2022 Matilda Awards Nominees

BEST Design - Set

Winner

Renée Mulder, First Casualty, Queensland Theatre

Renée Mulder’s set design for First Casualty is both minimalist and complex, stark and beautiful. Tightly-spaced, dark wooden platforms tower at differing heights across the stage over which the actors dart, leap, disappear and reappear. Gravel on the stage crunches underfoot as the soldiers travail within an unforgiving landscape, relax and joke in the Forward Operations Base, or attend to wounded civilians in a bombed marketplace. At times, the platforms tower over the actors’ heads, rendering the landscape claustrophobic and inescapable; at others the platforms allow for concrete depiction of the rigidity of hierarchies in the Armed Forces and the performative absurdities of war.

ShORTLIST

John Felmingham, Sarah Winter,  Aimée Pouzet, and the Counterpilot Team, Adrift, Counterpilot & Metro Arts

Josh McIntosh, Fourteen, Shake & Stir Theatre Co & QPAC & Brisbane Festival

Josh McIntosh and Echo Wu, Slow Boat, Playlab Theatre, Brisbane Festival & Brisbane Powerhouse

Simone Romaniuk, The Almighty Sometimes, Queensland Theatre

BEST Design - Costume

winner

Leah Shelton, Batshit, Polytoxic, Brisbane Festival & Metro Arts

Not content with writing and performing the autobiographical solo work Batshit, Leah Shelton also designed the costumes. Taking us from the glamour of the 1950s ballroom to the horror of the mental institution, Leah used colour, shape, line and texture to communicate what it is to be deemed “hysterical”. The costumes were as strong as the words in this piece, challenging us to experience hallucinations, mania and pain. Moving through shades of green towards a triumphant finale in black and white, Leah’s original designs confirm her understanding of catharsis.

ShORTLIST

Simona Cosentini and Simone Tesorieri, Othello, Queensland Theatre

Maria McRae, A Bee Story 2, ARC  Circus & HOTA

Renée Mulder, First Casualty, Queensland Theatre

Simone Romaniuk, Bernhardt/Hamlet, Queensland Theatre

BEST Design - Sound OR Composition

winner

Guy Webster, Bunker, Lisa Wilson Projects Metro Arts

Guy Webster is one of the most highly regarded and sought-after sound designers and composers in Brisbane. The sound design in Bunker took the audience on a wild ride that managed to find beautiful moments of calm between instances of chaos. The carefully arranged aural atmospheres not only supported the progression of the story but also filled audiences with a sense of anticipation and exhilaration. This was particularly evident in a moment when Guy’s impactful sound design generated applause from the audience. 

ShORTLIST

Tony Brumpton, Holding Achilles, Dead Puppet Society, Legs On The Wall, Brisbane Festival, Queensland Performing Arts Centre, Sydney Festival, Glass Half Full Productions

Kenneth Lyons , Batshit, Polytoxic, Brisbane Festival & Metro Arts

Mike Willmett, Adrift, Counterpilot & Metro Arts

Mike Willmett, The Almighty Sometimes, Queensland Theatre

BEST Design - Lighting

winner

Jason Glenwright, The Twits, Shake & Stir Theatre Co & QPAC

“Transformational” is one word used to describe Jason Glenwright’s design for this captivating production. An atmospheric experience for audiences, as if being placed directly into a storybook come-to-life in a magical circus of wonder. True to form, Jason’s design was sensitive to the source text and supported its adaptation to the theatrical stage with the kind of care, precision and spectacle that it deserved. Audiences were left enwrapped through this experience, and the work itself bolstered by this designer’s keen eye and attention to atmospheric detail.

