2011 SYDNEY THEATRE AWARDS ANNOUNCED

At a star-studded ceremony Tuesday night (17th Jan), the winners of the 2011 Sydney Theatre Awards were announced. Over 300 members of the Sydney theatre community packed the auditorium at Paddington RSL to celebrate the best of Sydney theatre throughout 2011.
Best Mainstage Production was awarded to Belvoir’s production of The Wild Duck, which also won Best Direction of a Mainstage Production (Simon Stone) and Best Actress and Actor in a Supporting Role of a Mainstage Production (Anita Hegh, Anthony Phelan). Best Independent Production went to The Libertine, produced by Sport for Jove Theatre with Darlinghurst Theatre Company, which also garnered Best Actress and Actor in an Independent Production (Danielle King, Anthony Gooley).
Best Actress in a Leading Role of a Mainstage Production was won by Cate Blanchett for Sydney Theatre Company’s Gross und Klein, for which Alice Babidge was awarded Best Costume Design. Colin Moody won Best Actor in a Leading Role of a Mainstage Production for his role in Bell Shakespeare’s Julius Caesar, while Best Direction of an Independent Production went to Sarah Giles for Griffin Independent’s The Ugly One. Nick Schlieper took home both Best Stage Design and Best Lighting Design for his work on STC’s Baal, while Alan John and Steve Francis won Best Score or Sound Design for STC’s The White Guard.
Best New Australian Work went to Angela Betzien for The Dark Room (Belvoir), and Best Newcomer was Meyne Wyatt for his performances in Griffin’s The Brothers Size and Silent Disco. Best Production for Children was Snow On Mars (Theatre of Image in association with Sydney Festival).
Hairspray was awarded Best Production of a Musical, while the show’s lead actress Jaz Flowers won the Judith Johnson Award for Best Performance by an Actress in a Musical. The Judith Johnson Award for Best Performance by an Actor in a Musical went to Paul Capsis for STC’s The Threepenny Opera. Best Performance in a Supporting Role in a Musical was awarded to Martin Crewes for Doctor Zhivago.
The 2011 Sydney Theatre Award for Lifetime Achievement was presented to David Williamson, in recognition of his extraordinary career as Australia’s leading playwright.
The Awards ceremony opened with a hilarious look back at Sydney theatre in 2011, written and performed by Trevor Ashley and Marney McQueen. Other performances were given by the workshop cast of Tim Freedman’s new musical Truth, Beauty and a Picture of You (Ian Stenlake, Frank Hansen, Sam Devenport and Erica Lovell) and Debra Byrne, who performed “I Dreamed A Dream” to celebrate the 25^th anniversary of the opening of Les Miserables at Sydney’s Theatre Royal. Presenters at the ceremony included Robert Alexander, Fayssal Bazzi, Helen Dallimore, Michael Falzon, Belinda Giblin, Verity Hampson, Amanda Harrison, Jacob Nash, Miranda Otto, Richard Roxburgh and David Williamson.
The Sydney Theatre Awards are run by a group of theatre critics to celebrate the strength, quality and diversity of theatre in Sydney. The Sydney Theatre Reviewers are Elissa Blake (Sun Herald), Jason Blake (Sydney Morning Herald), Chris Hook (Daily Telegraph), Deborah Jones (The Australian), Darryn King (Time Out Sydney), Jo Litson (The Sunday Telegraph), John McCallum (The Australian) and Diana Simmonds (Stagenoise website).
The Sydney Theatre Awards gratefully thank sponsors: Seaborn, Broughton and Walford Foundation; Industrie; Noyce Brothers Winery; Showcast; Currency Press; Ticketmaster; William Fletcher Foundation; Bellbird Cottages; stagenoise; ACMN; Blueprint Studios.
WINNERS FOR 2011 SYDNEY THEATRE AWARDS
BEST MAINSTAGE PRODUCTION
The Wild Duck (Belvoir)
BEST INDEPENDENT PRODUCTION
The Libertine (Sport for Jove Theatre with Darlinghurst Theatre Company)
BEST DIRECTION OF A MAINSTAGE PRODUCTION
Simon Stone (The Wild Duck)
BEST DIRECTION OF AN INDEPENDENT PRODUCTION
Sarah Giles (The Ugly One)
BEST ACTRESS IN A LEADING ROLE OF A MAINSTAGE PRODUCTION
Cate Blanchett (Gross und Klein)
BEST ACTOR IN A LEADING ROLE OF A MAINSTAGE PRODUCTION
Colin Moody (Julius Caesar)

BEST ACTRESS IN A SUPPORTING ROLE OF A MAINSTAGE PRODUCTION
Anita Hegh (The Wild Duck)
BEST ACTOR IN A SUPPORTING ROLE OF A MAINSTAGE PRODUCTION
Anthony Phelan (The Wild Duck)
BEST ACTRESS IN AN INDEPENDENT PRODUCTION
Danielle King (The Libertine)
BEST ACTOR IN AN INDEPENDENT PRODUCTION
Anthony Gooley (The Libertine)
BEST STAGE DESIGN
Nick Schlieper (Baal)
BEST COSTUME DESIGN
Alice Babidge (Gross und Klein)
BEST LIGHTING DESIGN
Nick Schlieper (Baal)
BEST SCORE OR SOUND DESIGN
Alan John and Steve Francis (The White Guard)

BEST NEW AUSTRALIAN WORK
The Dark Room (Angela Betzien)
BEST NEWCOMER
Meyne Wyatt (The Brothers Size/Silent Disco)
BEST PRODUCTION OF A MUSICAL
Hairspray

JUDITH JOHNSON AWARD FOR BEST PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTRESS IN A MUSICAL
Jaz Flowers (Hairspray)
JUDITH JOHNSON AWARD FOR BEST PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTOR IN A MUSICAL
Paul Capsis (The Threepenny Opera)
BEST PERFORMANCE IN A SUPPORTING ROLE IN A MUSICAL
Martin Crewes (Doctor Zhivago)
BEST PRODUCTION FOR CHILDREN
Snow on Mars (Theatre of Image in association with the Sydney Festival)
LIFETIME ACHIEVEMENT AWARD
David Williamson