Matilda Awards celebrate return with a stellar shortlist of nominees

Queensland’s dazzling theatre industry is back in the spotlight, with the return of the prestigious Matilda Awards announcing its shortlist of nominees.

After a COVID-enforced hiatus in 2021, Queensland’s premier awards for performing arts is back to recognise two seasons of exceptional entertainment across 2020 and 2021.

Celebrating arts, the event will take place at Brisbane Powerhouse on 29 March 2022.

Independent productions are strong contenders in 2022’s list of nominees, led by shake & stir theatre co. with six nominations for their reality-theatre production, ‘Fourthcoming’, THAT Production Company’s five nominations for its powerful ‘Sea Wall’, Michael Smith & The Farm with four nominations for ‘Cowboy’ and The Little Red Company with four nominations for ‘Your Song’.

La Boite Theatre’s 2021 season opener, ‘Naked & Screaming’ is also nominated for six awards, as is Queensland Theatre’s Brisbane Festival juggernaut, ‘Boy Swallows Universe’.

Vying for Best Mainstage Production are La Boite Theatre’s ‘Away’ and ‘Naked & Screaming’, Queensland Theatre’s ‘Boy Swallows Universe’, ‘Triple X’ and ‘Prima Facie’ and shake & stir’s ‘Fourthcoming’.

A full list of nominees and categories are below.

For more information about the Matilda Awards, including ticket release dates, visit their official website.

Matilda Award 2022 Nominees

Best Video Design

• Studio Hackett & Wirrim Studio, Weredingo (Karul Projects)
• Nathan Sibthorpe, Horizon (Playlab Theatre)
• Nathan Sibthorpe, The Holidays (Queensland Theatre)
• Craig Wilkinson, Avoidable Perils (Counterpilot and Optikal Bloc)
• Craig Wilkinson, Boy Swallows Universe (Queensland Theatre, Brisbane Festival and QPAC)
• Craig Wilkinson, Fourthcoming (shake & stir theatre co and QPAC)

Best Lighting Design

• Daniel Anderson, Sea Wall (THAT Production Company)
• Christine Felmingham, The Bull, the Moon and the Coronet of Stars (The Hive)
• Jason Glenwright, The Holidays (Queensland Theatre)
• Jason Glenwright, Your Song (The Little Red Company)
• Ben Hughes, Boy Swallows Universe (Queensland Theatre, Brisbane Festival and QPAC)
• David Walters, Horizon (Playlab Theatre)

Sound Design

• Jamie Taylor,Your Song (The Little Red Company)
• Brady Watkins, Sea Wall (THAT Production Company)
• Guy Webster, Fourthcoming (shake & stir theatre co and QPAC)
• Guy Webster, Undertow (Shock Therapy Productions)
• Guy Webster, Naked & Screaming (La Boite Theatre)
• Anna Whitaker and Ben Ely, Cowboy (Brisbane Festival and Metro Arts)

Best Costume Design

• Briefs Factory, Dirty Laundry (Briefs Factory International)
• Lisa Fa’alafi, Leah Shelton and Chloe Greaves, Demolition (Polytoxic)
• Chloe Greaves, That’s What She Said (The Good Room and Metro Arts)
• Bill Haycock, Of Mice and Men (Ad Astra)
• Renee Mulder, Triple X (Queensland Theatre)
• Sarah Winter, Away (La Boite Theatre)

Best Set Design

• Chloe Greaves, Naked & Screaming (La Boite Theatre)
• Chloe Greaves, That’s What She Said (The Good Room & Metro Arts)
• Bill Haycock, Of Mice and Men (Ad Astra)
• Lisa Fa’alafi, Leah Shelton, Leigh Walker & Helen Clifford, Demolition (Polytoxic)
• Renee Mulder, Triple X (Queensland Theatre)
• The Tap Pack, The Tap Pack (The Tap Pack Pty Ltd and SK Entertainment)

Best Director

• Daniel Evans, Away (La Boite Theatre)
• Nelle Lee and Nick Skubij, Fourthcoming (shake & stir theatre co and QPAC)
• Lee Lewis, Mouthpiece (Queensland Theatre and QPAC)
• Sanja Simić, Caesar (La Boite Theatre)
• Sanja Simić, Naked & Screaming (La Boite Theatre)
• Timothy Wynn, Sea Wall (THAT Production Company)

