Award

Powerful Wins for Belvoir Street Theatre at Sydney Theatre Awards

Published January 20, 2025

On a remarkable evening at the Seymour Centre, August: Osage County, produced by Belvoir Street Theatre, received top honors at the Sydney Theatre Awards.

This production of Tracey Letts' acclaimed 2007 tragi-comedy, which focuses on a family in rural Oklahoma, achieved the prestigious title of best mainstage production. Eamon Flack was recognized for his outstanding direction of the show.

Actresses Pamela Rabe and Tamsin Carroll shared the award for best performance in a leading role in a mainstage production. They portrayed the characters Violet Weston, a drug-addicted wife of a poet-playwright, played by John Howard, and Barbara Fordham, their eldest daughter.

Notably, when reviewing August: Osage County in November, the Herald’s John Shand described it as “a truly great work.” He highlighted the explosive moment in act two where the production surged with power, ferocity, and humor. According to him, the chemistry between Violet and Barbara is essential for the play's impact, and Rabe and Carroll succeeded in revealing the complexities within their fierce relationship.

Another standout at the awards was the Shane Anthony Seymour Centre production of The Inheritance, written by Matthew Lopez. This powerful play explores the lives of two generations in New York's gay community from the early AIDS crisis of the 1980s to present-day challenges in democracy. It won awards for best independent production, best ensemble, and Anthony's direction was also honored.

Harriet Cunningham from the Herald praised The Inheritance for its “compelling eloquence” and commended the commitment of the ensemble cast and creative team. She referred to it as an ambitious and transformative work that, despite some flaws, offers a precious experience for its audience.

In the independent production category, André de Vanny was honored for his leading performance in Martin McDonagh’s The Lonesome West, directed by Anna Houston at The Old Fitz Theatre.

Throughout the evening, a total of 28 awards were presented to 16 productions that graced Sydney's stages in the past year.

Laura Murphy's Zombie! The Musical took home the award for best production of a musical, while Darren Yap won for best direction in a musical, and Chiara Assetta was recognized for her choreography in the Hayes Theatre Co production.

Michael Paynter, who performed as Jesus, secured the award for best leading performance in a musical for Jesus Christ Superstar, and Laura Tipoki was recognized for best musical direction.

Emmanuelle Mattana's Trophy Boys was deemed the best new Australian work, with Daniel R. Nixon winning best newcomer for his role in The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time.

A special moment of recognition went to Jim Sharman, who received a lifetime achievement award. Sharman directed the iconic 1972 production of Jesus Christ Superstar and co-wrote and directed The Rocky Horror Picture Show. The tribute included performances from original cast members, such as Marcia Hines from Jesus Christ Superstar and John Waters from Hair.

theatre, awards, performance, production