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Stephen BevisThe West Australian It was a double whammy of WA success at the annual Helpmann Awards in Sydney on Monday night. Tim Minchin’s Matilda The Musical broke all records by winning
every one of the 13 categories in which it was nominated at the national stage awards, Australia’s answer to the Tony Awards. And Perth’s Barking Gecko Theatre Company has gone back-to-back
after last year’s children’s opera The Rabbits with its latest show Bambert’s Book of Lost Stories winning best presentation for children. Minchin, who flew in from Los Angeles for the
ceremony at Sydney’s Lyric Theatre, won best original score for Matilda. The Royal Shakespeare Company co-production, written by Dennis Kelly and based on Roald Dahl’s tale of a schoolgirl
who outwits her nasty parents and ogre-like headmistress, heads to Perth’s Crown Theatre in February. James Millar, another WA Academy of Performing Arts graduate like Minchin, was best
actor in a musical for his marvellously monstrous turn as headmistress Miss Trunchbull. The best female in a musical award was shared by all eight Matildas from the Sydney and Melbourne
seasons: Molly Barwick, Dusty Bursill, Tiana Mirra, Alannah Parfett, Sasha Rose, Georgia Taplin, Bella Thomas and Ingrid Torelli. Matilda also picked up trophies for best musical, best
director for Matthew Warchus, best supporting actor and actress, and awards for music direction, choreography, and lighting, scenic, costuming and sound design. The awards night included a
performance from the WA Ballet, which tours to Jakarta next week, and by the casts of Matilda, The Sound of Music, Singin’ in the Rain and the Tim Finn musical Ladies in Black which won the
prestigious best new Australian work award. Prince won a posthumous award for best international contemporary concert for his Piano and Microphone tour just two months before his shock death
in April. Kate Miller-Heidke’s appearance with the Tasmanian Symphony Orchestra was the best Australian contemporary concert. Perennial best-acting nominees Cate Blanchett and Richard
Roxburgh missed out to Paula Arundell in best-play winner The Bleeding Tree and Mark Leonard Winter in Birdland. Winter won a second Helpmann as support actor in King Lear. Bangarra Dance
Theatre, which wrapped up its Perth season at the weekend won three awards and its artistic director Stephen Page won a special JC Williamson Award for lifetime achievement. The company
tours regional WA in October. The opera category was dominated by Brisbane Baroque’s Agrippa, which won four awards. Tom Ballard won best comedy performer and Michael Griffiths was best
cabaret performer. Sugarland, the Australian Theatre for Young People production recently seen in WA, won best regional touring production. Winners in 42 categories were announced, along
with Page’s JC Williamson Award and the Sue Nattrass Award, which went to Australian international arts administrator Michael Lynch. Minchin reportedly has bought a $6 million house in the
Sydney beachside suburb of Coogee with plans to move there with his wife and two children later this year. The family has been based for two years in Hollywood, where Minchin is directing
and writing the music and lyrics for the DreamWorks Animation comedy Larrikins. FULL LIST OF HELPMANN AWARD WINNERS BEST MALE ACTOR IN A SUPPORTING ROLE IN A PLAY MARK LEONARD WINTER King
