WELLINGTON THEATRE AWARDS 2017
AND THE NOMINEES ARE…

The Wellington Theatre Awards are proud to celebrate another exciting, engaging and highly entertaining year of professional theatre in the cultural capital on the evening of Sunday 10 December at St James Theatre.

This year the Wellington Theatre Awards celebrates its 25th Anniversary of honouring the elite of Wellington’s theatre talent. We will celebrate and acknowledge the brightest stars from Wellington’s finest actors, directors, producers, writers, designers, technicians and theatre affiliates.

Eleven industry professionals choose the nominees for the 20 awards. The ‘Mayor’s’ award will be announced at the awards ceremony.

Our 2017 nominees are: (in alphabetical order)

Most Promising Newcomer (Two Awards)

I Ken So Productions, Riverside Kings

Karin McCracken, Wine Lips | Body Double

Lale Ausage, Riverside Kings

Lucas Neal, Gallatea | Yellow Face | Marine Snow

Red Scare Theatre Company, Under | M’Lady | Yellow Face

Trae Te Wiki, The First Time

Best Lighting Designer

Lisa Maule, Anahera | Scarlet and Gold

Marcus McShane, The Father | Body Double | A Doll’s House

Martyn Roberts, Dark Matter

Nick Zwart, Marine Snow

Best Sound Designer

Lucien Johnson, Lobsters

Oliver Devlin, Marine Snow

Te Aihe Butler, Body Double

Best Set Designer

Ian Harman, A Doll’s House | Hand to God

John Parker, Miss Jean Batten

Wai Mihinui, In the Wars

Best Costume Designer

Lisa Holmes, That Bloody Woman

Sheila Horton, Three Days in the Country

Cara Louise Waretini, The Night Mechanics

Best Composer of Music

Adrian Hook, Oswell Didsbury, Rutene Spooner, Frith Horan and Kate McGill, The Better Best Possible Album Party That Anybody Has Ever Been Two

Alex Taylor, Dido and Aeneas: Recomposed

Lucien Johnson, Lobsters

Best New Playwright

Courtney Rose Brown, The First Time

Emily Perkins, A Doll’s House

Natano Keni and Sarita So, Riverside Kings

Best New NZ Play

Courtney Rose Brown, The First Time

Emily Perkins, A Doll’s House

Emma Kinane, Anahera

Most Original Production

Ancient Shrines and Half Truths - Binge Culture

Dido and Aeneas: Recomposed - UnstuckOpera

Lobsters - Borderline Arts Ensemble

Actor of the Year

Benjamin Teh, Yellow Face

Jeffrey Thomas, The Father

Tom Clarke, Wine Lips | Hand to God

Actress of the Year

Amy Tarleton, Hand to God

Kali Kopae, A Doll's House

Neenah Dekkers-Reihana, Anahera | The Mooncake and the Kūmara

Outstanding Performance (Two Awards)

Carmel McGlone, Lobsters

Carrie Green, The Night Mechanics

Dawn Cheong, The Night Mechanics

Julia Croft, Body Double

Sophie Hambleton, A Doll’s House

Stella Reid, The Basement Tapes

Excellence Award for Design

For Media Design: Kevin Ramser for Body Double  

For Full Production Design: Poppy Serano, Owen McCarthy, Waylon Edwards, Christine Urquhart, Isobel MacKinnon and Barbarian Productions for Soft n Hard  

For Full Production Design: Tānemahuta Gray, Gillie Coxhill, Nathan McKendry, Tiki Taane, Sam Trevethick, Guy Benfield, David Strong, Rowan Pierce, Dave Spark and Matthew Knight for Tiki Taane Mahuta

Excellence Award for Ensemble Performance

Lobsters - Borderline Arts Ensemble

The Undertow - Te Rākau Theatre

The Wholehearted - Massive Company

Excellence Award for Innovative Contribution to the Industry and/or Community

Paying For It - *Blair and *Satine

Te Haukāinga - Taki Rua

The Performance Arcade - The Playground NZ

Director of the Year

Jane Yonge, The Basement Tapes

Katie Wolfe, The Mooncake and the Kūmara

Stella Reid, Wine Lips

Production of the Year

Body Double - Zanetti Productions

Dark Matter - afterburner

The Basement Tapes - Chapel Perilous

The Wellington Theatre Awards 2017

6.30pm, Sunday 10 December

St James Theatre Wellington, 87/77 Courtenay Pl

Event tickets are $40 and include light refreshments and nibbles.

BOOKINGS: http://www.ticketmaster.co.nz/Wellington-Theatre-Awards-tickets/artist/2428565

The Theatre Awards Trust would like to acknowledge our generous sponsors:

Wellington City Council, Jack Jeffs Charitable Trust, The Lion Foundation, Four Winds Foundation, NW Group, The Dominion Post, BATS Theatre, Capital E, Circa Theatre, Emerging Artists Trust, Park Road Post, Playmarket, Showcast, Sileni Estates, Taki Rua, Toi Whakaari, Victoria University of Wellington, and WETA Workshop.