ShORTLIST

Christine Felmingham, Adrift, Counterpilot & Metro Arts

Christine Felmingham, Bunker, Lisa Wilson Projects & Metro Arts

Jason Glenwright, Batshit, Polytoxic, Brisbane Festival & Metro Arts

Ben Hughes, The Almighty Sometimes, Queensland Theatre

BEST design - VIDEO

winner

Grace Uther & Freddy Komp, Batshit, Polytoxic, Brisbane Festival & Metro Arts

Batshit was a definitive highlight of Brisbane’s 2022 theatrical calendar. The video design by Grace Uther, supported technically by Freddy Komp, cleverly utilised a retro television set to create a lens into a chilling and hysteria-filled world. Grace and Freddy achieved this through a clever selection of archival clips, professionally filmed sequences, live feed and emotive historical photos. The ingenious use of medical transcripts projected into the back white surface underlined the chilling system in which our protagonist found herself trapped.

ShORTLIST

Jeremy Gordon & Nathan Sibthorpe, Bunker, Lisa Wilson Projects & Metro Arts

Blake Howson & Sarah Stafford, Again, You Have Trusted Me, Backbone Youth Arts

Ken Weston, Queen’s City, Blak Social, Brisbane Festival, Screen Qld & QPAC

Craig Wilkinson, First Casualty, Queensland Theatre

BEST DIRECTOR

winner

Daniel Evans, The Almighty Sometimes, Queensland Theatre 

Daniel Evans directs Kendall Feaver’s The Almighty Sometimes with a skilful balance of thoughtful sensitivity, playful energy and dark imagination. Through Evans’ direction, we see the complexities of the relationships of the central character, Anna, as she navigates early adulthood with a mental health diagnosis that has seen her medicated for much of her young life. Evans draws exceptional performances from his cast and, through them, invites the audience to see the courage, love and hope at the centre of this story. The set, lighting and sound work in concert with the outstanding performances to create a beautiful, haunting, and emotionally indelible experience for the audience.

ShORTLIST

Ross Balbuziente, The Twits, Shake & Stir Theatre Co & QPAC

Mikayla Hosking, Rabbit Hole, Ad Astra Theatre Company

Jason Klarwein, Othello, Queensland Theatre

Lisa Wilson and Nathan Sibthorpe, Bunker, Lisa Wilson Projects & Metro Arts

Best Actor in a LEADING Role - MAINSTAGE PRODUCTION

winner

Jimi Bani, Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf?, State Theatre Company of South Australia & Queensland Theatre

Richard Burton, Mike Nichols David Suchet and Rupert Everett have all tackled George in Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?. On the one hand a conventional mid 20th century strong man and on the other a brow-beaten weakling, George is no easy feat of acting which is what draws actors to it. Jimi Bani is no exception. Bringing his own Australian voice and experience as a Torres Strait Islander man to the part, Bani finds a deft touch of lightness, energy and physicality that the bombastic hysterics of his Martha can’t quite diminish. TI director Margaret Harvey’s colour-conscious direction to go with Bani as George also successfully puts race and the Australian Indigenous experience at the centre of this great American classic.

ShORTLIST

Andrew Buchanan, Othello, Queensland Theatre

Nelle Lee, The Twits, Shake & Stir Theatre Co & QPAC

Lorinda Merrypor, Face to Face, A Playlab Theatre Production presented in partnership with Metro Arts

Angie Milliken, Bernhardt/Hamlet, Queensland Theatre

Best Actor in a LEADING Role - INDEPENDENT PRODUCTION

winner

Leah Shelton, Batshit, Polytoxic, Brisbane Festival & Metro Arts

Deeply impactful and darkly humorous Leah Shelton’s one woman performance in Batshit was delivered with clinical precision. Drawing on her dance and Suzuki training Shelton impressively side stepped between moments of heightened physical performance, stand-up comedy and lip sync. The end result delivered a guttural portrayal of how her grandmother Gwen and countless other women have been marked as “crazy” for just trying to live their lives. We’d be “mad” not to recognise the extraordinary and deeply personal performance Shelton shared with us. 

