Tuesday, 20 August 2024

Congratulations to the winners of the 2024 Performing Arts WA Awards, presented in Perth's Heath Ledger Theatre on Monday 12 August. WAAPA was well represented in the winners’ circle by these talented alumni:

THEATRE

• Best Mainstage Production – Things I Know to be True, Black Swan State Theatre Company included actors Kaz Kane, Will O’Mahoney and Laura Shaw, stage manager Izzy Taylor and ASM Riley Billyeald.
• Best Independent Production – Hell is Other People, The Blue Room Theatre and Monkey Brain included producer Ellen-Hope Thomson, lighting designer Matthew Erren, sound designer David Stewart, costume designer Rhian Katz, stage manager Holly Ballam, and performers Tim Green, Lucy Wong, Kimberley Parkin and Nathan di Giovanni.
• Outstanding Ensemble - The Ensemble, All the Fraudulent Horse Girls, The Blue Room Theatre Summer Nights & Lazy Yarns included performers Elise Wilson, Lucy Wong, Courtney Henri and Hannah Davidson, with sound designer David Stewart.
• Outstanding Performers in Supporting Roles - Adam Sollis, The Effect by Lucy Prebble, Fremantle Theatre Company and Stephanie Somerville, The Bleeding Tree by Angus Cerini, Black Swan State Theatre Company & The Blue Room Theatre
• Outstanding New Work - Albany’s Breaksea, with artistic director/CEO Matt Reuben James Ward at the helm, took home this award for its production, The Magical Weedy Seadragon.

DANCE

• Outstanding Performer – Storm Helmore, Architect of the Invisible, Co3 Contemporary Dance
• Broome-based First Nations dance company Marrugeku, whose artistic co-director/choreographer Dalisa Pigram is a WAAPA alum, went home with three wins including Outstanding New Work: Dance, Burrbgaja Yalirra 2; Best Production and Outstanding Choreography for Dalisa with the performers for Jurrungu Ngan-ga [Straight Talk, Black Swan State Theatre Company
• Outstanding Duet or Ensemble – The Ensemble, Equations of a Falling Body, Laura Boynes with Performing Lines WA for Perth Festival

MUSICAL & OPERA

• Best Production – The Little Prince, Freeze Frame Opera included Rachelle Durkin.
• Outstanding Ensemble – The Ensemble, Into the Woods, West Australian Opera included Matt Hourigan, James Millar, Samantha Clarke, Emma Pettemerides, Mia Simonette, Sophia Wasley, Prudence Sanders, Lachlann Lawton, Joshua Firman, Emma Haines and Brittany Carter
• Outstanding Performers in Leading Roles - Morgan Cowling, A Chorus Line, Drew Anthony Creative and Paul O'Neill, La bohème, West Australian Opera
• Outstanding Performers in Supporting Roles - Rachelle Durkin, La bohème, West Australian Opera and Prudence Sanders, Carmen, West Australian Opera
• Outstanding Newcomer - Sophia Wasley, Into the Woods, West Australian Opera

OVERALL AWARDS

• Outstanding Contemporary or Experimental Performance - Equations of a Falling Body, Laura Boynes with Performing Lines WA for Perth Festival
• Outstanding Sound Design - Rachael Dease, Dirty Birds, Black Swan State Theatre Company

THE ARTIST RELIEF FUND’S STUDENT ENDOWMENTS

In addition, these WAAPA students were the recipients of The Artist Relief Fund’s Student Endowments generously supported by Minderoo Foundation:

• Reese Horne - Aboriginal Performance
• Monique Mitchell - Acting
• Georgina Simpson - Dance
• Kimberly MacGown - Music Theatre
• Sanna Ansaldo - Performing Arts
• Kristopher Long - Production & Design

For more information, please contact Anton Maz, WAAPA Marketing Manager.