2014 Sydney Theatre Award Nominations Announced; Ceremony Set for Jan 19

Nominations were announced today for the Sydney Theatre Awards for 2014, which will be presented at a gala ceremony on Monday January 19, 2015 at 6pm at the Paddington RSL.

Leading the list with nine nominations is the Hayes Theatre Co's Sweet Charity, followed by Sport for Jove's All's Well That Ends Well with eight nominations. Sydney Theatre Company's Switzerland and Squabbologic's The Drowsy Chaperone both have seven nominations, while Bell Shakespeare's Henry V and Red Line Productions' Howie the Rookie each have six. Nominations were spread across a record 49 productions which played on Sydney stages during the calendar year of 2014.

The Sydney Theatre Awards are presented annually by a group of leading theatre critics to celebrate the strength, quality and diversity of theatre in Sydney. The Sydney Theatre Reviewers consist of Elissa Blake (Sun- Herald), Jason Blake (Sydney Morning Herald), Deborah Jones (The Australian), Jo Litson (The Sunday Telegraph), John McCallum (The Australian), Ben Neutze (Crikey/Daily Review), John Shand (Sydney Morning Herald), Diana Simmonds (Stagenoise website), Polly Simons (Daily Telegraph) and Cassie Tongue (Aussietheatre website).

Additional categories have been added this year in the independent sector (lighting design), musicals (musical direction), cabaret and ensemble cast performance.

The reviewers all felt 2014 was an extraordinary year for theatre in Sydney. Elissa Blake said, "The Sydney theatre scene is growing stronger every year with many new independent companies creating gutsy, well-crafted productions that challenge what a night in the theatre can be. Audiences have seen ground-breaking queer theatre, provocative new Australian plays, many by women writers, much-needed stories from Asian cultures and a burgeoning of a new small-scale musical theatre scene. It all bodes well for 2015."

Deborah Jones added, "Each year it's a great privilege to see the extraordinary range of theatre this city offers, all of it done with great commitment and some of it backed with not much more than passion and determination to do a lot with very little. It was particularly thrilling this year to have a long and strong list of contenders for Best New Australian Work and I couldn't be happier about a category we felt we had to include this year - that of Best Ensemble Cast."

Vying for Best Mainstage Production are Henry V (Bell Shakespeare), The Glass Menagerie (Belvoir), Switzerland (Sydney Theatre Company) and Tartuffe (Bell Shakespeare). The nominees for Best Independent Production are All's Well That Ends Well (Sport for Jove), Constellations (Darlinghurst Theatre Company), A Doll's House (Sport for Jove) and Howie the Rookie (Red Line Productions in association with Strange Duck Productions and SITCo).

2014 SYDNEY THEATRE AWARD NOMINATIONS:

BEST MAINSTAGE PRODUCTION

Henry V (Bell Shakespeare)

The Glass Menagerie (Belvoir)

Switzerland (Sydney Theatre Company)

Tartuffe (Bell Shakespeare)

BEST INDEPENDENT PRODUCTION

All's Well That Ends Well (Sport for Jove)

Constellations (Darlinghurst Theatre Company)

A Doll's House (Sport for Jove)

Howie the Rookie (Red Line Productions in association with Strange Duck Productions and SITCo)

BEST DIRECTION OF A MAINSTREAM PRODUCTION

Jonathan Biggins (Noises Off)

Peter Evans (Tartuffe)

Sarah Goodes (Switzerland)

Damien Ryan (Henry V)

BEST DIRECTION OF AN INDEPENDENT PRODUCTION

Dean Bryant (Sweet Charity)

Jay James-Moody (The Drowsy Chaperone)

Damien Ryan (All's Well That Ends Well)

Toby Schmitz (Howie the Rookie)

BEST ACTRESS IN A LEADING ROLE IN A MAINSTREAM PRODUCTION

Jacqueline McKenzie (Children of the Sun)

Ursula Mills (Kryptonite)

Sarah Peirse (Switzerland)

Pamela Rabe (The Glass Menagerie)

BEST ACTOR IN A LEADING ROLE IN A MAINSTREAM PRODUCTION

Eamon Farren (Switzerland)

Luke Mullins (The Glass Menagerie)

Steve Rodgers (Eight Gigabytes of Hardcore Pornography)

Richard Roxburgh (Cyrano de Bergerac)

BEST ACTRESS IN A LEADING ROLE IN AN INDEPENDENT PRODUCTION

Emma Palmer (Constellations)

Matilda Ridgway (A Doll's House)

Francesca Savige (All's Well That Ends Well)

Gabrielle Scawthorn (Stop Kiss)

BEST ACTOR IN A LEADING ROLE IN AN INDEPENDENT PRODUCTION

Anthony Gee (Music)

Julian Garner (The Crucible)

Sean Hawkins (Howie the Rookie)

Andrew Henry (Howie the Rookie)

BEST ACTRESS IN A SUPPORTING ROLE IN A MAINSTREAM PRODUCTION

Helen Morse (Once In Royal David's City)

Kate Mulvany (Tartuffe)

Eloise Winestock (Henry V)

Doris Younane (Jump for Jordan)

BEST ACTOR IN A SUPPORTING ROLE IN A MAINSTREAM PRODUCTION

Eugene Gilfedder (The Effect)

Marcus Graham (Hedda Gabler)

Josh McConville (Noises Off)

Yalin Ozucelik (Cyrano de Bergerac)

BEST ACTRESS IN A SUPPORTING ROLE IN AN INDEPENDENT PRODUCTION

Georgia Adamson (The Crucible)

Lily Newbury-Freeman (On the Shore of the Wide World)

Matilda Ridgway (The Crucible)

Francesca Savige (A Doll's House)

BEST ACTOR IN A SUPPORTING ROLE IN AN INDEPENDENT PRODUCTION

George Banders (All's Well That Ends Well)

Paul Bertram (On the Shore of the Wide World)

Robin Goldsworthy (Twelfth Night)

Anthony Gooley (A Doll's House)

BEST STAGE DESIGN OF A MAINSTREAM PRODUCTION

Anna Cordingley (Henry V)

Michael Hankin (A Christmas Carol)

Ralph Myers (Is This Thing On?)

