December 9, 2019

NGA WHAKARĀKEI O WHĀITAITAI: WELLINGTON THEATRE AWARDS 2019 

The Wellington Professional Theatre community gathered at Shed 6 on the Wellington waterfront on Sunday 8 December 2019 to celebrate another splendid year of live performing arts productions. The list of Judges and their credentials may be found here. 

Stella Reid Mastered the Ceremonies with admirable wit and authority, cleverly feigning breakdown moments that brought Tessa Waters and Victoria Falconer of the Glittery Clittery Fringe Wives Club entertainingly to her aid. 

The creators of Pakaru, produced by Hāpai Productions, were nominated in seven categories and won in five: Jennifer Lal for Lighting Designer of the Year, Sean Coyle for Set Designer of the Year, playwright Mitch Tawhi Thomas for New NZ Play of the Year; the whole company won the Excellence Award for Performance Ensemble and Pakaru was named the Jack Jeffs Charitable Trust Production of the Year.

Hāpai Productions was set up in June 2013 by Nancy Brunning and Tanea Heke, and there was huge aroha in the room as Tanea offered the citation for Nancy Brunning’s posthumous honour: the Mayoral Award for Significant Contribution to Theatre. (Nancy also won the Bruce Mason Playwriting Award for 2019 shortly before her passing in mid-November, and last Saturday her contribution to Māori arts was recognised at the 2019 Te Waka Toi Awards with the Te Tohu Kē a Te Waka Toi award for significant, positive impact on the development and practice of Ngā Toi Māori.)

Also powerful in its impact was Neenah Dekkers-Reihana’s acceptance speech on behalf of the Capital E National Theatre for Children production Story Studio Live 2019, which won the Excellence Award for Theatre for Young Audiences. Her whakapātaritari was for theatre makers developing work with Māori content to fully and professionally engage Māori creatives in the process.   

Winners and Nominees (in alphabetical order)

MOST PROMISING NEWCOMER (Two awards)

THE WILLEM WASSENAAR MOST PROMISING NEWCOMER AWARD
Winner:Sam Tippet, Stage Manager Hamlet and Ransom

THE GEORGE WEBBY MOST PROMISING NEWCOMER AWARD

Winner: TAHI: New Zealand Festival of Solo Performance

Nominees:
Carrie Green, Director He Kura Kōrero
Charlie Potter, Actor Melancholy Play
Dryw McArthur, Actor Burn Her and The Aliens
Tess Sullivan, Actor The Turkish Dogs are Racist
Unity Brown, Actor Fishin’ Chip

LIGHTING DESIGNER OF THE YEAR
Winner: Jennifer Lal Pakaru 

Nominees:
Jane Hakaraia Cellfish
Marcus McShane The Children, Waiting for Godotand Tröll
Molloy The Dunstan Creek Haunting
Tony Black The Pink Hammer 

SOUND DESIGNER OF THE YEAR
Winner:Jason Wright The Clearing

Nominees:
Oliver Devlin The Children
Thomas Lambert Ransom, Story Studio Live 2019 and Pakaru
Thomas Press Cellfish

SET DESIGNER OF THE YEAR
Winner: Sean Coyle Pakaru

Nominees:
Debbie Fish Burn Her
Jane Hakaraia Cellfish
John Hodgkins The Children
Lucas Neal Hamlet
Rose Kirkup Fishin’ Chip and Ransom

THE PAUL JENDEN COSTUME DESIGNER OF THE YEAR
Winner:Rose Philpott and Tori Manley-Tapu Orchids

Nominees:
Charlotte Kelleher Te Kuia me te Pūngāwerewere
Seraphina Tausilia-Brown Captain Cook Thinks Again
Sheila Horton Alice in Wonderland

THE CONSTANCE SCOTT KIRKCALDIE AWARD FOR OUTSTANDING COMPOSER OF MUSIC
Winner: Eden Mulholland Orchids

