NIDA Acting, Writing and Design alumni have won major accolades at the Annual Helpmann Awards.
Photo: the award-winning Barbara and the Camp Dogs team, including Alana Valentine (far right).
On a night when Australia celebrates achievements in live performance at the prestigious Helpmann Awards, NIDA alumni featured heavily in the glittering list of winners. The Awards recognise distinguished artistic achievement and excellence in the many disciplines of Australia’s vibrant live performance sectors, including musical theatre, contemporary music, comedy, cabaret, regional touring, presentations for children and young people, opera, classical music, theatre, dance and physical theatre.
The Helpmann Awards, named in honour ofSir Robert Helpmann and to commemorate his memory and achievements, were established in 2001 byLive Performance Australia (LPA) to recognise, celebrate and promote our live performance industry, similar to the Tony Awards on Broadway and the Olivier Awards in London.
NIDA congratulates our alumni in winning these awards:
BEST COSTUME DESIGN
Gabriela Tylesova (Design, 1999):Twelfth Night,Melbourne Theatre Company
BEST SCENIC DESIGN
Dale Ferguson (Design, 1989)Counting & CrackingBelvoir and Co-Curious
BEST FEMALE ACTOR IN A SUPPORTING ROLE IN A PLAY
Vaishnavi Suryaprakash (Acting, 2017)Counting & Cracking,Belvoir and Co-Curious
BEST MALE ACTOR IN A SUPPORTING ROLE IN A PLAY
Paul Blackwell (Acting, 1981)Faith HealerA Belvoir Production presented by State Theatre Company South Australia
BEST MUSICAL
Barbara And The Camp Dogs, Ursula Yovich, Alana Valentine and Adm Ventoura, Belvoir. Co-written by Alana Valentine (Playwrights Studio, 1989), the production team includes stage manager Khym Scott (Production, 2012) and assistant stage manager Cecilia Nelson (TTSM, 2016), with set design by Stephen Curtis (Design, 1978) and sound design by Steve Toulmin (Technical Production, 2006).
BEST SPECIAL EVENT
Dark Mofo 2018 Museum of Old and New Art, Bruce McKinven (Design, 1997), Event Designer
BEST REGIONAL TOURING PRODUCTION
Bangarra for Bennelong, Jacob Nash (Design, 2005) Production Designer, Head of Wardrobe, Monica Smith (Costume, 2011). Cat Studley (Technical Theatre and Stage Management, 2015), stage manager Lillian Hannah U (Technical Theatre and Stage Management, 2016) and head electrician Ryan Shuker (Production, 2014)
BEST ORIGINAL SCORE
Ursula Yovich, Alana Valentine (Playwrights, 1989) and Adm Ventoura,Barbara and the Camp Dogs Belvoir
A complete list of winners and photographs of the night here.
