke – Melancholia (Malthouse Theatre)
Writing/Adaptation for the Australian Stage
Michele Lee – Going Down (Malthouse Theatre and Sydney Theatre Company)
Angus Cerini – The Bleeding Tree (Griffin Theatre Company) – Winner
Post (Zoë Coombs Marr, Natalie Rose and Mish Grigor) – Ich Nibber Dibber (Malthouse Theatre, Intimate Spectacle and post)
Nakkiah Lui – Blackie Blackie Brown: The Traditional Owner of Death (Malthouse Theatre and Sydney Theatre Company)
Aidan Fennessy – The Architect (Melbourne Theatre Company)
Direction
Anne-Louise Sarks – Blasted (Malthouse Theatre)
Peter Houghton – The Architect (Melbourne Theatre Company)
Leticia Cáceres – Going Down (Malthouse Theatre and Sydney Theatre Company)
Lee Lewis – The Bleeding Tree (Griffin Theatre Company) – Winner
Todd MacDonald – Prize Fighter (La Boite Theatre presented by Darebin Arts Speakeasy)
Production
The Architect (Melbourne Theatre Company)
Melancholia (Malthouse Theatre)
Blackie Blackie Brown: The Traditional Owner of Death (Malthouse Theatre and Sydney Theatre Company)
Prize Fighter (La Boite Theatre presented by Darebin Arts Speakeasy)
The Bleeding Tree (Griffin Theatre Company) – Winner
ASSOCIATION AWARDS
Technical Achievement Award
Roslyn Oades – Winner
Lifetime Achievement Award
Patricia Cornelius – Winner
Matt Edwards
Matt is a past owner of AussieTheatre, working as digital director from 2011 to 2019. He is also a performer, most recently appeared in the Australian tour of Mamma Mia! and previously in the Australian/NZ tour of CATS and Enda Markey's acclaimed production of Blood Brothers.
As well as performing Matt keeps himself busy in the digital side of the arts working with web design agency Emptyhead Digital