Helpmann Award Nominations
10th July 2007
Compiled by Adam Rafferty

Australia’s most comprehensive theatre awards are upon us again.

With 41 nomination categories spanning opera, comedy, concerts, musicals and children’s theatre amongst many others, the Helpmann Awards seek to recognise the best of the arts in Australia.

Melbourne audiences should be excited to book their tickets to Priscilla Queen of the Desert – The Musical, after it picked up nine nominations. Miss Saigon, Keating! and The Boy From Oz which all toured Melbourne in the last twelve months also had good showings. Meanwhile, Sydney Theatre Company took the lion’s share of nominations in the Play categories.

The winners will be announced on Monday 6^th August from the Capitol Theatre in Sydney and will be broadcast live on Foxtel’s Fox8 Channel.

 See below for the nominations in all 41 categories:

Best Play

Holding The Man – Griffin Theatre Company
Parramatta Girls – Company B
The Lost Echo – Sydney Theatre Company
The Season at Sarsaparilla – Sydney Theatre Company

Best Direction of a Play

Barrie Kosky – The Lost Echo, Sydney Theatre Company
Benedict Andrews – The Season at Sarsaparilla, Sydney Theatre Company
Michael Hill – Waiting for Godot, State Theatre Company of South Australia
Wesley Enoch – Parramatta Girls, Company B

Best Male Actor in a Play

Cameron Goodall – Hamlet, State Theatre Company of South Australia and Queensland Theatre Company
Jefferson Mays – I Am My Own Wife, Melbourne Theatre Company, Sydney Theatre Company and Hothouse Theatre
John Gaden – The Lost Echo, Sydney Theatre Company
Peter Carroll – The Season at Sarsaparilla, Sydney Theatre Company

Best Female Actor in a Play

Alison Van Reeken – The Carnivores, Black Swan Theatre Company
Elena Kalinina – Uncle Vanya, Sydney Festival
Pamela Rabe – Mother Courage and Her Children, Sydney Theatre Company
Ursula Yovich – Capricornia, Company B

Best Male Actor in a Supporting Role in a Play

Dan Wyllie – The Pillowman, Melbourne Theatre Company
Matthew Newton – The History Boys, Melbourne Theatre Company
Paul Capsis – The Lost Echo, Sydney Theatre Company
Sean Taylor – Uncle Vanya, State Theatre Company of South Australia

Best Female Actor in a Supporting Role in a Play

Bojana Novakovic – Eldorado, Malthouse Theatre
Deborah Mailman – The Lost Echo, Sydney Theatre Company
Hayley McElhinney – Mother Courage and Her Children, Sydney Theatre Company
Rebecca Massey – It Just Stopped, Company B / Malthouse Theatre

Best Musical

Hedwig and the Angry Inch
Keating!
Miss Saigon
Priscilla Queen of the Desert - The Musical

Best Direction of a Musical

Craig Ilott – Hedwig and the Angry Inch
Laurence Connor – Miss Saigon
Neil Armfield – Keating!
Simon Phillips – Priscilla Queen of the Desert – The Musical

Best Choreography in a Musical

Geoffrey Garratt and Bob Avian – Miss Saigon
Kelley Abbey and Kenny Ortega – The Boy From Oz
Ross Coleman – Pippin
Ross Coleman – Priscilla Queen of the Desert – The Musical

Best Male Actor in a Musical

David Harris – Miss Saigon
Hugh Jackman – The Boy From Oz
iOta – Hedwig and the Angry Inch
Tony Sheldon – Priscilla Queen of the Desert – The Musical

Best Female Actor in a Musical

Chrissy Amphlett – The Boy From Oz
Laurie Cadevida – Miss Saigon
Sharon Millerchip – Pippin
Silvie Paladino – Sideshow Alley

Best Male Actor in a Supporting Role in a Musical

Juan Jackson – Miss Saigon
Michael Caton – Priscilla Queen of the Desert – The Musical
R J Rosales – Miss Saigon
Terry Serio – Keating!

Best Female Actor in a Supporting Role in a Musical

Colleen Hewett – The Boy From Oz
Genevieve Lemon – Priscilla Queen of the Desert – The Musical
Robyn Arthur – Sideshow Alley
Trisha Noble - Pippin

Best Opera

Alcina
Rusalka
Satyagraha
The Love of the Nightingale

Best Classical Concert Presentation

Ashkenazy conducts Rachmaninov – Sydney Symphony
Mozart Symphony No. 36, Tchaikovsky Symphony No. 5 – Vienna Philharmonic, presented by Sydney Opera House
Revolution – Australian Chamber Orchestra
Rossini Gala – Sydney Symphony

Best Direction of an Opera

Douglas Horton – The Hive
Leigh Warren – Satyagraha
Lindy Hume – The Love of the Nightingale
Olivia Fuchs – Rusalka

Best Male Performer in an Opera

Adam Goodburn – Satyagraha
Jonathan Summers – Rigoletto
Julian Gavin – Rusalka
Tobias Cole – Giulio Cesare (Julius Caesar)

Best Female Performer in an Opera

Cheryl Barker – Rusalka
Elvira Fatykhova – La Traviata
Emma Matthews – The Love of the Nightingale
Susan Bullock – Tristan und Isolde

