2012 CONDA AWARDS

The 34th Annual City of Newcastle Drama Awards (CONDAs) were presented at Newcastle’s Civic Theatre on Friday December 7.

Carl Young, the artistic director of Stooged Theatre, a company he co-founded while a high school student a decade ago, has won the 2012 Newcastle City Council Award for Outstanding Achievement in Newcastle Theatre.

His win was announced by Newcastle City Councillor Stephanie Posniak at the 34^th at the Civic Theatre tonight.

CONDA judges Michelle Gosper, Sue Leask, Ken Longworth and Pamela Whalan said in the achievement award citation that Carl Young “continues to seek out plays that are new, exciting, challenging and significant so that Newcastle is treated to the best of modern drama”.

They pointed to the 22 nominations the company’s four productions received this year, including three for best professional production, and to the two CONDAs awarded.

The trophies went to The Pillowman, as best professional production, and to Rachelle Schmidt, who was named best professional actress for her role in Breathing Corpses.

It was a good night for Rachelle Schmidt. She won a second CONDA – best non-professional actress in a leading role in a musical – for her demanding role as the Witch in Pantseat Productions’ Into the Woods.

Like many Newcastle performers, Schmidt switches between professional and non-professional work.

The winners in the 22 CONDA categories were spread widely over shows staged in the awards period, the 12 months ended October 31. Fourteen productions collected trophies, with 13 groups represented.

The night’s biggest winner was the Young People’s Theatre production of the William Shakespeare comedy Twelfth Night. It received the best non-professional dramatic production award and three other trophies.

Amy Hill and Leilani Smith won the non-professional direction award for their finely balanced and enjoyable staging in a 1930s setting of a story in which shipwrecked twins cause confusion when they arrive separately in a town.

Anna Lambert was named best non-professional actress in a leading role in a drama or comedy for Sir Toby Belch, and Jack Gow collected the non-professional actor in a supporting role CONDA for his poignant portrayal of an ambitious major-domo who becomes one of Sir Toby’s victims.

Another big winner was Metropolitan Players’ production of the musical Oliver! It received the best non-professional musical award.

Chris Maxfield won the non-professional actor in a leading role in a musical trophy for his performance as Fagin, and musical director Chris Vidler took home the non-professional achievement in music and movement award.

Three shows each won two CONDAs.

In addition to Rachelle Schmidt’s leading non-professional actress in a musical award, Into the Woods was a CONDA-winner for Lia Bundy’s costume designs.

Newcastle Theatre Company’s Water Child was a dual-CONDA winner, with Emma Wood receiving the best new play written for a Newcastle company award and Lynda Rennie collecting the trophy for a non-professional actress in a supporting role.

Water Child looks at a career couple in their late 30s struggling with fertility issues. The award citation said the theme was explored by Emma Wood with great sensitivity and well-developed characters. Lynda Rennie, cast as the best friend of the woman struggling to conceive, brought energy and sympathy to the role.

The Elephant Man, staged by Adenau and 5 Minute Call Productions, also was a two-CONDA winner.

Timothy Blundell won the professional actor award in the title role of John Merrick, while Don W. McEwen’s set design took the professional achievement in set, costume, make-up and lighting trophy.

The award for non-professional actor in a leading role went to Matt Graham for his role as Eddy, a wheeler-dealing young man in 1970s London, in Company Clegg’s staging of Stephen Berkoff’s Greek, a dark comedy reworking the story of Oedipus, who killed his father and unknowingly married his real mother.

The CONDA Awards were presented at a music- and laugh-filled show that included theme songs from television series reworked as theatrical numbers, to note the 50^th anniversary of NBN Television’s start of operations as the first NSW regional television station.

The Awards hosts were Lauren O’Brien, in her persona Denise Gold, and Daniel Stoddart.

Five young people aged 9 to 20 were presented with the Newcastle Youth Theatre Development Grants, each of $350, which are sponsored by Newcastle groups and individuals and are aimed at assisting young people in improving and expanding their theatre skills. The recipients, who were nominated by Newcastle’s five youth theatre groups are: Paige Carr (DAPA Theatre), Maike Strichow (Hunter Region Drama School), Thomas Hamilton (Pantseat Productions), Jemima Webber (Tantrum Theatre) and Annabel Fleming (Young People’s Theatre).

The sponsors were DAPA Theatre, Michelle Gosper and Scott Williams, Metropolitan Players, Don Mitchell and Pamela Whalan.

The People’s Choice Award for best production, an award determined by the votes of Newcastle Herald readers, went to the Newcastle Theatre Company production The Women of Lockerbie.

THE 2012 CONDA WINNERS

Newcastle City Council Award for Outstanding Achievement in Newcastle Theatre: Carl Young

Professional categories:

Production: The Pillowman, Stooged Theatre

Actor: Timothy Blundell, The Elephant Man

Actress: Rachelle Schmidt, Breathing Corpses

Director: Daniel Stoddart, Spring Awakening

Achievement in music, sound and movement: Silvia Martinez, choreography, Fiddler on the Roof

Achievement in set, costume, make-up and lighting: Don W. McEwen, set design, The Elephant Man

Open categories:

Best new play written for a Newcastle company: Water Child, Emma Wood

Best special theatrical event: Inside the Mind of Edward Tulip, Circus Avalon

Non-professional categories:

Dramatic production: Twelfth Night, Young People’s Theatre

Musical production: Oliver!, Metropolitan Players

Actor in a leading role in a drama or comedy: Matt Graham, Greek

Actress in a leading role in a drama or comedy: Anna Lambert, Twelfth Night

Actor in a leading role in a musical: Chris Maxfield, Oliver!

Actress in a leading role in a musical: Rachelle Schmidt, Into the Woods

Actor in a supporting role: Jack Gow, Twelfth Night

Actress in a supporting role: Lynda Rennie, Water Child

Ensemble acting: Creche and Burn, Theatre on Brunker and Blank Page Theatre

Director: Amy Hill and Leilani Smith, Twelfth Night

Achievement in music and movement: Chris Vidler, musical director, Oliver!

Achievement in costume design and make-up: Lia Bundy, costume design, Into the Woods

Achievement in set design: Charlotte De Wit, The Twits

Achievement in lighting and sound design: David Murray and David Fitzgerald,  lighting design, The Women of Lockerbie