Sydney Theatre Awards Tonight

The Sydney Theatre Awards are set to take place this evening, celebrating the strength, quality and diversity of Sydney Theatre.

The Paddington RSL will host the awards evening, which commences at 6pm.

Nominations for 21 Award Categories have been announced (see full list below) but the winner of the 2011 Lifetime Achievement Award will be kept mum until the ceremony is underway.

Jaz Flowers, Jack Chambers, Trevor Ashley and Esther Hannaford have scored nominations for their performances in Hairspray, while Lucy Maunder and Martin Crewes have also secured nominations for their efforts in Dr Zhivago last year.

The best Mainstage Production nominations include STC (Gross Und Klein) and Bell Shakespeare (Much Ado About Nothing), Belvoir, Belvoir and Belvoir (for The Dark Room, Neighbourhood Watch and The Wild Duck).

Nominations for Best Musical include the big three (Doctor Zhivago, Hairspray and Mary Poppins) and The Last Five Years, which starred Marika Aubrey and Young Talent Time host Rob Mills.

AussieTheatre.com will be attending the awards ceremony using the hashtag #Sydta

NOMINATIONS FOR 2011 SYDNEY THEATRE AWARDS

BEST MAINSTAGE PRODUCTION

Gross und Klein (Sydney Theatre Company)
Much Ado About Nothing (Bell Shakespeare)
The Dark Room (Belvoir)
Neighbourhood Watch (Belvoir)
The Wild Duck (Belvoir)

BEST INDEPENDENT PRODUCTION

The Adventures of Alvin Sputnik: Deep Sea Explorer (Perth Theatre Company and Weeping Spoon Productions in association with Sydney Festival)
Africa (My Darling Patricia presented by Sydney Theatre Company)
The Disappearances Project (Version 1.0 presented by Carriageworks and Version 1.0)
The Libertine (Sport for Jove Theatre in association with Darlinghurst Theatre Company) Smashed (Griffin Independent)

BEST DIRECTION OF A MAINSTAGE PRODUCTION

Benedict Andrews (Gross und Klein)
Simon Stone (Baal)
Simon Stone (The Wild Duck)
Leticia Cáceres (The Dark Room)

BEST DIRECTION OF AN INDEPENDENT PRODUCTION

Sarah Giles (The Ugly One)
Lee Lewis (10,000 Beers)
Halcyon Macleod (Africa)
Damien Ryan and John Karabelas (The Libertine)

BEST ACTRESS IN A LEADING ROLE OF A MAINSTAGE PRODUCTION

Cate Blanchett (Gross und Klein)
Judy Davis (The Seagull)
Kate Mulvany (Julius Caesar)
Robyn Nevin (Neighbourhood Watch) Susie Porter (Summer of the 17th Doll)

BEST ACTOR IN A LEADING ROLE OF A MAINSTAGE PRODUCTION

Brendan Cowell (The Dark Room)
Ewen Leslie (The Wild Duck)
Colin Moody (Julius Caesar)
Toby Schmitz (Much Ado About Nothing)

BEST ACTRESS IN A SUPPORTING ROLE OF A MAINSTAGE PRODUCTION

Emily Barclay (The Seagull)
Anita Hegh (The Wild Duck)
Kris McQuade (Neighbourhood Watch)
Billy Rose Pritchard (The Dark Room)

BEST ACTOR IN A SUPPORTING ROLE OF A MAINSTAGE PRODUCTION

Bille Brown (The Seagull)
Josh McConville (In the Next Room, or the vibrator play)
Sean O’Shea (Much Ado About Nothing)
Anthony Phelan (The Wild Duck)

BEST ACTRESS IN AN INDEPENDENT PRODUCTION

Danielle King (The Libertine)
Suzannah McDonald (Smashed)
Helen O’Leary (God’s Ear)
Lizzie Schebesta (As You Like It)

BEST ACTOR IN AN INDEPENDENT PRODUCTION

Darren Gilshenan (Fools Island)
Anthony Gooley (The Libertine)
Marcus Johnson (The Brothers Size)
Sean O’Shea (The Libertine)
Meyne Wyatt (The Brothers Size)

BEST STAGE DESIGN

Michael Hankin (The Dark Room)
Eamon D’Arcy, Robbie Klaesi, Tracey Taylor, Frantz Kantor and Digital Pulse (Hairspray)
Nick Schlieper (Baal)
Clare Watson and Rob Miller (Smashed)

BEST COSTUME DESIGN

Alice Babidge (Gross und Klein)
Janet Hine (Hairspray)
Tracy Grant Lord (In the Next Room, or the vibrator play)
Romance Was Born (Edward Gant’s Amazing Feats of Loneliness)

BEST LIGHTING DESIGN

Damien Cooper (The Seagull)
Christopher Page (The Dark Room)
Danny Pettingill (Cut)
Nick Schlieper (Baal)

BEST SCORE OR SOUND DESIGN

Steve Francis (Bloodland)
Stefan Gregory (Baal)
Alan John and Steve Francis (The White Guard)
Ekrem Mulayim (Cut)

BEST NEW AUSTRALIAN WORK

Cut (Duncan Graham)
The Dark Room (Angela Betzien)
Neighbourhood Watch (Lally Katz)
Silent Disco (Lachlan Philpott)

BEST NEWCOMER

Shareena Clanton (My Wonderful Day)
Sophie Hensser (Silent Disco)
Belinda Jombwe (My Wonderful Day)
Meyne Wyatt (The Brothers Size/Silent Disco/Bloodland)

BEST PRODUCTION OF A MUSICAL

Doctor Zhivago
Hairspray
The Last Five Years
Mary Poppins

JUDITH JOHNSON AWARD FOR BEST PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTRESS IN A MUSICAL

Jaz Flowers (Hairspray)
Verity Hunt-Ballard (Mary Poppins)
Lucy Maunder (Doctor Zhivago)
Katrina Retallick (No Way To Treat A Lady)

JUDITH JOHNSON AWARD FOR BEST PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTOR IN A MUSICAL

Trevor Ashley (Hairspray)
Paul Capsis (The Threepenny Opera)
Jason Langley (No Way To Treat A Lady)
Matt Lee (Mary Poppins)

BEST PERFORMANCE IN A SUPPORTING ROLE IN A MUSICAL

Jack Chambers (Hairspray)
Martin Crewes (Doctor Zhivago)
Esther Hannaford (Hairspray)
Philip Quast (Mary Poppins)

BEST PRODUCTION FOR CHILDREN

Boats (Terrapin Puppet Theatre in association with Darlinghurst Theatre)
I, Bunyip (Erth in association with the Sydney Children’s Festival at Carriageworks)
Me and My Shadow (Patch Theatre Company in association with the Sydney Opera House)
Snow on Mars (Kim Carpenter’s Theatre of Image in association with the Sydney Festival)

LIFETIME ACHIEVEMENT AWARD

To be announced at the Awards ceremony