Best Male Performer in a Supporting Role in an Opera

Christopher Field – Giulio Cesare (Julius Caesar)
Harry Peeters – Tristan und Isolde
James Egglestone – The Love of the Nightingale

Best Female Performer in a Supporting Role in an Opera

Bernadette Cullen – Tristan und Isolde
Orla Boylan – The Love of the Nightingale
Pamela Helen Stephen – Giulio Cesare (Julius Caesar)
Taryn Fiebig – La clemenza di Tito

Best Performance in a Classical Concert

Melbourne Symphony Orchestra – Master Series – Courage under fire Shostakovich Symphony No. 7 Leningrad
Robert Adam – Carmina Burana/Chichester Psalms/Knoxville Concert
Terry Riley – 2006 Alfred Hook Lecture and Recital by Terry Riley as part of the Aurora Festival
Vadim Repin – Vadim Repin plays Sibelius

Best Ballet or Dance Work

Lawn - Brisbane Powerhouse
Monumental – Melbourne International Arts Festival and Ros Warby
Structure and Sadness – Lucy Guerin Company
Zero Degrees – Les Ballets C. de la B. and Akram Khan Company, presented by Sydney Festival

Best Visual or Physical Theatre Production

Honour Bound – Malthouse Theatre and Sydney Opera House
La Clique – Spiegeltent International presented by Sydney Festival
The 7 Fingers – The Arts Centre
The Space Between – Circa

Best Choreography in a Ballet or Dance Work

Akram Khan and Sidi Larbi Cherkaoui – Zero Degrees
Lucy Guerin – Structure and Sadness
Michael Kantor, Gideon Obarzanek and Lucy Guerin – Tense Dave
Splintergroup – Lawn

Best Male Dancer in a Ballet or Dance Work

Akram Khan – Zero Degrees
Bradley Chatfield – CUT
Byron Perry – Headlock
Byron Perry – Structure and Sadness

Best Female Dancer in a Ballet or Dance Work

Kirstie McCracken – Structure and Sadness
Lucinda Dunn – Don Quixote
Michelle Heaven – Tense Dave
Ros Warby – Monumental

Best International Contemporary Concert

Chick Corea and Gary Burton with the Sydney Symphony – Sydney Symphony
Lou Reed’s Berlin – Arts at St Ann’s and Sydney Festival
Pink – I’m Not Dead! Tour – Michael Coppel
Robbie Williams Close Encounters Tour – Chugg Entertainment

Best Australian Contemporary Concert

Damien Leith in Concert – The Harbour Agency
David Campbell “Wild With Style” – newtheatricals, Sydney Opera House and Lunchbox Theatrical Productions
Murundak – Melbourne International Arts Festival and Arts House
The Countdown Spectacular – The Frontier Touring Company and Michael Gudinski

Best Contemporary Music Festival

Big Day Out Festival 2007
East Coast Blues and Roots Festival
St Jeromes Laneway Festival
WOMADelaide

Best Performance in an Australian Contemporary Concert

Damien Leith
David Campbell
Kylie Minogue
Olivia Newton-John

Best Comedy Performer

Adam Hills
Akmal Saleh
Fiona O’Loughlin
Tom Gleeson

Best New Australian Work

The Adventures of Snugglepot & Cuddlepie and Little Ragged Blossom
The Lost Echo
Structure and Sadness
Honour Bound
The Love of the Nightingale
Priscilla Queen of the Desert – The Musical

Best Special Event

Billy Crystal 700 Sundays
Gate Theatre Beckett Season
Operatunity Oz performance of “Rigoletto”
Walking with Dinosaurs – the Live Experience

Best Presentation for Children

Emily Loves to Bounce!
Jackie French’s “Hitler’s Daughter”
The Adventures of Snugglepot & Cuddlepie and Little Ragged Blossom
The Fairies Live On Stage

Best Original Score

Alan John – Mother Courage and Her Children
Keelan Young – Sideshow Alley
Mr James Brett – Walking with Dinosaurs – the Live Experience
Richard Mills – The Love of the Nightingale

Best Music Direction

Casey Bennetto – Keating!
Guy Simpson – Miss Saigon
Richard Mills – The Love of the Nightingale
Stephen ‘Spud’ Murphy – Priscilla Queen of the Desert – The Musical

Best Costume Design

Anna French – Raymonda
Roger Kirk – The Pirates of Penzance
Tess Schofield – The Adventures of Snugglepot & Cuddlepie and Little Ragged Blossom
Tim Chappel and Lizzie Gardiner – Priscilla Queen of the Desert – The Musical

Best Lighting Design

Al Gurdon – Robbie Williams Close Encounters Tour
Bruno Poet – Rusalka
Jon Buswell – Raymonda
Mr John Rayment – Walking with Dinosaurs – the Live Experience

Best Scenic Design

Brian Thomson – The Boy From Oz
Dan Potra – The Love of the Nightingale
Richard Roberts – Raymonda
Robert Cousins – The Season at Sarsaparilla

Best Sound Design

Michael Waters – The Boy From Oz
Michael Waters – The Woman in Black
Peter Grubb for System Sound – Miss Saigon
Steve Francis – Keating!

Best Regional Touring Production

Clan – Bangarra Dance Theatre
Cosentino “Evolution” – Cosentino Entertainment
Six Dance Lessons in Six Weeks – Ensemble Productions in association with Christine Dunstan Productions
The Messiah – HotHouse Theatre

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