November 14, 2007

November 14th, 2007

CHAPMAN TRIPP THEATRE AWARD NOMINEES

Chapman Tripp are delighted to announce the nominees for the 16th annual Chapman Tripp Theatre Awards.

Two New Zealand plays, Home Land by Gary Henderson and The Hollow Men by Dean Parker have topped the nomination list for 2007 collectively taking 11 nominations across the 20 categories including nominations for New NZ Play of the year, Actor of the Year, Director of the Year and Production of the Year.

Nominees have been selected from over 80 professional New Zealand productions performed in Wellington, by a panel of theatre critics from the following publications: New Zealand Listener, The Dominion Post, Capital Times, Theatreview and The Lumiére Reader.

The award categories and nominees in each category are as follows:

MONTANA WINES AWARD FOR MOST ORIGINAL PRODUCTION OF THE YEAR
Hotel – site-specific.co.nz
Settling – A Slightly Isolated Dog
Turbine – SEEyD Company 

DOWNSTAGE THEATRE AWARD FOR THE MOST PROMISING MALE NEWCOMER OF THE YEAR 
Aaron Cortesi – Settling
Michael Whalley – The Cape
Martyn Wood – Sexual Perversity in Chicago

CIRCA AWARD DONATED BY TACT FOR THE MOST PROMISING FEMALE NEWCOMER OF THE YEAR
Laurel Devenie – The Graduate
Jodie Hillock – Home Land
Kate Prior – The Winslow Boy 

TOI WHAKAARI: NZ DRAMA SCHOOL & VICTORIA UNIVERSITY AWARD FOR THE MOST PROMISING NEW DIRECTOR OF THE YEAR
Rachel Lenart – A Bright Room Called Day
Leo Gene Peters – Strange Resting Places
Willem Wassenaar– Angels in America Part 1: Millennium Approaches*

THE DOMINION POST AWARD FOR COSTUME DESIGNER OF THE YEAR 
Gillie Coxill – Uncle Vanya
Zoë Fox – Who Needs Sleep Anyway?
Paul Jenden – Monarchy the Musical 

THEATRELIGHT AWARD FOR LIGHTING DESIGNER OF THE YEAR
Jennifer Lal – Othello
Marcus McShane – A Bright Room Called Day
Martyn Roberts – Maui – One Man Against the Gods

WETA WORKSHOP AWARD FOR SET DESIGNER OF THE YEAR
John Hodgkins – Fat Pig
Brian King – The Hollow Men
Daniel Williams – Angels in America Part 1: Millennium Approaches*

WESTERN AUDIO ENGINEERING AWARD FOR SOUND DESIGNER OF THE YEAR
Gil Eva Craig – Turbine  
Stephen Gallagher – Shining City
Emile De la Rey – A Bright Room Called Day

CONSTANCE SCOTT KIRKCALDIE AWARD FOR OUTSTANDING COMPOSER OF MUSIC 
Gareth Farr – Maui – One Man Against the Gods
Suzy Hawes – The Bowler Hat
Michael Nicholas Williams – Aladdin

PETER HARCOURT AWARD FOR OUTSTANDING NEW PLAYWRIGHT OF THE YEAR SPONSORED BY BATS THEATRE AND TAKI RUA PRODUCTIONS
Brian Hotter – Pig Hunt
Charlotte Simmonds– The Story of Nohome Neville and Unwholesome Clare who Worked in Kitchens and Smelt like a Dish
Rob Mokaraka and Paolo Rotondo – Strange Resting Places  

THE ABSOLUTELY POSITIVELY OUTSTANDING NEW NEW ZEALAND PLAY OF THE YEAR
The Hollow Men– Dean Parker (adap. from the book by Nicky Hager)
Home Land – Gary Henderson
Turbine – SEEyD Productions (Nick Dunbar, Rachel Forman, Emma Kinane & Tim Spite) 

ORBIT CORPORATE TRAVEL AWARD FOR SUPPORTING ACTRESS OF THE YEAR
Erin Banks – King Lear
Jennifer Ludlam – Othello
Lyndee-Jane Rutherford – The Hollow Men

CHAPMAN TRIPP AWARD FOR SUPPORTING ACTOR OF THE YEAR
Toby Leach – Fat Pig
Gavin Rutherford – Uncle Vanya
Simon Vincent – Othello

In the performance categories which are:
EAT WELLINGTON ACCOLADE FOR OUTSTANDING PERFORMANCE
GROUSE LIGHTING ACCOLADE FOR OUTSTANDING PERFORMANCE
CHAPMAN TRIPP AWARD FOR ACTRESS OF THE YEAR
GAIL COWAN MANAGEMENT AWARD FOR ACTOR OF THE YEAR
There are 7 nominees:
Michele Amas – Home Land
Mel Dodge – Uncle Vanya
Rachel Forman – Blackbird
Emma Kinane – Fat Pig
Emmet Michael Kennedy – Shining City
Tim Spite – Turbine
Grant Tilly – Home Land

RADIO ACTIVE’S 89FM CAFFEINE AND ASPIRIN SHOW AWARD FOR DIRECTOR OF THE YEAR 
Jonathon Hendry– The Hollow Men
Conrad Newport – The Cape
Jane Waddell – Home Land

CHAPMAN TRIPP AWARD FOR PRODUCTION OF THE YEAR
Home Land – Circa Theatre
The Hollow Men – Hollow Men Productions
Strange Resting Places – Taki Rua Productions

The winner of the Mayor’s Award for Significant Contribution to the Theatre will be announced at the ceremony on the night.

*Note: Angels In America was an Almost A Bird Collective presentation of a Toi Whakaari: NZ Drama School graduation production. The critics’ panel has determined that individual professionals engaged to work in this show qualify for nomination while the production itself remains an ‘undergraduate’ work.  

The Chapman Tripp Theatre Awards will be held on Sunday 2nd December, 6:30pm at the Duxton Hotel Ballroom.  

For tickets please contact:
Sally Richards 027 278 9776
Email: chapmantrippawards@gmail.com