November 2, 2017

THE 9TH ANNUAL AUCKLAND THEATRE AWARDS ARE BACK   

The Auckland Theatre Awards will once again bring together the Auckland theatre community for a night of celebration, recognition and theatrical hijinks this December. Taking place in the spiritual homeland of the event – the Wintergarden, at The Civic – the event is in the hands of an almost entirely new team, who are pulling on all their favourite aspects of the beloved event, and adding a little of the new.

The 9th Annual Auckland Theatre Awards will be hosted by newcomer Johanna Cosgrove, whose character Aunty has been dishing out comedic gold earlier this year in the Auckland Fringe, and with a sell-out season at Basement Theatre. Taking the directing helm will be Sam Snedden (director of the 2016 Basement Christmas show The Opening Night Before Christmas), who everyone that attended last year’s Awards will be very familiar with. Joining the team in a writing role is Kura Forrester, who brings a whole lot of experience and major comedy chops to the team after presenting the awards for 2015 and 2016.  And so, with all this new blood, it seemed obvious that the theme for this year’s event would be about looking to the future. (It’sThe Not Too Distant Future) 

“For years I have loved attending the awards and I’m thrilled to have the chance to help celebrate the industry by directing them this year, it’s gonna be amazing!” – Sam Snedden

The team are dedicated to upholding the major values that have underpinned the event since its founding by Kip Chapman and Rachel Forman – those of celebration of the work that has been achieved over the year, and of challenging the industry to think about “where to next”.

The event will feature everyone’s favourite moments – after months of incredible commitment and deliberation by our industry judges, we’ll be awarding a bevy of Excellence Awards, representing outstanding work from across the year. These will be accompanied by the Lifetime Achievement Award, which acknowledges an individual who has made an exceptional contribution to the industry, a trio of SWPR Newcomer Awards given to three practitioners of great promise and a kaleidoscope of People’s Choice Awards, which are voted on by the community at large, and culminate in the Hackman’s Cup for ‘Most Original Production’. Keep an eye on our Facebook page in order to vote.

The Auckland Theatre Awards are by the community, and for the community, and it would be impossible without the generous support of our key-presenting partners; Auckland Live, Entertainment Accounting Services Ltd, Basement Theatre, Auckland Theatre Company, Silo Theatre, Q Theatre and the Auckland Arts Festival, as well as patron saint of this year’s Awards, Michelle Lafferty.

The People’s Choice Award section is supported by; Mangere Arts Centre, TAPAC, Auckland Actors, Elephant Publicity, Gail Cowan Management, Equity NZ, The Actors Program, Playmarket NZ, APRA, Sharu Loves Hats, Johnson Laird Management, Tour-Makers, Action Actors, Inside Out Productions, Strand Selecon Lighting (A division of Philips NZ Ltd.) and The Pantograph Punch. We are also supported by Delmaine Fine Foods and newcomer Wild Wheat for nibbles for our guests!
The 9th Annual Auckland Theatre Awards
Venue: Wintergarden, The Civic
Date: Monday 4th December
Time: Red carpet 6.15pm, Show begins 7pm
Tickets: Presales $25, Door sales $30
Bookings: www.aucklandlive.co.nz
Facebook: www.facebook.com/aktheatreawards
Instagram & Twitter: aktheatreawards