ShORTLIST

Zac Boulton, Fuel, Shock Therapy Productions

Paula Delaney-Nazarski, Queen’s City, Blak Social, Brisbane Festival, Screen Qld & QPAC

Sarah McLeod, Fuel, Shock Therapy Productions

Vanessa Moltzen, Brilliant Traces, Ad Astra Theatre Company

Aruga Best ENSEMBLE

winner

Dirty Fame Flash Candles Club, Western Standard Productions

Dirty Fame Flash Candles Club features Helen Cassidy, Lizzie Moore, Neridah Waters and Melissa Western as a quartet of energetic 80s enthusiasts who have pioneered a club in which all members are able to recreate their favourite 80s movie climax. With each performer highly skilled in her own right, this powerhouse ensemble work together to deliver a show that is full of huge hair and huge heart, with the audience in the palm of their hands from the opening strains of 80s synth to the leap-up-in-your-seat-and-cheer finale. Cassidy, Moore, Waters and Western invite the audience to feel like part of their dynamic ensemble and leave us wishing the Dirty Fame Flash Candles Club was real so we could revisit the joy of this show every week!

ShORTLIST

Boy, Lost, Belloo Creative 

First Casualty, Queensland Theatre 

Jane Eyre, Shake & Stir Theatre Co & QPAC

Tiddas, La Boite Theatre, QPAC & Brisbane Festival

Best Actor in a supporting Role - MAINSTAGE PRODUCTION

winner

Amy Ingram, Fourteen, Shake & Stir Theatre Co, QPAC & Brisbane Festival

Amy Ingram brings a glorious authenticity to her depiction of various characters in Fourteen. Her main role, Morgan, is a fun-loving, smoking and drinking 14 year old teen from the regional town of Yeppoon. Capturing the essence of a small town community, Amy pinpoints that awkward teen period where everyone is trying to work out who they are and where they belong. Amy’s work within the ensemble sees her playing various school students, male and female, with the same compassion, sensitivity and humour, while as the local Youth Services leader, Rhonda, she is able to create a mature, encouraging and supportive character with inner depth and heartfelt warmth.

ShORTLIST

Benjin Maza, Othello, Queensland Theatre

Sarah Ogden, Othello, Queensland Theatre

Trent Owers, The Sunshine Club, Queensland Theatre & QPAC

Silvan Rus, Slow Boat , Playlab Theatre, Brisbane Festival & Brisbane Powerhouse

Best Actor in a SUPPORTING Role - INDEPENDENT PRODUCTION

winner - Tie

Janelle Bailey, The Normal Heart, Ad Astra Theatre Company

Madeleine Little, The Normal Heart, Ad Astra Theatre Company

Seeing disability on stage is rare. It’s rarer still that a disabled performer is given the opportunity to embody that part. Madeleine Little brings an authenticity to her performance as Dr. Emma Brookner in Ad Astra’s production of The Normal Heart. Little shines as a woman struggling to be heard by the straight abled establishment as her patients and friends keep dying around her. Full of resentment and sadness, Little is captivating to watch every moment she is on stage.

Working alongside and sharing the role with Little, Janelle Bailey brings assurance and a quiet sensitivity to the character, containing her rising anger until it spills over with compelling strength in her passionately articulated monologue.

ShORTLIST

James Blee, BU21, The Drama Merchant

Bernadette Pryde, Toy Symphony, Ad Astra Theatre Company

Sam Valentine, The Boys, PIP Theatre 

Tibian Wyles, Queen’s City, Blak Social, Brisbane Festival, Screen Qld & QPAC

Bille Brown Award for Best Emerging Artist

winner - Tie

Oliver Hetherington-Page, The No Bang Theory, indelabilityarts

Perry Mooney, Queen’s City, Blak Social, Brisbane Festival, Screen Qld & QPAC

Oliver Hetherington-Page has wowed audiences with his take on the musical-cabaret form. Blending elements of comedy, social commentary, musical theatre and a dazzling array of eye-catching dinner jackets, Oliver’s work embeds important elements of didacticism and social activism blending seamlessly alongside a witty, charming and deceptively complex narrative. The No Bang Theory augurs well for the future of this performer, showcasing an exciting, emerging talent.

Perry Mooney has an impressive creative authority, spanning art and entertainment forms, and as an actor has proven a commanding stage presence with a seemingly intuitive mastery of dramatic rhetoric and a captivating theatrical gravitas that is difficult for even the most seasoned of performers to attain.  Queen’s City was an example of this actor’s adept skill, bringing a powerful message to an audience that was inevitably obliged to respect and take note of this masterful performance.

