2024 Sydney Theatre Awards Nominations Announced

Nominations have been announced today for the 2024 Sydney Theatre Awards, which will be presented at an industry gala ceremony on Monday 20 January 2025 at the York Theatre, Seymour Centre.

Image: Best Musical nomination Jesus Christ Superstar (Crossroads Live and Work Light Productions) Photographer: Jeff Busby.

Nominations in the 28 categories were spread across 48 different productions, which played on Sydney stages during 2024. Leading the list with eight nominations were The Lewis Trilogy (produced by Griffin Theatre Company) and Stolen (Sydney Theatre Company), while The Inheritance (Shane Anthony, Daniel Cottier Productions, Sugary Rum Productions and Seymour Centre) received seven. Zombie! The Musical (Hayes Theatre Co) received five nominations, and Yentl (Kadimah Yiddish Theatre, Monstrous Theatre, Neil Gooding Productions and Shalom) received six.

The nominees for Best Mainstage Production are August: Osage County (Belvoir), The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time (Belvoir), The Lewis Trilogy (Griffin Theatre Company) and Stolen (Sydney Theatre Company). The nominees for Best Independent Production are The Inheritance (Shane Anthony, Daniel Cottier Productions, Sugary Rum Productions and Seymour Centre), POV (re:group performance collective and 25A), Trophy Boys (Soft Tread, Seymour Centre and The Maybe Pile) and Yentl (Kadimah Yiddish Theatre, Monstrous Theatre, Neil Gooding Productions and Shalom). Vying for Best Production of a Musical are Jesus Christ Superstar (Crossroads Live and Work Light Productions), Ride The Cyclone (Hayes Theatre Co), Titanique (Michael Cassel Group) and Zombie! The Musical (Hayes Theatre Co).

The Sydney Theatre Awards have been presented annually since 2005 by a group of Sydney’s leading theatre critics to celebrate the strength and diversity of Sydney’s theatre artists and productions. Judging panels have been bolstered over the past five years to include prominent industry specialists who see all eligible productions in their area and vote on the nominations.

Panellist, actor and director Kenneth Moraleda said, “In 2024, Australian theatre showcased a wealth of expansive epic stories and compelling narratives, featuring large ensemble casts, prominent female voices and dynamic new Australian writing amongst revisits of contemporary plays, with strong explorations of intergenerational themes and our nation’s complex recent history. We’re witnessing a rise of new artists confidently asserting themselves in the independent scene, alongside the ongoing evolution of our established creatives on the main stages.”

Sydney Morning Herald theatre critic John Shand added, “Theatre has a way of reflecting the present, even though productions are planned well in advance and may be set in the past. So many plays powerfully reflected a year of savage conflict. Among the highs came notable breakthroughs in the depiction of people challenged physically or behaviourally. A potent list of nominations.”

The Sydney Theatre Awards gratefully thanks major sponsor, the Seaborn, Broughton & Walford Foundation, without which the Awards would not be possible. The Seaborn, Broughton & Walford Foundation is a charity founded to assist the performing arts and, following the wishes of founding President Dr Rodney Seaborn AO OBE, proudly supports a wide variety of performing arts initiatives through funding, attending performances and preserving precious theatrical records for education and research, as well as providing accessible and affordable space for rehearsals and small performances.

The other sponsors of the Sydney Theatre Awards are The William Fletcher Foundation, Showcast, Currency Press, Ticketmaster, Actors Benevolent Fund, JPJ Audio, LL Co Creative, Helen Constance and Seymour Centre.

sydneytheatreawards.com

 

2024 SYDNEY THEATRE AWARDS NOMINATIONS

 

BEST MAINSTAGE PRODUCTION

August: Osage County (Belvoir)

The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time (Belvoir)

The Lewis Trilogy (Griffin Theatre Company)

Stolen (Sydney Theatre Company)

 

BEST INDEPENDENT PRODUCTION

The Inheritance (Shane Anthony, Daniel Cottier Productions, Sugary Rum Productions and Seymour Centre)

POV (re:group performance collective and 25A)

Trophy Boys (Soft Tread, Seymour Centre and The Maybe Pile)

Yentl (Kadimah Yiddish Theatre, Monstrous Theatre, Neil Gooding Productions and Shalom)

 

BEST DIRECTION OF A MAINSTAGE PRODUCTION

Eamon Flack (August: Osage County)

Declan Greene (The Lewis Trilogy)

Mark Kilmurry (Uncle Vanya)

Ian Michael (Stolen)

 

BEST DIRECTION OF AN INDEPENDENT PRODUCTION

Gary Abrahams (Yentl)

Shane Anthony (The Inheritance)

Anna Houston (Arlington)

Solomon Thomas (POV)

 

BEST PERFORMANCE IN A LEADING ROLE IN A MAINSTAGE PRODUCTION

Tamsin Carroll (August: Osage County)

Colin Friels (Into the Shimmering World)

Zahra Newman (Dracula)

Daniel R. Nixon (The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time)

Pamela Rabe (August: Osage County)

 

BEST PERFORMANCE IN A LEADING ROLE IN AN INDEPENDENT PRODUCTION

André de Vanny (The Lonesome West)

Amy Hack (Yentl)

Ryan Panizza (The Inheritance)

Ariadne Sgouros (SHITTY)

Shirong Wu (All The Fraudulent Horse Girls)

 

BEST PERFORMANCE IN A SUPPORTING ROLE IN A MAINSTAGE PRODUCTION

Kate Fitzpatrick (Gaslight)

Sandy Greenwood (swim)

Radhika Mudaliyar (Counting and Cracking)

Guy Simon (Holding the Man)

Ursula Yovich (The Lewis Trilogy)

 

