February 9, 2024

The Dunedin Theatre Reviewers Collective has announced the finalists for this month’s 12th Dunedin Theatre Awards.

The awards, which have been disrupted in recent years by the Covid-19 pandemic, will acknowledge outstanding achievement in Dunedin theatre in 2022 and 2023.

Founded in 2010, the awards are presented by collective members Barbara Frame, Terry MacTavish, Helen Watson White and Brenda Harwood.

The aim is to acknowledge the contribution of performers, directors, writers, designers and creatives to the performing arts sector, locally and nationally.

The awards will be held on Monday, February 12, at Hanover Hall.
Doors open at 5.30pm and the ceremony starts at 6pm. Entry is free, koha appreciated.

The event is supported by a Dunedin City Council Community Events grant.

THE 12TH DUNEDIN THEATRE AWARDS— LIST OF FINALISTS FROM 2022-23

Outstanding Performance: Female role

Clare Adams — Mary in Saved

Sarah Barham — Lyubov in The Cherry Orchard

Kimberly Buchan — Moon in The Real Inspector Hound

Marama Grant — Fortune in The World’s First Lovers

Anna Leese — Katherine Baillie in The Strangest of Angels

Barbara Power — Titania in A Midsummer Night’s Dream

Outstanding Performance: Male role

Simon Anderson — Len in Saved

Cheyne Jenkinson — Lopakhin in The Cherry Orchard

Will Larkins — Melchior in Spring Awakening

Craig Storey — Jaques in As You Like It

Nick Tipa — Bottom in A Midsummer Night’s Dream

Phil Grieve — Falstaff in Magic in the Air (Dunedin Summer Shakespeare)

Outstanding Performance: Duo/Ensemble

Nicole Jenkins & Jordan Wichman — Ben and Matt in Matt & Ben

Cast of Out at Sea

Daniel McClymont, Emanuel Nolden, Cullan Rolton, Conor Hill, Thomas Downing — young ruffians in Saved

Cast of Spring Awakening

Cast of The Pink Hammer

Outstanding Director:

Blaise Barham — Out at Sea, The Bear

Brent Caldwell — The Real Inspector Hound

Thomas Makinson — As You Like It

Chris Manley — Noel Coward plays at Olveston

Andrew McKenzie — Saved

Kim Morgan — A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Spring Awakening

Outstanding Set, Design and Technology:

Peter King and Rochelle Brophy — Set and aerial design, The Cherry Orchard

Rachel Marlow and Bradley Gledhill — Production design, The Strangest of Angels

Rosemary Majunath — Set, Five Lesbians Eating a Quiche

Matthew Morgan — Technical design, scenery and props; Jordan Wichman — lighting design and operator, Spring Awakening

Marty Roberts — Lighting and set design, Dark Radio

Sofie Welvaert — Set, Lamb to the Slaughter

Outstanding Costumes:

Amber Bridgman — The World’s First Lovers

Cast — As You Like It

Charmian Smith — The Mansfield Trilogy

Christine and Shannon Colbert — The Real Inspector Hound

Sofie Welvaert — Midsummer Night’s Dream , Magic in the Air (Dunedin Summer Shakespeare)

Outstanding Script/Narrative/Libretto:

Marea Colombo — Gaslight Me

Richard Huber — Wonderful

Georgia Jamieson Emms, Anna Leese, and Kenneth Young — The Strangest of Angels

Jessica Latton and Otepoti Theatre Lab — The World’s First Lovers

Stuart Young and Blaise Barham —Translation and adaptation of Chekhov’s The Bear

Outstanding Touring Production:

The King of Taking

Love, Mum

The Sensemaker

Title and Deed

Winding Up

Olive Copperbottom

Emerging Artist:

Tobias Devereux

Penelope Hare

Tabitha Littlejohn

Meko Ng

Maegan Stedman-Ashford

Production of the Year(s):

A Midsummer Night’s Dream — Dunedin Summer Shakespeare

Out at Sea — SBZ Productions

Saved — Plan D Productions

Spring Awakening — Pop Up Productions

The Real Inspector Hound — Dunedin Repertory Society

The Strangest of Angels — NZ Opera

The World’s First Lovers — Prospect Park Productions

Outstanding Contribution to Dunedin Theatre:

Awards announced on the night