2021 Sydney Theatre Award Nominees Announced

Ainsley Melham, Andrew Coshan & Elise McCann in Merrily We Roll Along. Photo: Phil Erbacher

Nominations were announced today for the Sydney Theatre Awards for 2021, which will be presented at an industry gala ceremony on Monday, January 31 at the York Theatre, Seymour Centre.

Nominations in the 28 categories were spread across 44 productions which played on Sydney stages during 2020 and 2021. Leading the list with seven nominations is Symphonie Fantastique, produced by Little Eggs Collective in association with KXT, followed by Fun Home (Sydney Theatre Company), Hamlet (Bell Shakespeare), Happy Days (Red Line Productions), The Picture of Dorian Gray (Sydney Theatre Company) and Yellow Face (Dinosaurus Productions in association with KXT), which each received six nominations. Receiving five nominations were Jali (Griffin Independent) and the musicals Hamilton (Jeffrey Seller, Sander Jacobs, Jill Furman, The Public Theater and Michael Cassel) and Merrily We Roll Along (Luckiest Productions and Hayes Theatre Co).

Also picking up a nomination for Best Mainstage Production were seven methods of killing kylie jenner (Darlinghurst Theatre Company and Green Door Theatre Company) & Green Park (Griffin Theatre Company).

A number of changes have been made to the Awards this year. Separate male and female performance categories have been replaced by gender-neutral awards to make the Awards more inclusive. New judging panels which include prominent industry specialists have also been introduced for the Independent Theatre categories and for the awards in Children and Young People’s Theatre.

FULL LIST OF NOMINEES

BEST MAINSTAGE PRODUCTION

• Green Park (Griffin Theatre Company)
• Hamlet (Bell Shakespeare)
• The Picture of Dorian Gray (Sydney Theatre Company)
• seven methods of killing kylie jenner (Darlinghurst Theatre Company and Green Door Theatre Company)

BEST INDEPENDENT PRODUCTION

• Happy Days (Red Line Productions)
• Jali (Griffin Independent)
• Symphonie Fantastique (Little Eggs Collective in association with KXT)
• Yellow Face (Dinosaurus Productions in association with KXT)

BEST DIRECTION OF A MAINSTAGE PRODUCTION

• Peter Evans (Hamlet)
• Anne-Louise Sarks (Stop Girl)
• Shari Sebbens (seven methods of killing kylie jenner)
• Kip Williams (The Picture of Dorian Gray)

BEST DIRECTION OF AN INDEPENDENT PRODUCTION

• Shane Anthony (Ulster American)
• Craig Baldwin (Happy Days)
• Tasnim Hossain (Yellow Face)
• Mathew Lee (Symphonie Fantastique)

BEST PERFORMANCE IN A LEADING ROLE IN A MAINSTAGE PRODUCTION

• Vivienne Awosoga (seven methods of killing kylie jenner)
• Harriet Gordon-Anderson (Hamlet)
• Sheridan Harbridge (Stop Girl)
• Moreblessing Maturure (seven methods of killing kylie jenner)
• Eryn Jean Norvill (The Picture of Dorian Gray)

BEST PERFORMANCE IN A LEADING ROLE IN AN INDEPENDENT PRODUCTION

• Belinda Giblin (Happy Days)
• Gabrielle Scawthorn (The Apologists)
• Eliza Scott (Pollon)
• Shan-Ree Tan (Yellow Face)
• Oliver Twist (Jali)

BEST PERFORMANCE IN A SUPPORTING ROLE IN A MAINSTAGE PRODUCTION

• Lucy Bell (Appropriate)
• Heather Mitchell (Playing Beatie Bow)
• Mansoor Noor (Stop Girl)
• Aaron Tsindos (No Pay? No Way!)
• Anthony Yangoyan (Dogged)

BEST PERFORMANCE IN A SUPPORTING ROLE IN AN INDEPENDENT PRODUCTION

• Lloyd Allison-Young (The Removalists)
• Jonathan Chan (Yellow Face)
• Alfie Gledhill (The Removalists)
• Lex Marinos (Happy Days)
• Suz Mawer (Wil and Grace)

BEST STAGE DESIGN OF A MAINSTAGE PRODUCTION

• Alicia Clements (Fun Home)
• Elizabeth Gadsby (Appropriate)
• Marg Horwell and David Bergman (The Picture of Dorian Gray)
• Anna Tregloan (Hamlet)

