Helpmann Awards reveal 2018 nominations

The 2018 Helpmann Award nominations were released this week by Live Performance Australia at simultaneous events held in Adelaide, Brisbane, Melbourne, Perth and Sydney.

On the theatre scene, Muriel’s Wedding received 11 nominations while Dream Lover and Beautiful: The Carole King Musical each earned six nominations. Sydney Theatre Company scored an exceptional 27 nominations while Melbourne Theatre Company received a total of eight nominations for its various productions of the 2017-18 Season.

On the dance scene, Bangarra Dance Theatre excelled this season, receiving an impressive nine nominations, including Best New Australian Work for Stephen Page’s Bennelong and Best Regional Touring Production for Our Land People Stories. The Australian Ballet received a noteworthy seven nominations as well, six of which are for Christopher Wheeldon’s Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland.

Notably, Live Performance Australia also made the announcement this week that the 2018 Helpmann Awards will be presented in a new format this year. The ceremony will be split into two events, with the winners of the 42 nomination categories announced over two nights at two different Sydney venues.

Live Performance Australia Chief Executive Evelyn Richardson said of the new awards ceremony model, “Two shorter shows enable us to better highlight the artistry and excellence in our dynamic live performance industry.”

The first ceremony – or “Act I” – will take place on Sunday, July 15 at Sydney Town Hall at 6 p.m. This sit-down cocktail affair will celebrate the best creative, designer and supporting roles. It’ll include the awards for Best Choreography and the Best Regional Touring Production as well.

The second ceremony – or “Act II” – will be a seemingly shorter version of the past Helpmann Awards ceremonies and will be held on Monday, July 16 at 8 p.m. at Capitol Theatre. All live performance award genres will be presented here. The awards for Best Ballet, Best Dance Production, and Best Male and Female Dancer will be included in this event. Afterwards, a party will be presented at Sydney Town Hall at 10 p.m.

While most performances will be announced at a later date, there has been confirmation that the cast of Priscilla Queen of the Desert: The Musical will perform at Act II. 

The nominees for Best Ballet are Alice’s Adventure’s in Wonderland by The Australian Ballet, The Great Gatsby by West Australian Ballet, The Winter’s Tale by The Royal Ballet & QPAC, and Woolf Works by The Royal Ballet & QPAC. 

The nominees for Best Dance Production are Bennelong by Bangarra Dance Theatre, Intimate Space by Restless Dance Theatre, Mozart Airborne by Expressions Dance Company, and One Flat Thing, Reproduced by STRUT Dance. 

The nominees for Best Choreography in a Ballet, Dance or Physical Theatre Production are Christopher Wheeldon for Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland by The Australian Ballet; Phillip Adams for EVER by Phillip Adams BalletLab in association with Melbourne Festival; Stephen Page for Bennelong by Bangarra Dance Theatre; and Wayne McGregor for Woolf Works by The Royal Ballet & QPAC. 

The nominees for Best Choreography in a Musical are Andrew Hallsworth for Muriel’s Wedding; Josh Prince for Beautiful: The Carole King Musical; Karen Bruce for The Bodyguard; and Tom Hodgson for Mamma Mia! The Musical.

Meanwhile, Nelson Earl, Kevin Jackson, Beau Dean Riley Smith and Joshua Thomson were nominated for Best Male Dancer. Melissa Boniface, Ako Kondo, Elise May and Vivienne Wong were nominated for Best Female Dancer.

See the full list of nominations at www.helpmannawards.com.au.