Matilda Awards announces its 2022 nominees

The prestigious Matilda Awards, Queensland’s premier awards for performing arts, honours 2022’s brightest and boldest artists across a range of new and refreshed categories.

A stellar shortlist of nominees will contest 20 categories when the annual celebration of Queensland’s dazzling theatre industry is held at Brisbane Powerhouse on Monday, 27 February 2023.

Matilda Awards Chair Jan Irvine said acting categories were now gender-inclusive for artists in lead and supporting roles across mainstage and independent productions.

“The Matilda Awards committee consistently strives to make this a more inclusive and representative celebration and will recognise actors across production type, rather than by gender,” Ms Irvine said.

“We’ve also introduced two new categories this year: Best Ensemble acknowledges outstanding whole-of-cast performances and a Judges Award honours work that pushes artistic boundaries.

“There is an impressive number of new Australian works nominated this year and it’s worth noting Metro Arts accounts for 19 nominations across 12 categories, cementing itself as a champion of independent and emerging local artists.”

Leading the field with seven nominations is ‘Batshit’, a solo production by Leah Shelton interrogating the myths and fears of female madness at Metro Arts during Brisbane Festival.

Receiving six nominations apiece are Queensland Theatre’s tri-lingual adaptation of ‘Othello’ for Brisbane Festival and ‘Bunker’, a high-intensity physical theatre work staged at Metro Arts.

Queensland Theatre’s ‘The Almighty Sometimes’ is nominated in five categories with QPAC and shake & stir theatre co.’s ‘The Twits’ and the Metro Arts/Counterpilot co-production of ‘Adrift’ nominated for four awards each.

Vying for Best Mainstage Production are ‘Fourteen’, ‘Othello’, ‘Slow Boat’, ‘The Almighty Sometimes’ and ‘The Twits’. Productions contesting The Lord Mayor’s Award for Best New Australian Work are ‘An Ideal Husband’, ‘Batshit’, ‘Fourteen’, ‘Face to Face’ and ‘Boy, Lost’.

For more information, including ticket release dates, visit Matilda Awards Official Website or follow Matilda Awards on Facebook or Instagram.

The Matilda Awards is supported by Arts Queensland and Brisbane City Council.

Matilda Awards Nominees 2022 

Best Set Design

• John Felmingham and Sarah Winter – ‘Adrift’, Metro Arts / Counterpilot
• Josh McIntosh – ‘Fourteen’, shake & stir theatre co / QPAC / Brisbane Festival
• Josh McIntosh and Echo Qu – ‘Slow Boat’, Brisbane Festival / Brisbane Powerhouse / Playlab Theatre
• Renee Mulder – ‘First Casualty’, Queensland Theatre
• Simone Romaniuk – ‘The Almighty Sometimes’, Queensland Theatre

Best Costume Design

• Simona Cosentini and Simone Tesorieri – ‘Othello’, Brisbane Festival / Queensland Theatre
• Maria McRae – ‘A Bee Story 2’, ARC Circus
• Renee Mulder – ‘First Casualty’, Queensland Theatre
• Simone Romaniuk – ‘Bernhardt/Hamlet’, Queensland Theatre
• Leah Shelton – ‘Batshit’, Brisbane Festival / Metro Arts

Best Sound Design or Composition

• Tony Brumpton (Sound Designer), Tony Buchen (Music) with Chris Bear with Montaigne – ‘Holding Achilles’, Legs On The Wall’ / Dead Puppet Society / Brisbane Festival / QPAC
• Kenneth Lyons – ‘Batshit’, Brisbane Festival / Metro Arts
• Guy Webster – ‘Bunker’, Metro Arts
• Mike Willmett – ‘Adrift’, Metro Arts / Counterpilot
• Mike Willmett – ‘The Almighty Sometimes’, Queensland Theatre

Best Lighting Design

• Christine Felmingham – ‘Adrift’, Metro Arts / Counterpilot
• Christine Felmingham – ‘Bunker’, Metro Arts
• Jason Glenwright – ‘Batshit’, Brisbane Festival / Metro Arts
• Jason Glenwright – ‘The Twits’, shake & stir theatre co. / QPAC
• Ben Hughes – ‘The Almighty Sometimes’, Queensland Theatre

Best Video Design

• Jeremy Gordon and Nathan Sibthorpe – ‘Bunker’, Metro Arts
• Blake Howson and Sara Stafford – ‘Again, You Have Trusted Me’, Backbone Youth Arts
• Grace Uther and Freddy Komp – ‘Batshit’, Brisbane Festival / Metro Arts
• Ken Weston – ‘Queen’s City’, Brisbane Festival / Screen QLD / QPAC / Blak Social
• Craig Wilkinson – ‘First Casualty’, Queensland Theatre

Best Director

• Ross Balbuziente – ‘The Twits’, shake & stir theatre co. / QPAC
• Daniel Evans – ‘The Almighty Sometimes’, Queensland Theatre
• Mikayla Hosking – ‘Rabbit Hole’, Ad Astra
• Jason Klarwein – ‘Othello’, Brisbane Festival / Queensland Theatre
• Lisa Wilson and Nathan Sibthorpe – ‘Bunker’, Metroa Arts

Best Actor In A Leading Role (Independent Production)

