Helpmann Awards 2019

Sydney's Belvoir Street Theatre was the big winner at the Helpmann Awards held in Melbourne for the first time - taking out 12 awards including the double of Best Play and Best Musical.

Voters snubbed blockbuster international productions such as Harry Potter and Cursed Child instead voting for original Australian productions.

The Best Musical was Barbara and the Camp Dogs and the Best Play was Counting & Cracking both critical successes for the company.

The turnaround for local content follows the criticism in recent years of replica productions of Broadway/West End hits sweeping the field over locally produced works.

Earlier on Sunday Tony Sheldon capped off a joyous weekend for his family by winning a Helpmann Award for Best Supporting Actor in a Musical for Charlie and the Chocolate Factory.  This came on the same night his mother Toni Lamond performed at the final night of the Sydney Cabaret Festival.

A full list of the winners is below.

(Belvoir Street Artistic Director Eamon Flack and S. Shakthidharan pictured above).

Best Male Actor in a Musical – Brent Hill - School of Rock - GWB Entertainment, S&Co, in association with Kham Inc by arrangement with The Really Useful Group Ltd.

Best Female Actor in a Musical – Ursula Yovich - Barbara and the Camp Dogs - Belvoir in association with Vicki Gordon Music Productions Pty Ltd

Best Male Actor in a Play - Prakash Belawadi - Counting & Cracking - Belvoir & Co-Curious.

Best Female Actor in a Play - Kate Mulvany - Every Brilliant Thing - Belvoir

Best Comedy Performer – Hannah Gadsby – Douglas – A Token Event

Best Cabaret Performer - Ali McGregor – Yma Sumac - The Peruvian Songbird – Adelaide Cabaret Festival

Best Male Dancer in a Ballet, Dance, or Physical Theatre Production - Waangenga Blanco - Dark Emu – Bangarra Dance Theatre

Best Female Dancer in a Ballet, Dance, or Physical Theatre Production - Tara Jade Samaya - Common Ground – Chunky Move

Best Male Performer in an Opera - Michael Honeyman – Wozzeck – Opera Australia

Best Female Performer in an Opera - Lise Lindstrom – Salome – Opera Australia

Best International Contemporary Concert – David Byrne and Frontier Touring -  American Utopia Tour 2018

Best Contemporary Music Festival - Museum of Old and New Art (MONA) - MONA FOMA 2019

Best Australian Contemporary Concert – Tim Minchin  and Live Nation Australasia - Back

Best Individual Classical Music Performance - Asher Fisch - Tristan und Isolde – West Australian Symphony Orchestra

Best Chamber and/or Instrumental Ensemble Concert - Gabrieli Consort & Players - Purcell's King Arthur – Melbourne Recital Centre and State Opera of South Australia.

Best Symphony Orchestra Concert - Tristan und Isolde - West Australian Symphony Orchestra

Best Visual or Physical Theatre Production - Out Of Chaos... - Gravity & Other Myths

Best Ballet – Aurum - The Australian Ballet

Best Dance Production - The Beginning of Nature - Australian Dance Theatre

Best Opera - Komische Oper Berlin's The Magic Flute - Adelaide Festival and Perth Festival by arrangement with Arts Projects Australia.

Best Musical - Barbara and the Camp Dogs - Belvoir in association with Vicki Gordon Music Productions Pty Ltd

Best Production of a Play - Counting & Cracking - Belvoir & Co-Curious.

Best New Australian Work - S. Shakthidharan and Eamon Flack - Counting & Cracking - Belvoir & Co-Curious.

Best Female Actor in a Supporting Role in a Play- Vaishnavi Suryaprakash in Counting & Cracking. Belvoir & Co-Curious.

Best Male Actor in a Supporting Role in a Play- Paul Blackwell in Faith Healer. Belvoir / State Theatre Company of South Australia.

Best Male Performer in a Supporting Role in an Opera- Tom Erik Lie in Komische Oper Berlin's The Magic Flute - – Adelaide Festival and Perth Festival by arrangement with Arts Projects Australia.

Best Female Performer in a Supporting Role in an Opera - Taryn Fiebig in Metamorphosis – Opera Australia.

Best Male Actor in a Supporting Role in a Musical – Tony Sheldon in Charlie and the Chocolate Factory – John Frost, Craig Donnell, Warner Bros Theatre Ventures, Langley Park Produxctions and Neal Street Productions.

Best Female Actor in a Supporting Role in a Musical- Elaine Crombie in Barbara and the Camp Dogs. Belvoir, in association with Vicki Gordon Music Productions.

Best Costume Design – Gabriela Tylesova for Twelfth Night – Melbourne Theatre Company.

Best Scenic Design– Dale Ferguson for Counting & Cracking – Belvoir & Co-Curious

Best Lighting Design- Neil Austin for Harry Potter and the Cursed Child (Parts One and Two). Sonia Friedman, Colin Callender, Harry Potter Theatrical Productions and Australian Executive Producer, Michael Cassel.

Best Sound Design– Stefan Gregory for Counting & Cracking - Belvoir & Co-Curious.

Best Music Direction- Erin Helyard for Artaserse – Pinchgut Opera

Best Original Score- Ursula Yovich, Alana Valentine, and Adm Ventoura - Barbara and the Camp Dogs – Belvoir, in association with Vicki Gordon Music Productions.

Best Special Event - Dark Mofo 2018, Museum of Old and New Art (Mona)

Best Presentation For Children and Young People- Robot Song - Arena Theatre. Company.

Best Regional Touring Production– Bennelong - Bangarra Dance Theatre.

Best Choreography in a Ballet, Dance, or Physical Theatre Production- Antony Hamilton for Forever & Ever – Sydney Dance Company.

Best Choreography in a Musical- Malik Le Nost and Mitchell Woodcock for Saturday Night Fever – John Frost in association with Robert Stigwood.

Best Direction of an Opera- Barrie Kosky and Suzanne Andrade-  Komische Oper Berlin's The Magic Flute – Adelaide Festival and Perth Festival by arrangement with Arts Projects Australia.

Best Direction of a Musical- Francesca Zambello - Handa Opera on Sydney Harbour: West Side Story. Opera Australia

Best Direction of a Play– Eamon Flack and S. Shakthidharan- Counting & Cracking - Belvoir & Co-Curious.