SHORTLIST

Morgan Francis, Boy, Lost, Belloo Creative

Reagan Mannix, First Casualty, Queensland Theatre

Thomas Stewart, Assume People Like You, Cluster Arts & Melon the Human

Best Musical or Cabaret

winner

Dirty Fame Flash Candles Club, Western Standard Productions

If you’re looking for the time of your life, Dirty Fame Flash Candles Club is the cabaret-style comedy quasi-musical that’s sure to have you falling head over heels in love. Helen Cassidy, Lizzie Moore, Neridah Waters and Melissa Western have combined their brilliant powers of comedy, dance and song to create a sanctuary for those feeling lost in the challenge of middle age, and what a joyous sanctuary it is. This show was a delight with its impeccable soundtrack, hilarious dance routines and expertly managed audience engagement that had all of us longing for our very own 80’s movie climax. 

ShORTLIST

A Very Naughty Christmas, Woodward Productions

All Fired Up, Box Jelly Creative and Roz Pappalardo Projects & Brisbane Powerhouse

Sisters Are Doing It For Themselves, The Little Red Company 

The Last Five Years, La Boite Theatre

Best Circus or Physical Theatre work

winner

Knee Deep, Casus Creations & CIRCFest

Knee Deep brings raw emotion to the stage; but like an egg, delicacy does not necessarily equate to fragility. The Casus Circus ensemble work seamlessly together exploring this metaphor which becomes a compelling motif throughout the piece. At its core, the show is about relationships. The four performers constantly pull each other up and push each other down in an attempt to find balance. Will they succeed? Or fall and crack like the eggs underneath them?  Shaped through intimacy and strength, their journey has a sustained simplicity, with skilled tricks and acts, all the while undercutting expectation of gender roles. This is pure physical circus without ego or gimmicks, celebrating with mesmerising artistry the power (and fun) of mutual respect.

ShORTLIST

A Bee Story 2, ARC Circus & HOTA

Bunker, Lisa Wilson Projects & Metro Arts

Holding Achilles, Dead Puppet Society, Legs On The Wall, Brisbane Festival, Queensland Performing Arts Centre, Sydney Festival, Glass Half Full Productions

JINGLE, JACs Entertainment

brisbane powerhouse
Best Independent Production

winner

Batshit, Polytoxic, Brisbane Festival & Metro Arts

Fantastically theatrical Batshit directed by Ursula Martinez strapped audiences in for a hilarious and deeply intimate interrogation of female madness. Brought impeccably to life by a killer creative team, led by creator and performer Leah Shelton, Batshit spectacularly brought an axe down on the patriarchal systems that have failed us. All aspects of the show’s design seamlessly worked together to support Shelton’s both chilling and gut wrenching portrayal of her grandmother Gwen’s involuntary hospitalisation in the 1960s. Belted up and dressed to kill, psycho siren Leah Shelton has created a truly outstanding theatrical experience.

All Fired Up, Box Jelly Theatre Co and Roz Pappalardo Projects & Brisbane Powerhouse

Bear With Me, David Megarity, Tyrone & Lesley & Metro Arts

Boy, Lost, Belloo Creative 

Bunker, Lisa Wilson Projects &Metro Arts

Best Mainstage Production

winner

The Almighty Sometimes, Queensland Theatre 

The Almighty Sometimes, by Kendall Feaver and directed by Daniel Evans, is a powerful work that unashamedly explores family, love, relationships and mental health. The complex narrative intersecting the lives of Oliver (Will Bartolo), Renée (Rachel Gordon), Anna (Melissa Kahraman) and Vivienne (Luisa Prosser) was supported masterfully by the designs of Simone Romaniuk, Ben Hughes and Mike Willmet, with Erin Handford (Stage Manager), Tia Hanee Cleary (Assistant Stage Manager) and NJ Price (Fight and Intimacy Director) brought together by Evans to craft one of the most impactful works ever seen on the Brisbane stage. This production lingers in the minds of its audiences, demonstrating an impressive level of creative power.

