Big mix of talent in theatre awards
Four Excellence awards shows strength of work
Amix of industry veterans and rising newcomers have been honoured in the Auckland Theatre Awards. The toned-down 2018 ceremony, which ditched the traditional Civic Theatre costume party for a Facebook livestream, was by no means a reflection of the quality of theatrical outputs this year.
Quite the opposite — the funds will be used to set up the awards as a more sustainable organisation to better accommodate an industry that continues to thrive. For the first time, four shows received an award for Excellence for Overall Production.
Usually only given to three productions, the award organisers say this highlights the strength of the work this year.
Winners were The Contours of Heaven, a one-woman show performed by The Breaker Upperers’ Ana Scotney; Burn Her, the sellout political drama by rising playwright Sam Brooks; Silo Theatre’s American import Hir, a blazing dissection of gender; and Tea, the latest creation from writerdirector Ahi Karunaharan.
Former Shortland Street actress Nisha Madhan claimed the Community Spirit Award as recognition of her mentoring work throughout the community. As well as crafting her own awardwinning show at the Fringe Festival, Madhan helped five others develop their own works as well as directing and producing multiple other works throughout the year.
A pair of solo performances claimed the top acting prizes. Leon Wadham earned the male award for his Comedy Festival piece Giddy, while Goretti Chadwick earned the female prize for Auckland Theatre Company’s Still Life
with Chickens. That play will be performed in Sydney next year. The biggest winners were potentially the ensemble cast of The Wizard of Otahuhu, made up of a whopping 50 actors aged between 9 and 30.
It shows no matter the audience, the budget or the concept, Auckland theatre is alive and well across all corners of the Super City.