What do Geoffrey Rush, Lisa McCune, Bob Downe, Silvie Paladino, Colin Friels, Tony Bartuccio, Chunky Move, John Bell, Richard Gill, Neil Armfield, Chambermade, Bangarra, MKA, Simon Stone, Pamela Rabe, Todd McKenney all have in common?

They’ve all received nominations for the 30^thAnnual Green Room Awards for excellence on the Melbourne stage for the period January 1^{s t}through to December 31^st 2012. The recipients will be announced at a ceremony to be held on Monday 6^thMay, at the Comedy Theatre, Melbourne.

Opera Australia and The Production Company led the overall nomination count with 20 nominations a piece in their respectve fields. Malthouse (together with various collaborators) received a total of 19 nominations across Company and Independent categories, closely followed by the MTC with 17. The Malthouse & Perth Theatre Co.collaboration On The Misconception of Oedipus led the nominations for a company production with seven. On the Music Theatre front, The Production Company's Chess leads the nominations with 12, ahead of A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum (8). In the Independent field, Triangle (MKA North Melbourne Season) with 6 nominations, was marginally ahead of Persona (Fraught Outfit and Theatre Works) with five nominations.

The awards acknowledge the highest achievements of our performing arts community and allow us to celebrate the incredible diversity of work being presented in this city’said Chris Thompson, Association President. ‘They’re also a tribute to the extraordinary commitment of the volunteer panel members who collectively see hundreds of performances in all sorts of expected and unexpected places and spaces before coming together to deliberate on these nominations.’

Green Room members hale from all corners of the performing arts world and reflect the breadth of the awards the Association makes. The awards acknowledge the contribution of artists and technicians on stage, back stage, in the grid and in the pit. The seven panels that make up the Green Rooms are Dance, Opera, Alternative & Hybrid Performance, Cabaret, Theatre Companies, Independent Theatre and Music Theatre. The panels comprise directors, playwrights, choreographers, critics, designers, technicians, composers, performers and other industry individuals who determine the nominees.  The Association as a whole votes by secret ballot to decide the final awards. Any professional production with a minimum number of Melbourne performances is eligible for the awards. There are no set categories in the Green Rooms. Awards are made in response to the nature of the work being produced in any one year. It’s one of the things that makes them Australia’s premier peer-assessed arts awards.

The Green Room Awards Association was established in 1982 by Blair Edgar and Stephen Tandy. The first awards were made in 1984, making 2013 the thirtieth time the arts community will come together not only to celebrate the achievements of the past year, but to contribute to the event itself with their time, expertise and talents. ‘The Green Room Awards simply wouldn’t exist without the generosity of so many people,’ said Thompson.‘This year, we’re thrilled to have venue support from the Marriner Group and from The Gordon Frost Organisation who are kindly allowing us use of the stage during their season of Driving Miss Daisy.’

In addition to the nominations announced today (February 19, 2013), a number of individual achievement awards will be made at the ceremony including the Lifetime Achievement Award. An announcement will be made in April regarding this year’s worthy recipient. 

This year’s awards ceremony will be held on Monday 6^thMay, 7.00pm at the Comedy Theatre.

2012 Green Room Awards Nominations

Alternative & Hybrid Performance

Outstanding Production

100% Melbourne - Rimini Protokoll (City of Melbourne)

The River Eats - Justin Shoulder (Next Wave Festival)

Shifting Ground - Zoe Scoglia (Arts House)

The Box - Chamber Made

Outstanding Production - Creative Agency for Audiences

Flyway - Elizabeth Dunn (Next Wave Festival)

The Stream/The Boat/The Shore - Dan Koop (Next Wave Festival)

Bingo Unit - Team Mess (Next Wave Festival)

The Appointment with J Dark - Triage Live Arts Collective

Fugue State - Jason Maling

Innovation and Excellence in Circus

Blindscape - Skye Gellmann (Next Wave Festival)

Dos and Duos 'Deux' - Stuart Christie and Kane Peterson (Melbourne Fringe Festival)

One Night Stand - Mitchell Jones (Melbourne Fringe Festival)

Carousel - One Trick Pony (Melbourne Fringe Festival)

Cabaret

Production

A Hip Hikers Guide to the Galaxy - Backwards Anorak

Candice McQueen: Nasty! - Melbourne Cabaret Festival

Tina C: Sorry Seems To Be the Hardest Word - Malthouse

Theatre, Christopher Green, Julia Holt and the Melbourne International Comedy Festival

Artiste

Bob Downe - 20 Golden Greats

Christine Johnston - RRAMP - the Collector, the Archivist & the Electrocrat

Emilia Rusciano - Emilia Rusciano: The Musical

Spanky - Candice McQueen: Nasty!

