2023 Sydney Theatre Awards Nominations Announced
Nominations have been announced for the 2023 Sydney Theatre Awards, which will be presented at an industry gala ceremony on Monday 29 January 2024 at 7pm at the York Theatre, Seymour Centre.
Nominations in the 28 categories were spread across 50 different productions, which played on Sydney stages during 2023. Leading the list with seven nominations were Fences and Hubris & Humiliation (both produced by Sydney Theatre Company), while A Streetcar Named Desire (Red Line Productions), Constellations (Sydney Theatre Company) and The Turn of the Screw (Tooth and Sinew and Seymour Centre) received six. Receiving five nominations were Consent (Outhouse Theatre Co and Seymour Centre), Metropolis (The Little Eggs Collective and Hayes Theatre Co) and The Poison of Polygamy (Sydney Theatre Company).
The nominees for Best Mainstage Production are Constellations (Sydney Theatre Company), Fences (Sydney Theatre Company), The Master & Margarita (Belvoir), The Poison of Polygamy (Sydney Theatre Company) and The Visitors (Sydney Theatre Company).
The nominees for Best Independent Production are Consent (Outhouse Theatre Co and Seymour Centre), Dumb Kids (Legit Theatre Co in association with bAKEHOUSE Theatre Company), The Face of Jizo (OMUSUBI Productions in association with Red Line Productions) and A Streetcar Named Desire (Red Line Productions).
Vying for Best Production of a Musical are A Little Night Music (Hayes Theatre Co), Miss Saigon (Cameron Macintosh and Opera Australia), Murder for Two (Hayes Theatre Co) and Sweeney Todd (Sydney Opera House, Victorian Opera and New Zealand Opera).
The Sydney Theatre Awards have been presented annually since 2005 by a group of Sydney’s leading theatre critics to celebrate the strength and diversity of Sydney’s theatre artists and productions. Judging panels have been bolstered over the past four years to include prominent industry specialists who see all eligible productions in their area and vote on the nominations.
John Shand, Theatre Critic for The Sydney Morning Herald, said, “Could it be that those two years of Covid upheavals, and then two years of playing catch-up, were, oddly, good for theatre? Could it be that the fallow periods and the postponed and rethought productions gave everyone a chance to catch their breath? The evidence of 2023 suggests the answer is yes, because this was a year of lofty ambitions routinely fulfilled to an unusual degree across mainstage, independent and musical theatre platforms. A truly vintage season.”
Jason Blake, Digital Editor of Limelight, added, “Even a cursory glance down the list of nominees this year shows you something of the breadth of ideas and talent in Sydney right now and the diversity of our creatives. The willingness to engage with big themes while evolving the form of theatre itself is something this city can be proud of.”
Visit sydneytheatreawards.com to learn more.