TOP ACCOLADES HANDED OUT TO AUCKLAND’S THEATRE COMMUNITY

The Auckland Theatre Awards celebrated their 7th anniversary last night including the formally judged Excellence Awards. The awards were decided on by a panel of 6 judges who were kept secret until the event last night. The judging panel for 2015 were; former Metro editor Simon Wilson, producer Angela Green, playwright Sam Brooks, actor and director Jason Te Kare, costume designer Elizabeth Whiting and the 2014 lifetime achievement recipient and vocal coach Linda Cartwright.

Actress Jennifer Ward-Lealand presented the formal Excellence Awards.

The People’s Choice section was judged by public survey and received over 1000 nominations.

The evening, held at the Wintergarden in the Civic, was attended by 350 members of the Auckland Theatre community, including well known faces Antonia Prebble, Laura Hill, Oliver Driver and Jennifer Ward-Lealand. Actor and comedian Kura Forrester hosted the event, which included skits, songs and students from the Actors Program and Unitec.

The winners of the 2015 Auckland Theatre Awards are as follows:

Excellence Awards
1. Achieving excellence across all aspects of the production: The Book of Everything – Silo Theatre
2. Achieving excellence across all aspects of the production: Little Shop of Horrors – Live Live Cinema
3. Achieving excellence in set and lighting design for A Doll’s House: Tony Rabbit
4. Achieving excellence across all aspects of the production: All Your Wants and Needs Fulfilled Forever – The Playground Collective
5. Achieving excellence in sound design and composition throughout 2015 – Thomas Press
6. Achieving excellence across all aspects of the production: Hudson & Halls Live! – Kip Chapman and the show’s creative team, Silo Theatre

The Lifetime Achievement Award
George Henare CNZM, OBE – Actor

Mr. Fahrenheit Publicity Best Newcomers
Christine Urquhart – Set & Costume designer
Jordan Keyzer – Stage Manager & Producer
Gaby Solomona – Actor

People’s Choice Awards
The HACKMAN Cup for Most Original Production… All Your Wants and Needs Fulfilled Forever – Playground Collective
Mangere Arts Centre Award for Best Ensemble… The company of The Book of Everything
The Auckland Actors Award for Best Death… Rose Matafeo in Rose Matafeo is Finally Dead
The Elephant Publicity Award for Best Poster… Ernest Rutherford: Everyone Can Science!
The Gail Cowan Award for Best Viral Marketing Campaign… The talking light bulb in All Your Wants and Needs Fulfilled Forever
The TAPAC Award for Best Entrance… Kate McGill & Frith Horan in The Best Possible Album Party that Anybody has Ever Been to
The Equity New Zealand Award for Best show by Emerging Artists…Alice Canton in Orangutan
The Playmarket Award for Best line in a Kiwi Play…”She doesn’t have a phone in her car – it’s not Star Trek” – Hudson and Halls Live!
The Johnson & Laird Management Award for Best Accent… Luci Hare in Lysistrata
The APRA Award for Best Music… Gareth Hobbs for All Your Wants and Needs Fulfilled Forever
The Kathryn Rawlings and Associates Award for Best Comeback…Ben Crowder directing Sit On It again
The South Pacific Pictures Award for Best Technical F*#k up…Declan Greene’s note before Eight-Gigabytes of Hardcore Pornography
The Actors Program Award for Best Nudity… Edwin Beats in Not Psycho
The Sharu Loves Hats Award for Best Pash… Eli Kent and the mannequin in All Your Wants and Needs Fulfilled Forever
The Pantograph Punch Award for Best Critic… James Wenley
The Tour-Makers Award for Travelling Hero… A Boy Wonder