December 13, 2021

THE WELLINGTON THEATRE AWARDS – NGĀ WHAKARĀKEI O WHĀTAITAI – 2021

The Wellington Theatre Awards – Ngā Whakarākei O Whātaitai – recognise the actors, designers, technicians, managers, writers, composers and directors that create and produce theatre in Wellington.

After another interesting year for the theatre industry, with new lockdowns and changing alert levels across the country, The Wellington Theatre Awards invited people to come together, to connect and to celebrate the amazing mahi and theatre that has been presented in Wellington over the last two years – at St Peters on Willis Street on Sunday 12th December for the Wellington theatre arts industry event of the year!

Tickets were ‘pay what you can’, starting at $10, with a complimentary glass of bubbles or non-alcoholic on arrival! Due to COVID restrictions, there wasl not an after party following the 2021 awards.

All shows and performances that were performed after November 2019 – November 2020 were judged alongside all eligible 2021 shows and a selection of community awards – nominated by the theatre industry. Due to the government’s traffic light regulations for the COVID-19 pandemic, the Wellington Theatre Awards Trust required that all attendees were double vaccinated against COVID-19. The venue was wheelchair accessible and the event was NZSL interpreted.

WELLINGTON THEATRE AWARDS 2021 WINNERS and Nominees

The George Webby MOST PROMISING NEWCOMER Award:
Tyler Clarke
Stage Manager – The Secret Lives of Sixteen Year-Old Girls, Transmission, The Glitter Garden

The Willem Wassenar MOST PROMISING NEWCOMER Award
Nathan Mudge
Producer –  The Glitter Garden, All of the Above, Up Down Girl, Kia Mau Festival

Other Newcomer Nominees:

Emma Katene, Performer
Sing to Me, White Men, BATCH, Whānau

Felix Crossley-Pritchard, Performer
Bruises, Hir, The Slutcracker

Georgia Kellett, Performer Sapphic Lake, Bruises, The Burdened, The Slutcracker

Lily Harper, Performer
Up Down Girl

LIGHTING DESIGNER OF THE YEAR
Helen Todd
PSA : Election 2020, The Mourning After

Other Nominees:

Marcus McShane
Strasbourg 1518, The Glitter Garden, Hir, Things I Know to be true (Based on an original design by Sean Lynch)

Elekis Poblete Teirney
I’m Not Going To Lie To You, funk (ad)

Isadora Lao
Ciggie Butts in the Sand, Neke

SET/PRODUCTION DESIGNER OF THE YEAR
Meg Rollandi
Standard Acts, Strasbourg 1518, Another Mammal, PSA : Election 2020

Other Nominees:

Sylvie McCreanor
The Mourning After, 45 Cents an Hour

Lucas Neal
White Men, Hir, The Glitter Garden (Co-Designed with Sean Coyle)

Andrew Foster
Things I Know to Be True, Mr Red Light

The Paul Jenden COSTUME DESIGNER OF THE YEAR
Victoria Gridley (The Glitter Garden, Princess Boy Wonder)

Other Nominees:

Kristen Seth
UPU

Lucy Marinkovich, Sheila Horton and Lauren Hooper
Strasbourg 1518

Emma Stevens, Aimee Smith and Emma Katene White Men

SOUND DESIGNER OF THE YEAR
Anonymouz (Faimu Matthew Salapu)
UPU

Other Nominees:

Jules Edwin
Neke

Oliver Devlin
Standard Acts, White Men

OUTSTANDING COMPOSER OF MUSIC 
Lucien Johnson
The Most Naked, Strasbourg 1518

Maxwell Apse
The Glitter Garden

Mark Vanilau
A Boy Called Piano

David Long
Ciggie Butts in the Sand

The Peter Harcourt NEW PLAYWRIGHT OF THE YEAR 
Cian Parker (Sorry for your Loss)

Other Nominees:

George Fowler
Princess Boy Wonder

Jean Sergent
Change Your Own Life

Kiya Basabas
Potluck

NEW NZ PLAY
Jo Randerson
Another Mammal

Other Nominees:

Abby Howells
White Men

Victor Roger
Lockdown La Ronde

Nancy Brunning
Witi’s Wāhine

The Absolutely Positively MOST ORIGINAL PRODUCTION
All of the Above

Other Nominees:

Soliloquy in Sweat

Standard Acts

Excellence Award for CHOREOGRAPHY AND MOVEMENT
Tupua Tigafua
Ciggy Butts in the Sand

Other Nominees:

Jayden Rurawhe and Paris Elwood
He Tangata

Atamira Dance Company
Te Wheke

Holly Newsome
funk (ad)

Excellence Award for PERFORMANCE ENSEMBLE
Neke

Other Nominees:

PSA: Election 2020

The Slutcracker

UPU

The Grant Tilly ACTOR OF THE YEAR
Jamie McCaskill
Company Kamupene

The Dorothy McKegg ACTOR OF THE YEAR
Anya Tate-Manning
Another Mammal

The Campion Accolade for OUTSTANDING PERFORMANCE
George Fowler
Princess Boy Wonder

The Michele Amas Accolade for OUTSTANDING PERFORMANCE
Thomas Mockton
The Artist

Other Performance nominations:

Jonny Potts
The Best Show in Town is at Your Place Every Night

Jean Sergent
Change Your Own Life

Lara Macgregor
Things I Know to be True

Goretti Chadwick
Uma Lava

Cassandra Tse
That’s All She Wrote

Trygve Wakenshaw
Mr Red Light

Natano Keni
Another Mammal

Jennifer Ludlam
Mr Red Light

DIRECTOR OF THE YEAR
Fasitua Amosa
UPU

Other Nominees:

Fasitua Amosa
UPU

Scotty Cotter
Neke

Jane Yonge
Another Mammal

Lucy Marinkovich
Strasbourg 1518

Production of the Year   
The Glitter Garden

Other Nominees:

Another Mammal

Ciggie Butts in the Sand

Neke

Strasbourg 1518

UPU

The ARTISTIC LEADERSHIP Award
Ben Ashby

The RECOGNITION Award
Breaking Ground Festival 

The ARTISTIC CHAMPION Award
James Wenley 

The GENUINE GOOD GUY Award
Roc Torio 

The SPIRIT OF CHRISTMAS Award
Susan Wilson 

The INTEGRITY AND ADVOCACY Award
Vicki Cooksley 

The RESILIENCE Award
The Class of 2020/2021