Lear Sydney Theatre Company BEST FEMALE ACTOR IN A SUPPORTING ROLE IN A PLAY SARAH PEIRSE The Golden Age Sydney Theatre Company BEST MALE ACTOR IN A SUPPORTING ROLE IN A MUSICAL DANIEL
FREDERIKSEN Matilda The Musical The Royal Shakespeare Company and Louise Withers, Michael Coppel and Michael Watt with Chokey Productions, Just for Laughs Theatricals, Glass Half Full
Productions, Paula Marie Black, Greenleaf Productions and Michael Lynch BEST FEMALE ACTOR IN A SUPPORTING ROLE IN A MUSICAL ELISE MCCANN Matilda The Musical The Royal Shakespeare Company and
Louise Withers, Michael Coppel and Michael Watt with Chokey Productions, Just for Laughs Theatricals, Glass Half Full Productions, Paula Marie Black, Greenleaf Productions and Michael Lynch
BEST INTERNATIONAL CONTEMPORARY CONCERT PRINCE 'PIANO & A MICROPHONE' TOUR 2016 Prince, Dainty Group and ICO ApS BEST CONTEMPORARY MUSIC FESTIVAL WOMADELAIDE 2016 Womadelaide
Foundation BEST AUSTRALIAN CONTEMPORARY CONCERT KATE MILLER-HEIDKE AND THE TASMANIAN SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA WITH VISUALS BY AMY GEBHARDT MOFO 2016, Kate Miller-Heidke and the Tasmanian Symphony
Orchestra with visuals by Amy Gebhardt BEST COSTUME DESIGN ROB HOWELL Matilda The Musical The Royal Shakespeare Company and Louise Withers, Michael Coppel and Michael Watt with Chokey
Productions, Just for Laughs Theatricals, Glass Half Full Productions, Paula Marie Black, Greenleaf Productions and Michael Lynch BEST SCENIC DESIGN ROB HOWELL Matilda The Musical The Royal
Shakespeare Company and Louise Withers, Michael Coppel and Michael Watt with Chokey Productions, Just for Laughs Theatricals, Glass Half Full Productions, Paula Marie Black, Greenleaf
Productions and Michael Lynch BEST LIGHTING DESIGN HUGH VANSTONE Matilda The Musical The Royal Shakespeare Company and Louise Withers, Michael Coppel and Michael Watt with Chokey
Productions, Just for Laughs Theatricals, Glass Half Full Productions, Paula Marie Black, Greenleaf Productions and Michael Lynch BEST SOUND DESIGN SIMON BAKER Matilda The Musical The Royal
Shakespeare Company and Louise Withers, Michael Coppel and Michael Watt with Chokey Productions, Just for Laughs Theatricals, Glass Half Full Productions, Paula Marie Black, Greenleaf
Productions and Michael Lynch BEST INDIVIDUAL CLASSICAL MUSIC PERFORMANCE PIERRE-LAURENT AIMARD Pierre-Laurent Aimard Melbourne Recital Centre and Sydney Symphony Orchestra BEST CHAMBER
AND/OR INSTRUMENTAL ENSEMBLE CONCERT FRENCH BAROQUE WITH CIRCA Australian Brandenburg Orchestra BEST SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA CONCERT SIR SIMON RATTLE CONDUCTS THE AUSTRALIAN WORLD ORCHESTRA
Australian World Orchestra BEST ORIGINAL SCORE TIM MINCHIN Matilda The Musical The Royal Shakespeare Company and Louise Withers, Michael Coppel and Michael Watt with Chokey Productions, Just
for Laughs Theatricals, Glass Half Full Productions, Paula Marie Black, Greenleaf Productions and Michael Lynch BEST MUSIC DIRECTION STEPHEN AMOS Matilda The Musical The Royal Shakespeare
Company and Louise Withers, Michael Coppel and Michael Watt with Chokey Productions, Just for Laughs Theatricals, Glass Half Full Productions, Paula Marie Black, Greenleaf Productions and
Michael Lynch BEST PRESENTATION FOR CHILDREN BAMBERT'S BOOK OF LOST STORIES Barking Gecko Theatre Company BEST REGIONAL TOURING PRODUCTION SUGARLAND Australian Theatre for Young People
