8th Helpmann Awards

The 2008 Helpmann Awards were presented on 28 July 2008 at the Lyric Theatre, Sydney. The ceremony was hosted by Jonathan Biggins and Julia Zemiro^[1] and was broadcast live on Bio. (Foxtel's biography channel).^[2]

Nominees

(winners are bolded)^{[3][4][5][6][7][8][9][10][11]}

Theatre

Best Play

• Company B – Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?
  • National Theatre of Scotland, Presented by Sydney Festival, Perth International Arts Festival – Black Watch
  • Brink Productions – When the Rain Stops Falling
  • Company B – Toy Symphony

Best Direction of a Play

• Neil Armfield – Toy Symphony
  • Benedict Andrews – Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?
  • Barrie Kosky – The Tell-Tale Heart
  • John Tiffany – Black Watch

Best Male Actor in a Play

• Richard Roxburgh – Toy Symphony
  • Geoffrey Rush – Exit the King
  • Marton Csokas – Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?
  • Martin Niedermair – The Tell-Tale Heart

Best Female Actor in a Play

• Leah Purcell – The Story of the Miracles at Cookie's Table
  • Catherine McClements – Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?
  • Kate Dickie – Aalst
  • Genevieve Picot – Rock n Roll

Best Male Actor in a Supporting Role in a Play

• Russell Dykstra – Toy Symphony
  • James Stewart – The Glass Menagerie
  • David Woods – Exit the King
  • Travis McMahon – Don's Party

Best Female Actor in a Supporting Role in a Play

• Julie Forsyth – Exit the King
  • Monica Maughan – Toy Symphony
  • Alison Whyte – Don's Party
  • Susan Prior – Riflemind

Musicals

Best Musical

• Universal Pictures, Working Title Films and Old Vic Productions – Billy Elliot the Musical
  • Ambassador Theatre Group, Shows Inc, Marriner Theatres and Tulchin/Bartner Productions – Guys and Dolls
  • Kookaburra: The National Musical Theatre Company – Company
  • The Really Useful Group Asia Pacific Pty Ltd and The Gordon/Frost Organisation – The Phantom of the Opera

Best Direction of a Musical

• Stephen Daldry in association with Julian Webber – Billy Elliot the Musical
  • Gale Edwards – Company
  • Michael Grandage & Jamie Lloyd – Guys and Dolls
  • Roger Hodgman – Little Me

Best Choreography in a Musical

• Peter Darling – Billy Elliot the Musical
  • Rob Ashford – Guys and Dolls
  • Ross Coleman – Sweet Charity
  • Ross Coleman – Shout! The Legend of the Wild One

Best Male Actor in a Musical

• Lochlan Denholm, Nick Twiney, Rarmian Newton and Rhys Kosakowski – Billy Elliot the Musical
  • iOTA – Richard O'Brien's Rocky Horror Show
  • Mitchell Butel – Little Me
  • Anthony Warlow – The Phantom of the Opera

Best Female Actor in a Musical

• Genevieve Lemon – Billy Elliot the Musical
  • Marina Prior – Guys and Dolls
  • Ana Marina – The Phantom of the Opera
  • Sharon Millerchip – Sweet Charity

Best Male Actor in a Supporting Role in a Musical

• Shane Jacobson – Guys and Dolls
  • Linal Haft – Billy Elliot the Musical
  • Bill Hunter – Priscilla Queen of the Desert – The Musical
  • John Paul Young – Shout! The Legend of the Wild One

Best Female Actor in a Supporting Role in a Musical

• Sharon Millerchip – Richard O'Brien's Rocky Horror Show
  • Lola Nixon – Billy Elliot the Musical
  • Colette Mann – Priscilla Queen of the Desert the Musical
  • Jackie Rees – The Phantom of the Opera

Opera and Classical Music

Best Opera

• Opera Australia – Arabella
  • Opera Australia – Les Contes d'Hoffmann
  • Andrew McManus Presents and Alexander Productions – Dead Man Walking
  • State Opera of South Australia/State Theatre Company of SA – Little Women

Best Classical Concert Presentation

• West Australian Opera – Opera in the Park – Madama Butterfly
  • Australian Brandenburg Orchestra with L'Arpeggiata – Baroque Beat
  • Sydney Symphony – Sir Charles Mackerras concerts
  • Adelaide Symphony Orchestra – Sibelius Festival

Best Direction of an Opera

• John Cox – Arabella
  • Bruce Beresford – A Streetcar Named Desire
  • Nigel Jamieson – Dead Man Walking
  • Adam Cook – Little Women

Best Male Performer in an Opera

• Teddy Tahu Rhodes – Dead Man Walking
  • John Wegner – Les Contes d'Hoffmann
  • Peter Coleman-Wright – Arabella
  • Jonathan Summers – Il trittico

Best Female Performer in an Opera

• Cheryl Barker – Arabella
  • Emma Matthews – Les Contes d'Hoffmann
  • Kirsti Harms – Dead Man Walking
  • Elvira Fatykhova – Rigoletto

Best Male Performer in a Supporting Role in an Opera

• James Egglestone – Little Women
  • Luke Gabbedy – La bohème
  • Kanen Breen – Les Contes d'Hoffmann
  • Stuart Skelton – A Streetcar Named Desire

Best Female Performer in a Supporting Role in an Opera

• Emma Matthews – Arabella
  • Antoinette Halloran – A Streetcar Named Desire
  • Hye Seoung Kwon – Carmen
  • Anke Hoppner – The Love of the Nightingale