Yon - Mandaddy

Writing

Michelle Brasier and Vince Milesi - A Hip Hikers Guide to the Galaxy

Jenny Wynter - An Unexpected Variety Show

Spanky - Candice McQueen: Nasty!

Tommy Bradson - The Men My Mother Loved

Musical Direction

James Baker - A Hip Hikers Guide to the Galaxy

John Thorn - The Men My Mother Loved

Tyson Legg - Showfolk

Spanky and Robert Tripolino - Candice McQueen: Nasty!

Innovation

Aphrodite's Bordello

Bild Lilly

RRAMP

DasShoku Shake

Dance

Betty Pounder Award for Choreography

Frances Rings - Terrain (Bangarra Dance Theatre)

Antony Hamilton - Black Project 1 and Keep Everything (Antony Hamilton & Chunky Move)

Rafael Bonachela - 2 One Another (Sydney Dance Company)

Female Dancer

Lauren Langlois - Keep Everything (Chunky Move)

Lilian Steiner - Supertone (Rennie McDougall)

Atlanta Eke - Monster Body (Atlanta Eke)

Vivienna Wong - Warumuk - In The Dark Night (The Australian Ballet)

Natalie Allen - 2 One Another (Sydney Dance Company)

Male Dancer

Alistair Macindoe - Year's Work (Lucy Guerin Inc & Chunky Move)

Andrew Killian - Year's Work (The Australian Ballet)

Kaine Sultan-Babij - Terrain (Bangarra Dance Theatre)

Jhuny-Boy Borja - Terrain (Bangarra Dance Theatre)

James O'Hara - There's Definitely A Prince Involved (The Australian Ballet)

Ensemble

Chunky Move - An Act of Now

Cast of Briwyant - Vicki Van Hout

Bangarra Dance Theatre - Terrain

Sydney Dance Company - 2 One Another

Design

Niklas Pajanti - An Act of Now (Lighting), Chunky Move

Robin Fox - Keep Everything (Audio Visual), Chunky Move

Benjamin Cisterne - Year's Work - Sweedeedee (Lighting/Set), The Australian Ballet; Keep Everything (Lighting), Chunky Move; 2 One

Another (Lighting), Sydney Dance Company

Olaf Meyer - Black Project 1 (Video Projection), Anthony Hamilton

Damien Cooper - The Narrative of Nothing (Lighting), The Australian Ballet

Sound and Music

Oren Ambarchi - Weather (Composition), Lucy Guerin Inc.

Ria Soemardjo - Opal Vapour (Composition and Performance), Jade

Dewi Tyas Tungall

Helen Mountford and Ria Soemardjo - Tower

Suites (Composition and Performance), Ros Warby

Brett Dean - The Narrative of Nothing (Composition), The Australian Ballet

Concept and Realisation

Hiatus - Fiona Bryant

Black Project 1 - Antony Hamilton

An Act of Now - Chunky Move

There's Definitely a Prince Involved – The Australian Ballet

Music Theatre

Actress in a Leading Role

Lisa McCune - South Pacific

Silvie Paladino - Chess

Anita Louise Combe - A Chorus Line

Fem Belling - From Genesis to Broadway

Actor in a Leading Role

Geoffrey Rush - A Funny Thing Happened On The Way To The Forum

Wayne Scott-Kermond - The Producers

Matt Hetherington - Promises, Promises

Simon Gleeson - Chess

Martin Crewes - Chess

Actor in a Supporting Role

Rohan Brown - A Chorus Line

Todd McKenney - Annie

Mitchel Butel - A Funny Thing Happened On The Way To The Forum

Hugh Sheridan - A Funny Thing Happened On The Way To The Forum

Actress in a Supporting Role

Julie Lea Goodwin - Annie

Christie Whelan - A Funny Thing Happened On The Way To The Forum

Chelsea Plumley - Promises, Promises

Alinta Chidzey - Chess

Choreography

Andrew Hallsworth - The Producers

Andrew Hallsworth - A Funny Thing Happened On The Way To The Forum

Tony Bartuccio - Chess

Michael Bennet and Bob Avian - A Chorus Line

Design - Lighting and/or Sound

Michael Waters - A Funny Thing Happened On The Way To The Forum (sound)