• Zac Boulton – ‘Fuel’, Shock Therapy Productions
• Paula Delaney-Nazarski – ‘Queen’s City’, Brisbane Festival / Screen QLD / QPAC / Blak SOcial
• Sarah McLeod – ‘Fuel’, Shock Therapy Productions
• Vanessa Moltzen – ‘Brilliant Traces’, Ad Astra
• Leah Shelton – ‘Batshit’, Brisbane Festival / Metro Arts

Best Actor In A Leading Role (Mainstage Production) 

• Jimi Bani – ‘Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf?’, Queensland Theatre
• Andrew Buchanan – ‘Othello’, Brisbane Festival / Queensland Theatre
• Nelle Lee – ‘The Twits’, shake & stir theatre co. / QPAC
• Lorinda Merrypor – ‘Face to Face’, Playlab Theatre / Metro Arts
• Angie Milliken – ‘Bernhardt/Hamlet’, Queensland Theatre

Best Actor In A Supporting Role (Independent Production)

• James Blee – ‘BU21’, The Drama Merchant
• Madeleine Little and Janelle Bailey – ‘The Normal Heart’, Ad Astra
• Bernadette Pryde – ‘Toy Symphony’, Ad Astra
• Sam Valentine – ‘The Boys’, PIP Theatre
• Tibian Wyles – ‘Queen’s City’, Brisbane Festival / Screen QLD / QPAC / Blak Social

Best Actor In A Supporting Role (Mainstage Production)

• Amy Ingram – ‘Fourteen’, shake & stir theatre co. / QPAC / Brisbane Festival
• Benjin Maza – ‘Othello’, Brisbane Festival / Queensland Theatre
• Sarah Ogden – ‘Othello’, Brisbane Festival / Queensland Theatre
• Trent Owers – ‘The Sunshine Club’, Queensland Theatre / QPAC
• Silvan Russ – ‘Slow Boat’, Brisbane Festival / Brisbane Powerhouse / Playlab Theatre

Best Ensemble

• ‘Boy, Lost’ – Belloo Creative
• ‘Dirty Fame Flash Candles Club’ – Western Standard Productions
• ‘First Casualty’ – Queensland Theatre
• ‘Jane Eyre’ – shake & stir theatre co.
• ‘Tiddas’ – Brisbane Festival / La Boite Theatre / QPAC

Bille Brown Award for Best Emerging Artist

• Morgan Francis – ‘Boy, Lost’, Belloo Creative
• Oliver Hetherington-Page – ‘The No Bang Theory’, indelabilityarts
• Reagan Mannix – ‘First Casualty’, Queensland Theatre
• Perry Mooney – ‘Queen’s City’, Brisbane Festival / Screen QLD / QPAC / Blak Social
• Thomas Stewart – ‘Assume People Like You’, Cluster Arts and Melon The Human

Best Musical or Cabaret

• ‘A Very Naughty Christmas’ – Woodward Productions
• ‘All Fired Up’ – Box Jelly Creative, Brisbane Powerhouse
• ‘Dirty Fame Flash Candles Club’ – Western Standard Productions
• ‘Sisters Are Doing It For Themselves’ – The Little Red Company
• ‘The Last Five Years’ – La Boite Theatre

Best Circus or Physical Theatre Production

• ‘A Bee Story 2’ – ARC Circus
• ‘Bunker’ – Metro Arts
• ‘Holding Achilles’ – Brisbane Festival, QPAC, Dead Puppet Society, Legs on the Wall
• ‘JINGLE’ – JACs Entertainment
• ‘Knee Deep’ – CIRCFest, Casus Creations

Best Independent Production

• ‘All Fired Up’ – Box Jelly Creative, Brisbane Powerhouse
• ‘Batshit’ – Brisbane Festival, Metro Arts
• ‘Bear With Me’ – Metro Arts
• ‘Boy, Lost’ – Belloo Creative
• ‘Bunker’ – Metro Arts

Best Mainstage Production

• ‘Fourteen’ – shake & stir theatre co., QPAC, Brisbane Festival
• ‘Othello’ – Brisbane Festival, Queensland Theatre
• ‘Slowboat’ – Brisbane Festival, Brisbane Powerhouse, Playlab Theatre
• ‘The Almighty Sometimes’ – Queensland Theatre
• ‘The Twits’ – shake & stir theatre co., QPAC

The Lord Mayor’s Award for Best New Australian Work

• ‘An Ideal Husband’ by Lewis Treston after Oscar Wilde – La Boite Theatre
• ‘Batshit’ by Leah Shelton – Brisbane Festival, Metro Arts
• ‘Boy, Lost’ adapted for stage by Katherine Lyall-Watson for the book by Kristina Olsson – Belloo Creative
• ‘Face to Face’ by Emily Wells – Playlab Theatre, Metro Arts
• ‘Fourteen’ by Nelle Lee, Nick Skubij with Shannon Molloy – shake & stir theatre co., QPAC, Brisbane Festival

The Judges’ Award
An Award given at the discretion of the judges for the outstanding theatrical endeavour which pushes artistic and/or other boundaries. 

• ‘Adrift’ – Metro Arts, Counterpilot
• ‘Again, You Have Trusted Me’ – Backbone Youth Arts
• ‘LOVE, LUST, LOSS’ – Broad Encounters

The Gold Matilda
The Gold Matilda is a special open award presented for a standout production or performance element or in recognition of an individual company or group for their contribution to the industry. This award is announced on the night.

QUT School of Creative Practice (Backstage Award)
The award recognises an individual or small group that displays excellence within their position behind the scenes. This award is announced on the night.