Michael Scott-Mitchell (Switzerland)

BEST STAGE DESIGN OF AN INDEPENDENT PRODUCTION

Antoinette Barbouttis (All's Well That Ends Well)

Lisa Mimmocchi (Howie the Rookie)

Lauren Peters (The Drowsy Chaperone)

Owen Phillips (Sweet Charity)

BEST COSTUME DESIGN OF A MAINSTREAM PRODUCTION

Alice Babidge with Renee Mulder (Cyrano de Bergerac)

Anna Cordingley (Tartuffe)

Julie Lynch (Noises Off)

Mel Page (A Christmas Carol)

BEST COSTUME DESIGN OF AN INDEPENDENT PRODUCTION

Antoinette Barbouttis (All's Well That Ends Well)

Mason Browne (Ruthless!)

Tim Chappel (Sweet Charity)

Elizabeth Franklin (The Drowsy Chaperone)

BEST LIGHTING DESIGN OF A MAINSTREAM PRODUCTION

Benjamin Cisterne (A Christmas Carol)

Damien Cooper (The Long Way Home)

Sian James-Holland (Henry V)

Nick Schlieper (Macbeth)

BEST LIGHTING DESIGN OF AN INDEPENDENT PRODUCTION

Ross Graham (Sweet Charity)

Martin Kinnane (Ruthless!)

Toby Knyvett (All's Well That Ends Well)

Sara Swersky (Constellations)

BEST SCORE OR SOUND DESIGN OF A MAINSTREAM PRODUCTION

Steve Francis (The Long Way Home)

Steve Francis (Switzerland)

Steve Francis and Drew Livingston (Henry V)

Max Lyandvert (Macbeth)

BEST SOUND DESIGN OF AN INDEPENDENT PRODUCTION

Marty Jamieson (Constellations)

Jeremy Silver (Howie the Rookie)

David Stalley (All's Well That Ends Well)

David Stalley (The Crucible)

BEST NEW AUSTRALIAN WORK

Brothers Wreck (Jada Alberts)

Eight Gigabytes of Hardcore Pornography (Declan Greene)

Is This Thing On? (Zoe Coombs Marr)

Jump for Jordan (Donna Abela)

Kryptonite (Sue Smith)

Switzerland (Joanna Murray-Smith)

BEST NEWCOMER

Elena Foreman (Sugarland)

Hunter Page-Lochard (Brothers Wreck, Black Diggers, Sugarland)

Rose Riley (The Glass Menagerie)

Dubs Yunupingu (Sugarland)

BEST ENSEMBLE CAST

The Drowsy Chaperone

Is This Thing On?

Noises Off

Tartuffe

BEST PRODUCTION OF A MUSICAL

The Drowsy Chaperone (Squabbologic in association with Hayes Theatre Co)

Miracle City (Luckiest Productions in association with Hayes Theatre Co)

Strictly Ballroom (Global Creatures)

Sweet Charity (Luckiest Productions and Gooding Productions in association with Hayes Theatre Co)

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

Blazey Best (Miracle City)

Verity Hunt-Ballard (Sweet Charity)

Lisa McCune (The King and I)

Katrina Retallick (Ruthless!)

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

Stephen Anderson (Falsettos)

Martin Crewes (Sweet Charity)

Jay James-Moody (The Drowsy Chaperone)

Ian Stenlake (Truth, Beauty and a Picture of You)

BEST PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTRESS IN A SUPPORTING ROLE IN A MUSICAL

Hilary Cole (Miracle City)

Margi de Ferranti (Ruthless!)

Esther Hannaford (Miracle City)

Debora Krizak (Sweet Charity)

BEST PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTOR IN A SUPPORTING ROLE IN A MUSICAL

Alex Duncan (The Legend of King O'Malley)

Blake Erickson (Sondheim on Sondheim)

Robert Grubb (Strictly Ballroom)

Reg Livermore (Wicked)

BEST MUSICAL DIRECTION

Paul Geddes (The Drowsy Chaperone)

Max Lambert (Miracle City)

Nigel Ubrihien and Chris King (Falsettos)

Andrew Worboys (Sweet Charity)

BEST CABARET PRODUCTION

David Campbell Sings John Bucchino (David Campbell and John Bucchino)

O.C Diva (Hilary Cole)

Love and Death and an American Guitar (Toby Francis)

That 90s Show (Tom Sharah)

BEST PRODUCTION FOR CHILDREN

Circus Under My Bed (Flying Fruit Fly Circus)

Pete the Sheep (Monkey Baa Theatre Company)

Pinocchio (Windmill and State Theatre Company of South Australia presented by Sydney Theatre Company and Sydney Opera House)

The Piper (My Darling Patricia presented by Sydney Festival and Carriageworks)

BEST PRODUCTION FOR YOUNG PEOPLE

A Christmas Carol (Belvoir)

M. Rock (atyp and Sydney Theatre Company)

Sugarland (atyp)

The Violent Outburst That Led Me To You (Griffin Independent and Siren Theatre Co)

LIFETIME ACHIEVEMENT AWARD

To be announced at the Awards ceremony

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