System Sound - Chess (sound)

System Sound - The Producers (sound)

Simon Gregory - A Chorus Line (sound)

Paul Jackson & Robert Cuddon - Chess (Lighting)

Design - Set and/or Costume

Krystal Giddings - Chess (Costume)

Shaun Gurton - Chess (Set Design)

Kenneth Poy - Annie (Set Design)

Direction

Dean Bryant and Andrew Hallsworth - The Producers

Simon Phillips - A Funny Thing Happened On The Way To The Forum

Gale Edwards - Chess

Musical Direction

Peter Casey - Annie

Andrew Greene - South Pacific

Vanessa Scammell - The Producers

David Piper – Chess

Outstanding Musical Production

The Producers – The Production Company

A Funny Thing Happened On The Way To The Forum – John Frost with Power Arts, Elizabeth Williams, Two Left Feet Productions, Latitude Link, Anita Waxman/Tom Dokton, Jane Bergeré, The Dodgers

Chess - The Production Company

A Chorus Line – Tim Lawson by special arrangement with John Breglio

Opera

Direction

Cameron Menzies - Contact! (Arts Centre Melbourne)

Gale Edwards - Salome (Opera Australia)

Suzanne Chaundy - Cosi Fan Tutte (Melbourne Opera)

John Bell - The Rake's Progress (Victorian Opera)

Nicki Wendt - Midnight Son (Victorian Opera)

Production

Contact! - Arts Centre Melbourne

Midnight Son - Victorian Opera

Lucia di Lammermoor - Opera Australia

Salome - Opera Australia

Design

Julie Lynch (Costumes), Brian Thomson (Set) and John Rayment (Lighting) - Salome (Opera Australia)

George Tyspin (Set) and Julie Taymor (Costume) - The Magic Flute (Opera Australia)

Christina Logan-Bell (Set & Costumes) - Cosi Fan Tutte (Melbourne Opera)

Leon Krasenstein (Set & Costumes) and Matt Scott (Lighting) - The Rake's Progress (Victorian Opera)

Conductor

Simon Hewitt - Salome (Opera Australia)

Giovanni Reggioli - Madama Butterfly (Opera Australia)

Andrea Licata - Turandot (Opera Australia)

Richard Gill - The Rake's Progress (Victorian Opera)

Female Principal

Emma Matthews (Lucia) - Lucia di Lammermoor (Opera Australia)

Sian Pendry (Rosina) - The Barber of Seville (Opera Australia)

Hiromi Omura (Cio-Cio-San) - Madama Butterfly (Opera Australia)

Cheryl Barker (Salome) - Salome (Opera Australia)

Jessica Aszodi (Rose) - What Next? (Victorian Opera)

Male Principal

Giorgio Caoduro (Enrico) - Lucia di Lammermoor (Opera Australia)

Andrew Jones (Papageno) - The Magic Flute (Opera Australia)

Andrew Collis (Nick Shadow) - The Rake's Progress (Victorian Opera)

Byron Watson (Ray Clarke) - Midnight Son (Victorian Opera)

Jose Carbo (Figaro) - The Barber of Seville (Opera Australia)

Female Support

Sian Pendry (Suzuki) - Madama Butterfly (Opera Australia)

Dimity Shepherd (Cherubino) - The Marriage of Figaro (Victorian Opera)

Nicole Car (Valencienne) - The Merry Widow (Opera Australia)

Roxanne Hislop (Baba the Turk) - The Rake's Progress (Victorian Opera)

Male Support

David Corcoran (Narraboth) - Salome (Opera Australia)

Phillip Calcagno (Marcello) - La Boheme (Melbourne Opera)

Jonathon Bode (Mother Goose) - The Rake's Progress (Victorian Opera)

