2018 Helpmann Award ACT I Winners

Muriel's Wedding the Musical was the big winner with five awards, on Sunday 15 July, when the first 20 Helpmann Awards were presented at the 2018 Helpmann Awards Act I, an intimate cocktail hour event held at the Sydney Town Hall. The winners were announced for the best creative, designer and supporting roles as well as the Awards for Best Presentation for Children, Best Regional Touring Production and Best Special Event in front of an industry A-list crowd.

Hosts Rhoda Roberts AO and Michael Lynch CBE AO were joined by special guest presenters including actor Mitchell Butel, director Neil Armfield AO, musical theatre stars Verity Hunt-Ballard, Matt Lee and Sharon Millerchip, choreographer Kelley Abbey, actor Peter Carroll, musical director Vanessa Scammell and composer Max Lambert.

Performances included Chloe Dallimore and Amanda Laing with the Lyrebird Song from Monkey Baa Theatre Company’s “Josephine Wants to Dance”, the Sydney Youth Orchestra Quartet, musical theatre rising star Georgina Hopson and dynamic opera duo Andrew Jones and Jenny Liu singing the Papageno and Papagena duet from Mozart’s The Magic Flute.

Muriel's Wedding the Musical received a total of five Helpmann Awards at the ACT 1 Ceremony, Bangarra Dance Theatre received four Awards and Beautiful: The Carole King Musical received three Helpmann Awards.

The remaining 23 Awards will be presented at The Helpmann Awards Act II on Monday 16 July at the Capitol Theatre and will be broadcast on ABC on Monday 16 July at 9.35pm. Highlights from tonights Act I, will also be included in the broadcast.

BEST MALE PERFORMER IN A SUPPORTING ROLE IN AN OPERA

Kanen BREEN
Coronation of Poppea
Pinchgut Opera

BEST FEMALE PERFORMER IN A SUPPORTING ROLE IN AN OPERA

LORINA GORE
Hamlet
Glyndebourne Festival and Adelaide Festival in association with the State Opera of South Australia
and the Adelaide Symphony Orchestra

BEST MALE ACTOR IN A SUPPORTING ROLE IN A PLAY
MITCHELL BUTEL

Mr Burns, A Post-Electric Play
Belvoir and State Theatre Company South Australia

BEST FEMALE ACTOR IN A SUPPORTING ROLE IN A PLAY

ANITA HEGH
The Resistible Rise of Arturo Ui
Sydney Theatre Company

BEST MALE ACTOR IN A SUPPORTING ROLE IN A MUSICAL

MAT VEREVIS
Beautiful: The Carole King Musical
Michael Cassel in association with Paul Blake & Sony/ATV Music Publishing & Mike Bosner

BEST FEMALE ACTOR IN A SUPPORTING ROLE IN A MUSICAL

AMY LEHPAMER
Beautiful: The Carole King Musical
Michael Cassel in association with Paul Blake & Sony/ATV Music Publishing & Mike Bosner

BEST COSTUME DESIGN

GABRIELA TYLESOVA
Muriel’s Wedding The Musical
Sydney Theatre Company and Global Creatures

BEST SCENIC DESIGN

JACOB NASH
Bennelong
Bangarra Dance Theatre

BEST LIGHTING DESIGN

NICK SCHLIEPER
Bennelong
Bangarra Dance Theatre

BEST SOUND DESIGN

MICHAEL WATERS
Muriel’s Wedding The Musical

Sydney Theatre Company and Global Creatures

BEST MUSIC DIRECTION

ISAAC HAYWARD
Muriel’s Wedding The Musical
Sydney Theatre Company and Global Creatures

BEST ORIGINAL SCORE

KATE MILLER-HEIDKE and KEIR NUTTALL
Muriel’s Wedding The Musical
Sydney Theatre Company and Global Creatures

BEST SPECIAL EVENT

TAYLOR MAC: A 24 DECADE HISTORY OF POPULAR MUSIC
Melbourne International Arts Festival and Pomegranate Arts

BEST PRESENTATION FOR CHILDREN

EMIL AND THE DETECTIVES
Slingsby

BEST REGIONAL TOURING PRODUCTION

OUR LAND PEOPLE STORIES
Bangarra Dance Theatre

BEST CHOREOGRAPHY IN A BALLET, DANCE OR PHYSICAL THEATRE PRODUCTION

STEPHEN PAGE AO
Bennelong
Bangarra Dance Theatre

BEST CHOREOGRAPHY IN A MUSICAL

ANDREW HALLSWORTH
Muriel’s Wedding The Musical
Sydney Theatre Company and Global Creatures

BEST DIRECTION OF A PLAY

SARAH GOODES
The Children
Melbourne Theatre Company and Sydney Theatre Company

BEST DIRECTION OF AN OPERA

NEIL ARMFIELD AO
Hamlet
Glyndebourne Festival and Adelaide Festival in association with the State Opera of South Australia and the Adelaide Symphony Orchestra

BEST DIRECTION OF A MUSICAL

MARC BRUNI
Beautiful: The Carole King Musical
Michael Cassel in association with Paul Blake & Sony/ATV Music Publishing & Mike Bosner