and Performing Lines BEST CABARET PERFORMER MICHAEL GRIFFITHS Cole Adelaide Festival Centre's Adelaide Cabaret Festival BEST COMEDY PERFORMER TOM BALLARD The World Keeps Happening Token
Events BEST VISUAL OR PHYSICAL THEATRE PRODUCTION IL RITORNO Brisbane Festival and Circa BEST CHOREOGRAPHY IN A DANCE OR PHSYICAL THEATRE WORK FRANCES RINGS Sheoak Bangarra Dance Theatre
BEST CHOREOGRAPHY IN A MUSICAL PETER DARLING Matilda The Musical The Royal Shakespeare Company and Louise Withers, Michael Coppel and Michael Watt with Chokey Productions, Just for Laughs
Theatricals, Glass Half Full Productions, Paula Marie Black, Greenleaf Productions and Michael Lynch BEST MALE DANCER IN A DANCE OR PHYSICAL THEATRE WORK KIMBALL WONG Habitus Australian
Dance Theatre BEST FEMALE DANCER IN A DANCE OR PHYSICAL THEATRE WORK YOLANDA LOWATTA Sheoak Bangarra Dance Theatre BEST MALE PERFORMER IN A SUPPORTING ROLE IN AN OPERA JOÃO FERNANDES
Agrippina Brisbane Baroque in association with QPAC BEST FEMALE PERFORMER IN A SUPPORTING ROLE IN AN OPERA KERI FUGE Agrippina Brisbane Baroque in association with QPAC BEST MALE PERFORMER
IN AN OPERA CARLO VISTOLI Agrippina Brisbane Baroque in association with QPAC BEST FEMALE PERFORMER IN AN OPERA NICOLE CAR Luisa Miller Opera Australia BEST DIRECTION OF AN OPERA SIR DAVID
MCVICAR The Marriage of Figaro Opera Australia BEST MALE ACTOR IN A PLAY MARK LEONARD WINTER Birdland Melbourne Theatre Company BEST FEMALE ACTOR IN A PLAY PAULA ARUNDELL The Bleeding Tree
Griffin Theatre Company BEST MALE ACTOR IN A MUSICAL JAMES MILLAR Matilda The Musical The Royal Shakespeare Company and Louise Withers, Michael Coppel and Michael Watt with Chokey
Productions, Just for Laughs Theatricals, Glass Half Full Productions, Paula Marie Black, Greenleaf Productions and Michael Lynch BEST FEMALE ACTOR IN A MUSICAL MOLLY BARWICK, DUSTY BURSILL,
TIANA MIRRA, ALANNAH PARFETT, SASHA ROSE, GEORGIA TAPLIN, BELLA THOMAS AND INGRID TORELLI Matilda The Musical The Royal Shakespeare Company and Louise Withers, Michael Coppel and Michael
Watt with Chokey Productions, Just for Laughs Theatricals, Glass Half Full Productions, Paula Marie Black, Greenleaf Productions and Michael Lynch BEST DIRECTION OF A PLAY LEE LEWIS The
Bleeding Tree Griffin Theatre Company BEST DIRECTION OF A MUSICAL MATTHEW WARCHUS Matilda The Musical The Royal Shakespeare Company and Louise Withers, Michael Coppel and Michael Watt with
Chokey Productions, Just for Laughs Theatricals, Glass Half Full Productions, Paula Marie Black, Greenleaf Productions and Michael Lynch BEST NEW AUSTRALIAN WORK CAROLYN BURNS AND TIM FINN
WITH SIMON PHILLIPS Ladies in Black Queensland Theatre Company BEST OPERA AGRIPPINA Brisbane Baroque and QPAC BEST BALLET OR DANCE WORK SHEOAK Bangarra Dance Theatre BEST PLAY THE BLEEDING
TREE Griffin Theatre Company BEST MUSICAL MATILDA THE MUSICAL The Royal Shakespeare Company and Louise Withers, Michael Coppel and Michael Watt with Chokey Productions, Just for Laughs
Theatricals, Glass Half Full Productions, Paula Marie Black, Greenleaf Productions and Michael Lynch BESTOWED HELPMANN AWARD Outstanding Contribution to the Development of Comedy in
Australia Melbourne International Comedy Festival LIFETIME ACHIEVEMENT AWARDS SUE NATTRASS AWARD™ Michael Lynch CBE AM JC WILLIAMSON AWARD™ Stephen Page GET THE LATEST NEWS FROM
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