Kanen Breen (Monostatos) - The Magic Flute (Opera Australia)

Thomas Hall (Jokanaan) - Salome (Opera Australia)

New Australian Opera

Contact! - Angus Grant (Composer & Librettist) with Kate Schmitt (Librettist)

Midnight Son - Gordon Kerry (Composer) and Louis Nowra (Librettist)

Theatre - Companies

Female Actor

Alison Bell (Sylvia) - Tribes (MTC)

Helen Thompson (Pearl) - Summer of the Seventeenth Doll (MTC)

Erin Jean Norvill (Waitress/Angie) - Top Girls (MTC)

Ruth Sancho Hurerga (Servant) - Blood Wedding (Malthouse)

Natasha Herbert (Performer) - On The Misconception of Oedipus (Malthouse & Perth Theatre Co.)

Male Actor

Colin Friels (Mark Rothko) - Red (MTC)

Darren Gilshennin (Elling) - Elling (MTC)

Ewen Leslie (Performer) - The Wild Duck (Malthouse)

Anthony Phelan (Performer) - The Wild Duck (Malthouse)

Richard Pyros (Performer) - On The Misconception of Oedipus (Malthouse & Perth Theatre Co.)

Lighting Design

Damien Cooper - Summer of the Seventeenth Doll (MTC)

Damien Cooper - Macbeth (Bell Shakespeare)

Richard Vabre - Beyond the Neck (Red Stitch Actors Theatre)

Geoff Cobham (Lighting Design) & Chris More (Video Design) - Pinocchio (Malthouse, Windmill & State SA Theatre Co.)

Matt Scott - Red (MTC)

Set and/or Costume Design

Dale Ferguson (Set & Costume) - Top Girls (MTC)

Christina Smith (Set) - Elling (MTC)

Andrew Bailey - Years Work - On The Production of Monsters (Set); The Golden Dragon (Set & Costume) and Happy Ending (Set)

Zoë Atkinson (Set & Costume) - On The Misconception of Oedipus (Malthouse & Perth Theatre Co.)

Anna Cordingley (Set & Costume Design) - Macbeth (Bell Shakespeare)

Sound/Composition

Paul Charlier (Sound) & Alan John (Composition) - Summer of the Seventeenth Doll (MTC)

Elizabeth Drake (Composition & Sound Design) - Top Girls (MTC)

Kelly Ryall (Composition & Sound Design) - On The Misconception of Oedipus (Malthouse & Perth Theatre Co.)

David Franzke (Composition & Sound Design) - Pompeii L.A. (Malthouse)

Kelly Ryall (Composition & Sound Design) - Macbeth (Bell Shakespeare)

Direction

Jenny Kemp - Top Girls (MTC)

Neil Armfield - Summer of the Seventeenth Doll (MTC)

Simon Stone - The Wild Duck (Malthouse, A Belvoir Production)

Zoë Atkinson, Matthew Lutton and Tom Wright - Devising On The Misconception of Oedipus

Pamela Rabe - Elling (MTC)

Production

Top Girls by Caryl Churchill - MTC

Summer of the Seventeenth Doll by Ray Lawler - MTC

On The Misconception of Oedipus devised by Zoë Atkinson, Matthew Lutton and Tom Wright – Malthouse & Perth Theatre Co.

Pompeii L.A. by Declan Greene - Malthouse

The Wild Duck after Ibsen, written by Simon Stone with Chris Ryan - Malthouse

Ensemble

Cast of On The Misconception of Oedipus - Malthouse & Perth Theatre Co.

Cast of The Golden Dragon - MTC Lawler Studio

Cast of The Wild Duck - Malthouse Theatre, A Belvoir Production

Cast of Pompeii L.A. - Malthouse Theatre

Cast of The Pride - Red Stitch Actors Theatre

Theatre - Independent

Male Performer

Richard Bligh (performer) - The McNeil Project (fortyfivedownstairs)

Stuart Bowden (performer) - The Beast (Melbourne Fringe, Tuxedo Cat)

Tom Considine (Falstaff) - Henry IV Part 1 (fortyfivedownstairs)

Charles Purcell (performer) - Show Me Yours I'll Show You Mine (Melbourne Fringe, Rehearsal Room, North Melbourne Town Hall)