BEST STAGE DESIGN OF AN INDEPENDENT PRODUCTION

• Veronique Benett (Exit the King)
• Veronique Benett (Ulster American)
• Benjamin Brockman (Symphonie Fantastique)
• Charles Davis (Happy Days)

BEST COSTUME DESIGN OF A MAINSTAGE PRODUCTION

• Genevieve Blanchett (Home, I’m Darling)
• Renée Mulder (Dogged)
• Renée Mulder (Playing Beatie Bow)
• Anna Tregloan (Hamlet)

BEST COSTUME DESIGN OF AN INDEPENDENT PRODUCTION

• Kate Beere (Significant Other)
• Aleisa Jelbart (Exit the King)
• Aleisa Jelbart (Symphonie Fantastique)
• Esther Zhong (Three Fat Virgins Unassembled)

BEST LIGHTING DESIGN OF A MAINSTAGE PRODUCTION

• Karen Norris (Sunshine Super Girl)
• Nick Schlieper (The Picture of Dorian Gray)
• Matt Scott (Fun Home)
• Trent Suidgeest (Appropriate)

BEST LIGHTING DESIGN OF AN INDEPENDENT PRODUCTION

• Veronique Benett (Happy Days)
• Benjamin Brockman (Symphonie Fantastique)
• Kelsey Lee (Jali)
• Morgan Moroney (Significant Other)

BEST SOUND DESIGN OF A MAINSTAGE PRODUCTION

• David Bergman (Green Park)
• David Bergman (Playing Beatie Bow)
• Max Lyandvert (Hamlet)
• Clemence Williams (The Picture of Dorian Gray)

BEST SOUND DESIGN AND COMPOSITION OF AN INDEPENDENT PRODUCTION

• Chrysoulla Markoulli (Hot Mess)
• Oliver Shermacher (Symphonie Fantastique)
• Julian Starr (Hyperdream)
• Prema Yin (Yellow Face)

BEST NEW AUSTRALIAN WORK

• Dogged (Andrea James and Catherine Ryan)
• Jali (Oliver Twist)
• Stop Girl (Sally Sara)
• The Visitors (Jane Harrison)

BEST NEWCOMER

• Kiana Daniele (SIX)
• Grace Miell (Jagged Little Pill)
• Oliver Twist (Jali)
• Tiarne Sue Yek (Merrily We Roll Along)

BEST ENSEMBLE

• Come From Away
• SIX
• Symphonie Fantastique
• Yellow Face

BEST PRODUCTION OF A MUSICAL

• Come From Away (Junkyard Dog Productions and Rodney Rigby)
• Fun Home (Sydney Theatre Company and Melbourne Theatre Company)
• Hamilton (Jeffrey Seller, Sander Jacobs, Jill Furman, The Public Theater and Michael Cassel)
• Merrily We Roll Along (Luckiest Productions and Hayes Theatre Co)

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

• Jason Arrow (Hamilton)
• Zoe Gertz (Come From Away)
• Lucy Maunder (Fun Home)
• Elise McCann (Merrily We Roll Along)
• Lyndon Watts (Hamilton)

BEST PERFORMANCE IN A SUPPORTING ROLE IN A MUSICAL

• Marty Alix (Hamilton)
• Akina Edmonds (Hamilton)
• Georgina Hopson (Merrily We Roll Along)
• Maggie McKenna (Fun Home)
• Maggie McKenna (Jagged Little Pill)

BEST MUSICAL DIRECTION

• Carmel Dean (Fun Home)
• Andrew Worboys (Merrily We Roll Along)
• Andrew Worboys (Young Frankenstein)

BEST CABARET PRODUCTION

• Jacqui Dark Sings Brel (Jacqui Dark)
• Stay a While with Weill (Gaye MacFarlane)
• Is This All Then? (Philip Quast)

BEST PRODUCTION FOR CHILDREN

• The 91-Storey Treehouse (CDP Kids)
• Charlie and the War Against the Grannies (Sydney Opera House)
• Wilfrid Gordon McDonald Partridge (Sydney Opera House and Australian Chamber Orchestra)
• Zombie Thoughts (Riverside’s National Theatre of Parramatta)

BEST PRODUCTION FOR YOUNG PEOPLE

• Cusp (ATYP)
• Follow Me Home (ATYP)
• I’ve Been Meaning to Ask You (ATYP, The Good Room and Riverside Theatres)
• Playing Beatie Bow (Sydney Theatre Company)

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