Performing Arts WA 2023 Awards Ceremony

The 2023 Performing Arts WA Awards Ceremony, held on Monday 30 October in the Heath Ledger Theatre, celebrated achievement in Western Australian professional live performance in 2022, covering both mainstage and independent performances.

Independent dance show Petrushka (Game, Set, Match) by Scott Elstermann was the biggest winner for the night, taking home five of the six awards for which it was nominated, including Outstanding New Work, Outstanding Choreography and Best Independent Production.

Zealous Productions’ The Addams Family was also a popular production, picking up four awards.

Black Swan State Theatre Company of WA and WA Opera were the most awarded companies, taking home five awards each. Black Swan State Theatre Company of WA took home gongs for three productions: City of Gold, Barracking for the Umpire and The Glass Menagerie; WA Opera was recognised for La Traviata, Our Little Inventor and Tosca.

The Lifetime Achievement Award went to two recipients this year: Sue Peacock and David King, each honoured for their long illustrious careers and dedication to teaching at WA Academy of Performing Arts.

With new presentation funding, support from DLGSCI and Arts & Culture Trust meant the awards moved from the foyer space to the Heath Ledger Theatre at State Theatre Centre. This welcome capacity increase allowed for a greater scale event and increased audience members- something essential with the expansion of the awards themselves. With a 20-year history of recognising professional theatre, the Awards now also include dance, musicals, opera and cabaret across WA.

The Awards celebrate the professional live performing arts in Western Australia. They are hosted each year by Artist Relief Fund WA, a charity which supports arts workers experiencing hardship.

WA Opera’s Our Little Inventor received the most nominations, featuring in twelve categories. Other big nominees included Black Swan State Theatre Company of WA’s hit footy family comedy Barracking for the Umpire with eight nominations; Yirra Yaakin’s new musical Panawathi Girl with nine nominations; and local independent contemporary dance show Petrushka (Game, Set, Match) with six nominations.
The event was supported by project partners: DLGSCI and Arts & Culture Trust WA, Mindaroo Foundation, Sandy Anghie, CircuitWest, Media Entertainment & Arts Alliance, Artist Management Australia, Moore Creative Artists, Harlequin Floors and Media Super.

More information: www.performingartswaawards.com

Photographer: Jessica Wyld

Full list of winners:

Name	Production	Company	Genre	Category
Dayana Hardy Acuña	Swan Lake	West Australian Ballet	Dance	Outstanding Performer
David Mack	Petrushka (Game, Set, Match)	Scott Elstermann	Dance	Outstanding Performer
Tyrone Earl Lraé Robinson	Petrushka (Game, Set, Match)	Scott Elstermann	Dance	Outstanding Performer
Julio Blanes	Goldberg Variations	West Australian Ballet	Dance	Outstanding Performer
Scott Elstermann	Petrushka (Game, Set, Match)	Scott Elstermann	Dance	Outstanding Choreography
Petrushka (Game, Set, Match)	Petrushka (Game, Set, Match)	Scott Elstermann	Dance	Outstanding New Work
GLORIA	GLORIA	Co3 Contemporary Dance	Dance	Best Mainstage Production
Bethany Reece	And The Earth Will Swallow Them Whole	Rachel Arianne Ogle for Perth Festival	Dance	Outstanding Newcomer
Petrushka (Game, Set, Match)	Petrushka (Game, Set, Match)	Scott Elstermann	Dance	Best Independent Production
The Ensemble	Goldberg Variations	West Australian Ballet	Dance	Outstanding Duet or Ensemble
Joe Louis Robinson & Joshua James Webb	CHICAGO - A Musical Vaudeville	Drew Anthony Creative	Musicals & Opera	Outstanding Musical Direction or Conducting
Paul O'Neill	Tosca	West Australian Opera	Musicals & Opera	Outstanding Performer in a Leading Role
Brendan Hanson	The Addams Family	Zealous Productions	Musicals & Opera	Outstanding Performer in a Leading Role
La Traviata	La Traviata	West Australian Opera, Opera Queensland & State Opera South Australia	Musicals & Opera	Best Production
The Addams Family	The Addams Family	Zealous Productions	Musicals & Opera	Best Production
Michael McCall	The Addams Family	Zealous Productions	Musicals & Opera	Outstanding Direction, Movement Direction or Choreography
David Milroy	Panawathi Girl	Yirra Yaakin Theatre Company for Perth Festival	Musicals & Opera	Outstanding New Work
Emma Jayakumar	Our Little Inventor	West Australian Opera in association with AWESOME Festival, West Australian Young Voices and Western Australian Youth Orchestra	Overall	Outstanding Composition or Arranging
Samantha Clarke	La Traviata	West Australian Opera, Opera Queensland & State Opera South Australia	Musicals & Opera	Outstanding Newcomer
Rachelle Durkin	Our Little Inventor	West Australian Opera in association with AWESOME Festival, West Australian Young Voices and Western Australian Youth Orchestra	Musicals & Opera	Outstanding Performer in a Supporting Role
Rachel Monamy	The Addams Family	Zealous Productions	Musicals & Opera	Outstanding Performer in a Supporting Role
The Ensemble	Panawathi Girl	Yirra Yaakin Theatre Company for Perth Festival	Musicals & Opera	Outstanding Ensemble
Georgia King	Mama Stitch - Mandurah	Whiskey & Boots	Theatre	Outstanding Performer in a Leading Role
Izzy McDonald	SIT! (Or I'll Make You Sit)	The Blue Room Theatre & Morgan Owen	Theatre	Outstanding Direction of an Independent Production
Telephone	Telephone	The Last Great Hunt	Overall	Outstanding Contemporary or Experimental Performance
Tim Collins	Cicada	Barking Gecko Theatre	Overall	Outstanding Sound Design
Bruce McKinven & Amalia Lambert	Mary Stuart	Performing Lines WA in association with Fremantle Theatre Company for Perth Festival	Overall	Outstanding Stage Design
Bruce McKinven & Amalia Lambert	Mary Stuart	Performing Lines WA in association with Fremantle Theatre Company for Perth Festival	Overall	Outstanding Costume Design
Lucy Birkinshaw	The Glass Menagerie	Black Swan State Theatre Company of WA	Overall	Outstanding Lighting Design
The Smallest Stage	The Smallest Stage	Bunbury Regional Entertainment Centre for Perth Festival	Theatre	Best Mainstage Production
Melissa Cantwell	Mary Stuart	Performing Lines WA in association with Fremantle Theatre Company for Perth Festival	Theatre	Outstanding Direction of a Mainstage Production
Andrea Gibbs	Barracking for the Umpire	Black Swan State Theatre Company of WA	Theatre	Outstanding New Work
Meyne Wyatt	City of Gold	Black Swan State Theatre Company of WA & Sydney Theatre Company for Perth Festival	Theatre	Outstanding Performer in a Leading Role
Tinashe Mangwana	Blue/Orange by Joe Penhall	THEATRE 180	Theatre	Outstanding Newcomer
Alicia Osyka	SIT! (Or I'll Make You Sit)	The Blue Room Theatre & Morgan Owen	Theatre	Outstanding Performer in a Supporting Role
Joel Jackson	Barracking for the Umpire	Black Swan State Theatre Company of WA	Theatre	Outstanding Performer in a Supporting Role
Takatāpui	Takatāpui	The Blue Room Theatre Summer Nights & Daley Rangi	Theatre	Best Independent Production
The Ensemble	The Complete Show of Water Skiing	The Blue Room Theatre & Samantha Hortin	Theatre	Outstanding Ensemble
Sue Peacock	Lifetime Achievement Award
David King	Lifetime Achievement Award
Cadence McNamara	The Artist Relief Fund's Student Endowments - Supported by Minderoo Foundation
Riley Warner	The Artist Relief Fund's Student Endowments - Supported by Minderoo Foundation
Ruby Brazzalotto	The Artist Relief Fund's Student Endowments - Supported by Minderoo Foundation
Jake Binns	The Artist Relief Fund's Student Endowments - Supported by Minderoo Foundation
Marie-Eve Cigna	The Artist Relief Fund's Student Endowments - Supported by Minderoo Foundation
Verity Wyllie	The Artist Relief Fund's Student Endowments - Supported by Minderoo Foundation
Shari Sebbens	City of Gold	Black Swan State Theatre Company of WA & Sydney Theatre Company for Perth Festival		Outstanding Achievement by an Interstate Artist

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