December 14, 2021

DUNEDIN THEATRE AWARDS 2020-21

The Dunedin Theatre Reviewers Collective has gone ahead with a modified awards ceremony to acknowledge the work of local theatre practitioners across the past two years.

Last year’s Dunedin Theatre Awards ceremony was cancelled due to the Covid-19 pandemic, so the collective’s planned small-scale, invitation-only ceremony on December 13 will cover both 2020 and 2021.

Collective member Barbara Frame said the past two years had been exceptionally tough for Dunedin theatre practitioners, “and some promising efforts have come to nothing”.

“Often, though, we’ve been impressed by work that has made it to the stage and reaches very high standards, and we are delighted that we’ll be able to reward some of the best of the best.”

Dunedin Theatre Reviewers Collective members Barbara Frame, Terry MacTavish, Helen Watson White, Brenda Harwood, and Angela Trolove have held several meetings in recent weeks to decide on finalists and winners for the awards.

DUNEDIN THEATRE AWARDS 2020-2021 FINALISTS (winners in bold)

– Outstanding Performance: Female role

Kelly Hocking — Thief! (Prospect Park Productions)

Kimberley Buchan — The Glass Menagerie (The Globe Theatre)

Laura Wells — And Then There were None (The Globe Theatre)

Julie Edwards — Romeo and Juliet (Dunedin Summer Shakespeare)

 

– Outstanding Performance: Male role

Matt Wilson — The End of the Golden Weather (Wow! Productions)

Phil Grieve — Romeo and Juliet (Dunedin Summer Shakespeare)

Michael Metzger — The Changing Shed

Cheyne Jenkinson — The Raft (The Globe Theatre)

Helen Fearnley — Thomas Becket in Murder in the Cathedral (Dunedin Medieval Society/Suitcase Theatre)

 

– Outstanding Performance: Ensemble

Cast of The Respectable Wedding (The Globe Theatre)

Cast of Resilience (Wow! Productions and Theatreworks)

Cast of Day Boy (Arcade Theatre Company)

Sophie Graham and Alex Martyn — Lemons, Lemons, Lemons, Lemons, Lemons (Arcade Theatre Company)

Barbara Power and Simon O’Connor — Simple Acts of Malice (RBS Productions)

 

– Outstanding Director

Lisa Warrington — The End of the Golden Weather (Wow! Productions)

Cindy Diver — Resilience (Wow! Productions and Theatreworks)

Jonathan Cweorth — Murder in the Cathedral (Dunedin Medieval Society/Suitcase Theatre)

Kim Morgan — Romeo and Juliet (Dunedin Summer Shakespeare)

Alex Wilson — Lemons, Lemons, Lemons, Lemons, Lemons (Arcade Theatre Company)

Richard Huber — Simple Acts of Malice (RBS Productions)

Sofie Welvaert — The Raft (The Globe Theatre)

 

– Outstanding Design and Technology

Struggling With Lentils (production design) — Talking House Productions with The School of Performing Arts

Murder in the Cathedral (costumes) — Charmian Smith – Dunedin Medieval Society/Suitcase Theatre

The End of the Golden Weather (sound) — Matthew Morgan – Wow! Productions

The Raft (production design) — The Globe Theatre

Romeo and Juliet (costumes) — Dunedin Summer Shakespeare

Wairua (lighting) — Stephen Kilroy – Ngai Tahu

 

– Outstanding Community Theatre

Dear Boobs on Stage — Suitcase Theatre

Bittersweet: Unwrapping Cadburys — Talking House Productions

Resilience and Random Acts of Art — Wow! Productions and TheatreWorks

Struggling With Lentils — Talking House Productions with The School of Performing Arts

The Guest House — Ake Ake Theatre Co, Puaka-Matariki Festival

 

– Outstanding Script/Narrative/Libretto

Vincent O’Sullivan and cast/director — Simple Acts of Malice

Wow! Productions and TheatreWorks — Resilience

Emily Duncan — Dark Dunedin podcast (episode 3)

Michael Metzger — The Changing Shed

Little Box of Operas — Obsessions and Addictions

 

– Outstanding Touring Production

Owls Do Cry

Turkish Dogs

The Daylight Atheist

Wild Dogs Under My Skirt

Up and Away

 

– Emerging Artist

Alison Cowan — playwright

Jordan Wichman — director

Beth Waite — director

Sahara Pohatu-Trow — playwright

Nicole Jenkins — actor

 

– Production of the Year

Resilience — Wow! Productions and TheatreWorks

Romeo and Juliet — Dunedin Summer Shakespeare

The End of the Golden Weather — Wow! Productions

Lemons, Lemons, Lemons, Lemons, Lemons — Arcade Theatre Company

Murder in the Cathedral — Dunedin Medieval Society/Suitcase Theatre

Simple Acts of Malice — RBS Productions

Special Awards

Two awards for Outstanding Contribution to Dunedin Theatre were presented on the night.

Alister McDonald

Simon O’Connor