SHORTLIST

Fourteen, Shake & Stir Theatre Co, QPAC & Brisbane Festival

Othello, Queensland Theatre

Slow Boat, Playlab Theatre, Brisbane Festival & Brisbane Powerhouse

The Twits, Shake & Stir Theatre Co & QPAC

THE JUDGES AWARD

winner

Adrift, Conterpilot & Metro Arts

2022 sees the introduction of a new award given at the discretion of the judges. It emerged from a desire to recognise outstanding work that may not fit within existing categories. In this way, the Matilda Awards judging panel encourages Queensland creatives to push artistic and/or other boundaries. Counterpilot’s Adrift challenged the judges’ notions of what live theatre can be. With a cup of immersive, a tablespoon of bedtime story, and a drizzle of team-building exercise, Adrift made a delicious theatrical meal. It awakened the senses, created meaning, encouraged individual creativity, and demanded audience collaboration in real time and space.

ShORTLIST

An award given at the discretion of the judges for outstanding theatrical endeavour which pushes artistic and/or other boundaries.

Again, You Have Trusted Me, Sarah Stafford & Backbone Youth Arts

LOVE, LUST, LOST, Broad Encounters Productions

QUT SCHOOL OF CREATIVE PRACTICE - BACKSTAGE AWARD

winner

Daniel Maddison

Daniel Maddison is a highly experienced technical and production manager with over 20 years of experience across more than 150 productions. Daniel is known for his patience, supportive attitude, strong work ethic, his commitment, and attention to detail. He consistently takes initiative to support creative artists to bring their ideas to fruition, going above and beyond to deliver a high standard in all the productions he is associated with. Daniel’s professionalism, friendly demeanour and positivity instil confidence in all of those who have been lucky enough to work with him.

This award is announced at the event

The award recognises an individual or small group that displays excellence within their position behind the scenes.

The Lord Mayor’s Award for Best New Australian Work

winner

Boy, Lost Adapted for the stage by Katherine Lyall-Watson from the book by Kristina Olsson, Produced by Belloo Creative

Katherine Lyall-Watson is one of the founders of the all-female Australian theatre company, Belloo Creative. In adapting Kristina Olsson’s award-winning memoir, Boy, Lost, Katherine has created a sensitive theatrical work which not only follows the original true story of one family’s loss and redemption, but places that story firmly in a broader political context. The writing is beautifully modulated, sometimes tough, often poetic, jumping time-zones in a whirlwind of storylines and characters until they settle and draw the audience through to the heart-rending climax.  The play takes us on a journey through difficult topics with far-reaching impact and, rather than offering blame, invites us to consider compassion, self-reflection and the possibility of change.

ShORTLIST

An Ideal Husband By Lewis Treston after Oscar Wilde, Produced by La Boite Theatre

Batshit By Leah Shelton, Produced by Brisbane Festival & Metro Arts.

Face to Face By Emily Wells, A Playlab Theatre Production presented in partnership with Metro Arts

Fourteen By Nelle Lee, Nick Skubij with Shannon Molloy, Produced by Shake & Stir Theatre Co, QPAC & Brisbane Festival

The GOLD MATILDA

winner

Tom Oliver & Wynnum Fringe

When Covid struck in 2020 and Tom Oliver’s work evaporated, he turned his talents to launching the inaugural Wynnum Fringe Festival. Across two days in November 2020, Wynnum Fringe activated laneways, carparks, loading docks, parks, a beach and streets. In all 6600 tickets were sold to 50 performances including 22 sold-out ticketed events. Employment was created for 150 artists and 43 creative staff and 10,000 people came to Wynnum CBD. The 2021 Festival nearly doubled, engaging over 300 artists and 40 crew across 14 locations. By 2022 the Fringe attracted almost 30,000 people and the event had established itself as a nationally and internationally recogised Fringe Festival.

This award is announced at the event

The Gold Matilda is a special open award presented for a standout production or performance element or in recognition of an individual company or group for their contribution to the industry.