The shining stars of Queensland’s stage are firmly in the spotlight with nominees for the prestigious 2018 Matilda Awards having been announced.
The Matilda Awards – Queensland’s premier awards for performing arts – honour and celebrate excellence in the Queensland theatre industry with winners crowned in 18 categories at a star-studded ceremony on February 18 at Brisbane Powerhouse.
Matilda Awards Executive Committee chairperson Deb Wilks said tickets to the event were on sale now for a small donation which will be invested back into the state’s theatre community.
“The Matilda Awards are a highly anticipated part of the Queensland and Brisbane theatre scene,” Ms Wilks said.
“They are a fabulous opportunity for all of us to stop and appreciate the vibrant arts community in Brisbane and beyond!
“This year our nominees are exceptional. They are all worthy winners and we are very excited to make the announcements on the night.”
Leading the charge is A Christmas Carol with eight nominations including Best Mainstage Production, Best Male Actor for Eugene Gilfedder’s turn as Ebenezer Scrooge and nods for lighting, sound, costumes and set.
The classic Charles Dickens tale was adapted by shake & stir theatre co and premiered at QPAC’s Playhouse in December 2018.
La Boite Theatre Company’s touring production of Prize Fighter secured five nominations as did The Longest Minute, a collaboration between Queensland Theatre, debase productions and JUTE Theatre Company in Cairns. They, too, will contest the Best Mainstage Production award with two Queensland Theatre productions rounding out the field: Hedda, which secured three nominations, and Nearer the Gods, with four. Small and independent productions that made splash in 2018 are also up for Matilda Awards. The Sound of a Finished Kiss and Babushka’s Happily Ever After, both making their debut at the Queensland Cabaret Festival in June 2018, are nominated for four awards apiece, as is Little Match Productions' The Owl and the Pussycat, an opera for children. Squaring off for Best Director are Catarina Hebbard (Poison), Bridget Boyle (The Longest Minute and We Live Here), Natano Fa’anana (We Live Here), Tim Hill (Spring Awakening) and Daniel Evans (I’ve Been Meaning to Ask You). A rollcall of theatre luminaries are nominated in the acting categories with Noni Hazlehurst (Mother), Jessica Veurman (Yielding), Sarah Murr (The Owl and the Pussycat) and Chenoa Deemal (The Longest Minute) shining in their leading roles; so too their male counterparts Pacharo Mzembe (Prize Fighter), Eugene Gilfedder (A Christmas Carol), Paul Bishop (Poison) and Jason Klarwein (Hedda). The Bille Brown Award for Best Emerging Artist recognises performers and production artists in the early stages of their professional careers including 2018 nominees Sarah Whalen, Ruby Clark, Wightman and Stark, and Carly Skelton. The Matilda Awards Committee will also announce the recipient of the Emerging Female Arts Leader Award and the revered Gold Matilda at the glittering awards ceremony on February 18. Brisbane Powerhouse artistic director Kris Stewart will again direct the energetic and entertaining evening with performances by talented Queensland theatre stars punctuating the presentations. The Matilda Awards are supported by Arts Queensland and Brisbane City Council. The Matilda Awards 18 February 2019 - 7:00pm Powerhouse Theatre, Brisbane Powerhouse www.matildaawards.com.au