Best Female Actor in a Supporting Role

• Ellen Bailey, Taming of the Shrew (Queensland Theatre)
• Asabi Goodman, The Revolutionists (The Curators)
• Jodie Le Vesconte, Anatomy of a Suicide (Metro Arts and BC Productions Qld with e.g & Big Scary)
• Barb Lowing, Ishmael (QPAC, Dead Puppet Society and Brisbane Festival in association with Screen Queensland)
• Ngoc Phan, Boy Swallows Universe (Queensland Theatre, Brisbane Festival and QPAC)
• Christen O’Leary, Triple X (Queensland Theatre)

Best Male Actor in a Supporting Role

• Darcy Brown, Animal Farm (shake & stir theatre co and QPAC)
• Andrew Buchanan, Boy Swallows Universe (Queensland Theatre, Brisbane Festival and QPAC)
• Leon Cain, The Taming of the Shrew (Queensland Theatre)
• Pierce Gordon, Against the Wall (Passion Productions)
• Benjin Maza, Weredingo (Karul Projects)
• Steven Rooke, Rising (Playlab Theatre)

Best Female Actor in a Leading Role

• Emily Burton, Naked & Screaming (La Boite Theatre)
• Ling Cooper Tang, Rising (Playlab Theatre)
• Judy Hainsworth, Margaret Fulton The Musical (Jally Entertainment)
• Irena Lysiuk, Your Song (The Little Red Company)
• Ngoc Phan, Horizon (Playlab Theatre)
• Isabella Tannock, Get Her Outta Here (Broccolini Productions)

Best Male Actor in a Leading Role

• Toby Angus, This Ain’t No Pussy Show (Kate Harman, Brisbane Festival & Metro Arts)
• Johnny Balbuziente, Fourthcoming (shake & stir theatre co and QPAC)
• Jackson McGovern, Naked & Screaming (La Boite Theatre)
• Jayden Popik, Mouthpiece (Queensland Theatre and QPAC)
• Steven Rooke, Sea Wall (THAT Production Company)
• Michael Smith, Cowboy (Brisbane Festival, Metro Arts and The Farm)

Bille Brown Award – Best Emerging Artist

• Toby Angus, This Ain’t No Pussy Show (Kate Harman, Brisbane Festival and Metro Arts)
• Pierce Gordon, Against the Wall (Passion Productions)
• Lucy Heathcote, Our Town (Queensland Theatre)
• Joe Klocek, Boy Swallows Universe (Queensland Theatre, Brisbane Festival and QPAC)
• Jayden Popik, Mouthpiece (Queensland Theatre and QPAC)
• Isabella Tannock, Get Her Outta Here (Broccolini Productions)

Best Circus or Physical Theatre Work

• Auntie’s Fiafia Night, Casus Circus
• Collision, Casus Circus/Mad Dance House
• Cowboy, Michael Smith and The Farm, Brisbane Festival and Metro Arts
• Demolition, Polytoxic
• Ingress, Bridie Hooper
• Wolfgang’s Magical Musical Circus, Circa and QPAC

Best Musical or Cabaret

• Friends! The Musical Parody, SK Entertainment
• Lesbian Love Stories, The Local Lesbians
• The Tap Pack, The Tap Pack Pty Ltd and SK Entertainment
• There’s Something about Music, The Little Red Company
• Tick, Tick … Boom, THAT Production Company
• Your Song, The Little Red Company

Best Independent Production

• Against the Wall, Passion Productions
• Boyle & Waters in Leotard, Metro Arts
• Cowboy, The Farm, Brisbane Festival and Metro Arts
• Sea Wall, THAT Production Company
• Undertow, Shock Therapy Productions
• Wilbur the Optical Whale, indelabilityarts, Brisbane Festival and Metro Arts

Best Mainstage Production

• Away, La Boite Theatre
• Boy Swallows Universe, Queensland Theatre, Brisbane Festival and QPAC
• Fourthcoming, shake & stir theatre co and QPAC
• Naked & Screaming, La Boite Theatre
• Prima Facie, Queensland Theatre
• Triple X, Queensland Theatre

The Lord Mayor’s Award for Best New Australian Work

• Cowboy, Michael Smith and The Farm (Michael Smith and The Farm, Brisbane Festival and Metro Arts)
• Fourthcoming, Nelle Lee (shake & stir theatre co and QPAC)
• Return to the Dirt, Steve Pirie (Queensland Theatre)
• That’s What She Said, The Good Room (The Good Room and Metro Arts)
• Undertow, Hayden Jones and Sam Foster (Shock Therapy Productions)
• Wilbur the Optical Whale, Karen Lee Roberts (indelabilityarts, Brisbane Festival and Metro Arts)