Nominees:
Rutene Spooner He Kura Kōrero
Simon McArthur and Dave Lisik Melancholy Play
Tane Upjohn-Beatson Tröll

THE PETER HARCOURT NEW PLAYWRIGHT OF THE YEAR 
Winner: Abby Howells HarleQueen

Nominees:
Barnaby Olson and Company The Turkish Dogs are Racist
Kieran Craft Four Nights in the Green Barrow Pub
Maia Diamond Fishin’ Chip
Tavita Nielsen-Mamea Au Ko Tuvalu

OUTSTANDING NEW NZ PLAY
Winner:Mitch Tawhi Thomas Pakaru

Nominees:
Eleanor Bishop and Karin McCracken, produced by Zanetti Productions Yes Yes Yes
Michele Amas The Pink Hammer
Rob Mokaraka, Miriama McDowell and Jason Te Kare Cellfish
Ralph McCubbin Howell Tröll

THE ABSOLUTELY POSITIVELY MOST ORIGINAL PRODUCTION
Winner: Captain Cook Thinks AgainBarbarian Productions

Nominees:
Glittery Clittery Tessa Waters, Rowena Hutson and Victoria Falcone
Only Bones v1.0 – Thom Monckton Kallo Collective

THE GRANT TILLY ACTOR OF THE YEAR
Winner: Jason Te Kare Cellfish 

THE DOROTHY MCKEGG ACTOR OF THE YEAR
Winner: Carrie Green Cellfish

THE CAMPION ACCOLADE FOR OUTSTANDING PERFORMANCE
Winner: Madeline McNamara The Attitudes – Refusing Performance  

THE MICHELE AMAS ACCOLADE FOR OUTSTANDING PERFORMANCE 
Winner: Karin McCracken Yes Yes Yes

Nominees:
Catherine Downes The Children
Carmel McGlone The Children
Hilary Norris Four Nights in the Green Barrow Pub
Jack Sergent-Shadbolt The Aliens
Lara Macgregor Burn Her
Mitch Tawhi Thomas Hamlet
Stevie Hancox-Monk Hamlet
Tom Clarke Perry andCaptain Cook Thinks Again

EXCELLENCE AWARD FOR PERFORMANCE ENSEMBLE
Winner:Pakaru Hāpai Productions

Nominees:
He Kura Kōrero Rutene Spooner and Holly Chappell-Eason
Orchids Sarah Foster-Sproull
The Turkish Dogs are Racist Barnaby Olson and Company

EXCELLENCE AWARD FOR THEATRE FOR YOUNG AUDIENCES
Winner:Story Studio Live 2019 Capital E National Theatre for Children

Nominees:
Bathtime Bubbles Rollicking Entertainment
He Kura Kōrero Rutene Spooner and Holly Chappell-Eason
Tröll Trick of Light Theatre 

EXCELLENCE AWARD FOR THEATRE FOR SOCIAL CHANGE
Winner: Yes Yes Yes Eleanor Bishop and Karin McCracken, produced by Zanetti Productions

Nominees:
Captain Cook Thinks Again Barbarian Productions
Glittery Clittery Tessa Waters, Rowena Hutson and Victoria Falconer
Story Studio Live 2019 Capital E National Theatre for Children

DIRECTOR OF THE YEAR 
Winner:Jo Randerson Captain Cook Thinks Again

Nominees:
David O’Donnell and Lori Leigh Hamlet
Eleanor Bishop Yes Yes Yes
Mitch Tawhi Thomas Pakaru
Susan Wilson The Children 

THE JACK JEFFS CHARITABLE TRUST PRODUCTION OF THE YEAR
Winner: Pakaru Hāpai Productions

Nominees:
Cellfish Theatre of Auckland and Taki Rua Productions
Orchids Sarah Foster-Sproull
The ChildrenCirca Theatre
TröllTrick of Light Theatre
Yes Yes Yes Eleanor Bishop and Karin McCracken, produced by Zanetti Productions

CONGRATULATIONS TO THE 2019 NOMINEES AND WINNERS!