Best Performance in a Classical Concert

• Melbourne Symphony Orchestra – Classical Connections – Sir Charles Returns
  • Simone Young – Turangalîla-Symphonie
  • Michael Kieran Harvey – Messiaen's Catalogue d'oiseaux
  • Aivale Cole – Opera in the Park – Madama Butterfly

Dance and Physical Theatre

Best Ballet or Dance Work

• Chunky Move & Melbourne International Arts Festival – Glow
  • The Australian Ballet – The Nutcracker
  • Akram Khan Co. Present By Adelaide Bank Festival of Arts 2008, Sydney Opera House, Brisbane Powerhouse – Sacred Monsters
  • Brisbane Powerhouse and Dancenorth choreographed by Splintergroup – Roadkill

Best Visual or Physical Theatre Production

• Chunky Move presented by Sydney Festival – Mortal Engine
  • Presented by Sydney Festival – Au Revoir Parapluie
  • Branch Nebula, produced by Performing Lines – Paradise City
  • Cirque Ici, Presented by Sydney Festival – Secret

Best Male Dancer in a Dance or Physical Theatre Work

• Paul White – Construct
  • Akram Khan – Sacred Monsters
  • Steven Heathcote – After the Rain
  • Gavin Webber – Roadkill

Best Female Dancer in a Dance or Physical Theatre Work

• Sara Black – Glow
  • Sarah-Jayne Howard – Roadkill
  • Larissa McGowan – G
  • Lucinda Dunn – Don Quixote

Best Choregraphy in a Dance or Physical Theatre Work

• Tanja Liedtke – Construct
  • Christopher Wheeldon – After the Rain
  • Gideon Obarzanek – Glow
  • Lloyd Newson – To Be Straight With You

Contemporary Music

Best International Contemporary Concert

• Sydney Festival – Björk on the Steps of the Sydney Opera House
  • The Frontier Touring Company – Justin Timberlake
  • Dainty Consolidated Entertainment – Bon Jovi – Lost Highway Tour
  • Chugg Entertainment and Perth International Arts Festival – Rufus Wainwright

Best Australian Contemporary Concert

• The Frontier Touring Company – Crowded House
  • Maiden Australia and QPAC – Broad
  • Andrew McManus Presents – Kate Ceberano – Nine Lime Avenue Tour
  • Sydney Symphony – The Whitlams with the Sydney Symphony

Best Contemporary Music Festival

• Womadelaide Foundation – Womadelaide
  • Chugg Entertainment & Rockin Roll Circus – St Jeromes Laneway Festival
  • Chugg Entertainment & Peter Noble Presents – 19th Annual East Coast Blues and Roots Festival
  • Vivian Lees & Ken West – Big Day Out Festival 2008

Best Performance in an Australian Contemporary Concert

• David Campbell – The Swing Sessions 2
  • Guy Sebastian – The Memphis Tour
  • Kate Ceberano – Nine Lime Avenue Tour
  • Tina Arena in concert

Comedy

Best Comedy Performer

• David Collins & Shane Dundas – The Umbilical Brothers: Don't Explain
  • Frank Woodley – Possessed
  • Julia Morris – Julia Morris in Shoosh Please!
  • Ross Noble

Industry Awards

Best New Australian Work

• Michael Gow – Toy Symphony
  • Alana Valentine – Parramatta Girls
  • Gideon Obarzanek – Glow
  • Andrew Bovell – When the Rain Stops Falling

Best Special Event

• Sydney Opera House and Australian Broadcasting Corporation – The Choir of Hard Knocks
  • Kookaburra: The National Musical Theatre Company – An Audience With Stephen Sondheim
  • Adelaide Bank Festival of Arts 2008 & The Electric Canvas – Ignition! and Northern Lights
  • Queensland Music Festival and Brisbane City Council – Pig City

Best Original Score

• Barrie Kosky – The Tell-Tale Heart
  • Richard Mills – Songlines for the Heart's Desire
  • Andree Greenwell – Venus & Adonis
  • Ben Frost – Mortal Engine

Best Music Direction

• Stephen Amos – Billy Elliot the Musical
  • Peter Farnan – Sleeping Beauty
  • Lionel Friend – Arabella
  • Peter Casey – Company

Best Costume Design

• Julie Lynch – Richard O'Brien's Rocky Horror Show
  • Robert Perdziola – Arabella
  • Stephen Curtis – The Government Inspector
  • John F Macfarlane – The Nutcracker

Best Lighting Design

• Rick Fisher – Billy Elliot the Musical
  • Paul Jackson – Moving Target
  • Trudy Dalgleish – Dead Man Walking
  • Niklas Pajanti – When the Rain Stops Falling

Best Scenic Design

• Dan Potra – Dead Man Walking
  • Peter McKintosh – The 39 Steps
  • John F Macfarlane – The Nutcracker
  • Ian MacNeil – Billy Elliot the Musical

Best Sound Design

• Gareth Fry – Black Watch
  • Chris Full, John Scandrett & Nick Reich – Guys & Dolls
  • Paul Arditti – Billy Elliot the Musical
  • Mic Pool – The 39 Steps

Regional Touring Award

Best Presentation for Children

• Patch Theatre Company – Mr McGee and the Biting Flea
  • Gooligulch Productions in Association with Garry Ginivan Attractions – My Grandma Lived in Gooligulch
  • Real T.V – Hoods
  • Windmill Performing Arts – Cat

Best Regional Touring Production

• Company B – Keating!
  • Patch Theatre Company – Mr McGee and the Biting Flea
  • Bangarra Dance Theatre – True Stories
  • Queensland Theatre Company – Heroes

References

External links

• Helpmann Awards official site