Melbourne’s live performance sector was celebrated at the Green Room Awards, held at the Meat Market in North Melbourne on Monday 16 March, with honours shared across independent and mainstage companies as well as commercial productions.

Victorian Opera’s Katya Kabanova. Photo © Jeff Busby

In Opera, Desiree Frahn (Katya Kabanova) and Rosario La Spina (Samson et Dalila) were recognised for their leading performances. Victorian Opera’s Katya Kabanova also collected awards for design (Robert Brown and Niklas Pajanti), supporting performance (Emily Edmonds) and musical achievement (Alexander Briger).

Circa’s Orpheus & Eurydice won for direction (Yaron Lifschitz) and production. Forest Collective’s Labyrinth won for Outstanding New Australian Opera.

Theatre awards included Dylan van den Berg for new Australian writing (Whitefella Yella Tree) and Jethro Woodward for music and sound design for Meow Meow’s The Red Shoes, which also won production.

Melbourne Theatre Company’s Destiny took out set and costume design (Sophie Woodward), while Anne-Louise Sarks won for directing Rebecca. Performance awards went to Nadie Kammallaweera (The Wrong Gods) and Pamela Rabe (Rebecca).

Eddie Perfect and Noni McCallum in Beetlejuice the Musical. Photo © Michelle Grace Hunter

In Musical Theatre, Beetlejuice was a major winner, taking visual design, direction (Alex Timbers) and production, while Eddie Perfect was recognised for his writing of the show. Victorian Opera’s Follies won for costume and makeup design and Australian choreography. MJ the Musical collected choreography and musical direction, while Debora Krizak (Annie) and Michael Paynter (Jesus Christ Superstar) were recognised for performance.

Independent Musical Theatre honours went to Melbourne Shakespeare Company’s As You Like It (ensemble and lead performance for Kirby Lunn). Trevor Jones won for musical direction (Colour and Light: The Art of Sondheim), Alister Smith for directing Tarzan: The Stage Musical, and Sammy J for new writing (Fiasco – A Burke and Wills Musical).

In Independent Theatre, One of These Things First (Hot Lunch) won for ensemble, with individual awards going to Emily Carr and Damon Baudin (performance), Ayami Sasaki (design), and Samuel Kreusler and Kate Neal (sound design). Kouhei Narumi and Sam Routledge were recognised for directing Goldfish, while THE BLOK! (Darebin Arts Speakeasy) won production.

Cabaret honours were led by Jude Perl’s Jude Perl Tries to Finish a Sentence, which won production, artiste, writing and original songs, with co-directors Desiree Munro and Ash Flanders also recognised. Bernie Dieter’s Club Kabarett won for ensemble, and Shanon Whitelock for musical direction (Reuben Kaye’s The Party’s Over).

Chunky Move: U>N>I>T>E>D. Photo © Gianna Rizzo

In Dance, Restless Dance Company won for ensemble, while Chandler ‘Cheeky’ Connell and Alexander Abbot (The Other Side of Me) were named best duo. Jo Lloyd won for choreography (Agitato), and Brooke Stamp and Tyrel Dulvarie were recognised as soloists. Visual design awards went to Chunky Move’s U>N>I>T>E>D (Creature Technology Co.) and Jennifer Irwin for Bangarra Dance Theatre’s Yuldea, while Joel Bray’s Monolith won for creation.

For the complete list of Green Room Awards, visit this link.