BEST PERFORMANCE IN A SUPPORTING ROLE IN AN INDEPENDENT PRODUCTION

Janet Anderson (All The Fraudulent Horse Girls)

Simon Burke (The Inheritance)

Evelyn Krape (Yentl)

Jasper Lee-Lindsay (Too Human)

Lilian Alejandra Valverde (Snowflake)

 

BEST STAGE DESIGN OF A MAINSTAGE PRODUCTION

Jeremy Allen (The Lewis Trilogy)

Zoë Atkinson (The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time)

Marg Horwell with Craig Wilkinson (Dracula)

Renée Mulder (Stolen)

 

BEST STAGE DESIGN OF AN INDEPENDENT PRODUCTION

Dann Barber (Yentl)

Kate Beere (Arlington)

Kate Beere (The Inheritance)

Mark Rogers, Solomon Thomas, Malcolm Whittaker, Steve Wilson-Alexander and Carly Young (POV)

 

BEST COSTUME DESIGN OF A MAINSTAGE PRODUCTION

Melanie Liertz (The Lewis Trilogy)

Renée Mulder (Gaslight)

Renée Mulder (Stolen)

Mel Page (Holding the Man)

 

BEST COSTUME DESIGN OF AN INDEPENDENT PRODUCTION

Dann Barber (Yentl)

Rita Naidu (Cut Chilli)

Bernadette Ryan (Isolde & Tristan)

Hannah Tayler (Too Human)

 

BEST LIGHTING DESIGN OF A MAINSTAGE PRODUCTION

Kelsey Lee (The Lewis Trilogy)

Nick Schlieper (Dracula)

Nick Schlieper (Into the Shimmering World)

Trent Suidgeest (Stolen)

 

BEST LIGHTING DESIGN OF AN INDEPENDENT PRODUCTION

Benjamin Brockman (The Past is a Wild Party)

Frankie Clarke (Ruins)

Morgan Moroney (SHITTY)

Aron Murray (Arlington)

 

BEST SOUND DESIGN AND COMPOSITION OF A MAINSTAGE PRODUCTION

James Brown (Stolen)

Daniel Herten (The Lewis Trilogy)

Clemence Williams (Into the Shimmering World)

Clemence Williams and Jessica Dunn (Dracula)

 

BEST SOUND DESIGN AND COMPOSITION OF AN INDEPENDENT PRODUCTION

Craig Baldwin (A Case for the Existence of God)

Damien Lane and Jessica Pizzinga (The Inheritance)

Madeleine Picard (SHITTY)

Johnny Yang (Ruins)

 

BEST NEW AUSTRALIAN WORK

All The Fraudulent Horse Girls (Michael Louis Kennedy)

American Signs (Anchuli Felicia King)

Into the Shimmering World (Angus Cerini)

POV (re:group performance collective)

Trophy Boys (Emmanuelle Mattana)

 

BEST NEWCOMER

Jarron Andy (Stolen)

Clare Hughes (sitting, screaming)

Radhika Mudaliyar (Counting and Cracking)

Daniel R. Nixon (The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time)

Lilian Alejandra Valverde (Snowflake)

 

BEST ENSEMBLE

All Boys (every other theatre company with bAKEHOUSE Theatre Co)

The Inheritance (Shane Anthony, Daniel Cottier Productions, Sugary Rum Productions and Seymour Centre)

Stolen (Sydney Theatre Company)

The Lewis Trilogy (Griffin Theatre Company)

 

BEST PRODUCTION OF A MUSICAL

Jesus Christ Superstar (Crossroads Live and Work Light Productions)

Ride The Cyclone (Hayes Theatre Co)

Titanique (Michael Cassel Group)

Zombie! The Musical (Hayes Theatre Co)

 

BEST DIRECTION OF A MUSICAL

Dean Bryant (Dear Evan Hansen)

Richard Carroll (Ride The Cyclone)

Rachael Maza and Anyupa Butcher (Big Names, No Blankets)

Darren Yap (Zombie! The Musical)

 

JUDITH JOHNSON AWARD FOR BEST PERFORMANCE IN A LEADING ROLE IN A MUSICAL

Tim Draxl (Sunset Boulevard)

Javon King (Jesus Christ Superstar)

Vidya Makan (Hamilton)

Michael Paynter (Jesus Christ Superstar)

Shannen Alyce Quan (Little Women)

 

BEST PERFORMANCE IN A SUPPORTING ROLE IN A MUSICAL

Stephen Anderson (Titanique)

Tamsin Carroll (Zombie! The Musical)

Casey Donovan (& Juliet)

Googoorewon Knox (Hamilton)

Ashleigh Rubenach (Sunset Boulevard)

 

BEST MUSICAL DIRECTION

Victoria Falconer (Ride The Cyclone)

Zara Stanton (Dear Evan Hansen)

Laura Tipoki (Jesus Christ Superstar)

Damon Wade (Zombie! The Musical)

 

BEST CHOREOGRAPHY OF A MUSICAL

Chiara Assetta (Zombie! The Musical)

Shannon Burns (Ride The Cyclone)

Amy Orman (The Hello Girls)

Mitchell Woodcock (Elf: The Musical)

 

BEST PRODUCTION FOR CHILDREN

Cicada (Barking Gecko Theatre and Sydney Theatre Company)

Imagine Live (Riverside Theatres)

Incredibilia (Libby Hathorn and Kim Carpenter of Theatre of Image)

Ratburger (CDP Kids Production and Sydney Opera House)

 

BEST PRODUCTION FOR YOUNG PEOPLE

Big Sky (Flying Fruit Fly Circus and Sydney Opera House)

Saplings (Australian Theatre for Young People and Youth Action)

Scab (Australian Theatre for Young People)

 

LIFETIME ACHIEVEMENT AWARD

To be announced at the ceremony