Cain Thompson (performer) - The McNeil Project (fortyfivedownstairs)

Female Performer

Whitney Boyd (performer) - sex.violence. blood. gore. (MKA North Melbourne Season)

Georgina Capper (performer) - The Unspoken Word Is Joe (MKA/ La Mama)

Nikki Shiels (performer) - The Unspoken Word Is Joe (MKA/La Mama)

Karen Sibbing (Alma) - Persona (Fraught Outfit and Theatre Works)

Janine Watson (performer) - Triangle (MKA North Melbourne Season)

Set and/or Costume Design

Chloe Greaves (Costume) – The Pineapple Sorrows (La Mama)

Suitcase Royale (Set & Costume) - Zombatland (Artshouse North Melbourne Town Hall)

Dayna Morrissey (Set & Costume) - Persona (Fraught Outfit and Theatre Works)

Eugyeene Teh (Set) - Triangle (MKA North Melbourne Season)

Zoe Rouse (Set & Costume) - I Am The Wind (Turtle Lab and Public Front at Collingwood Underground Arts Park)

Lighting Design

Danny Pettingill - Persona (Fraught Outfit and Theatre Works)

Rob Sowinski - Triangle (MKA North Melbourne Season)

Govin Ruben - Doku Rai (The Black Lung Theatre and Whaling Firm, Liurai Fo'er & Galaxy at Arts House)

Matthew Adey - I Am The Wind (Turtle Lab and Public Front at Collingwood Underground Arts Park)

Tom Willis - The Temptation of St Antony (Four Larks)

Sound/Music

Claudio Tocco (Sound Design) - sex. violence. blood. gore. (MKA North Melbourne Season)

Russell Goldsmith (Sound Design) - The Rule of Three (Melbourne Fringe, Elbow Room)

Emma Valente (Sound Design) - Orlando (The Rabble, Malthouse Helium Season)

Suitcase Royale (Music Composition and Performance) - Zombatland (Arts House, North Melbourne Town Hall)

Ellen Warkentine and Mat Sweeney (Music Composition) - The Temptation of St Antony (Four Larks)

Direction

Rob Conkie - Henry IV Part 1 (fortyfivedownstairs)

Adena Jacobs - Persona (Fraught Outfit and Theatre Works)

Declan Greene - The Unspoken Word is Joe (MKA/ La Mama)

Tania Dickson - Triangle (MKA North Melbourne Season)

Production

Henry IV Part 1 - fortyfivedownstairs

Persona - Fraught Outfit and Theatre Works

Triangle - MKA North Melbourne Season

Doku Rai - The Black Lung Theatre and Whaling Firm, Liurai Fo'er & Galaxy at Arts House

Hullo My Name Is - Theatre Works

Writing

Stuart Bowden - The Beast

Glyn Roberts - Triangle

Tim Spencer - Show Me Yours, I'll Show You Mine

The Nominations at a Glance…

COMPANIES

Arts Centre Melbourne 3

Arts House North Melbourne 3

The Australian Ballet 6

Bangarra Dance Theatre 4

Bell Shakespeare 3

Black Lung Theatre 2

Chamber Made 1

Chunky Move 7

fortyfivedownstairs 5

Four Larks 2

La Mama 1

Lucy Geurin Inc. 2

Malthouse 7

Malthouse & Belvoir Street 2

Malthouse & Int. Comedy Festival 1

Malthouse & Perth Theatre Co. 7

Malthouse & The Rabble 1

Malthouse & Windmill/State Theatre SA 1

Melbourne Cabaret Festival 1

Melbourne Fringe Festival 6

Melbourne Opera 3

Melbourne Theatre Company 17

MKA 7

MKA & La Mama 3

Next Wave Festival 5

Opera Australia 20

Red Stitch 2

Sydney Dance Company 3

Theatre Works 1

Theatre Works & Fraught Outfit 5

Victorian Opera 12

MUSIC THEATRE PRODUCTIONS

Annie 4

Chess 12

Chorus Line 5

From Genesis to Broadway 1

A Funny Thing Happened on the way to the Forum 8

The Producers 6

Promises, Promises 2

South Pacific 2