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Musical blockbuster Les Misérables has been nominated in 12 categories in the 2015 Helpmann Awards, closely followed by the far more intimate, smaller-scale musical, Once, with nine nominations.

Another musical, Opera Australia and John Frost’s remount of Anything Goes, also received nine nominations.

In its first year, Brisbane Baroque has picked up eight nominations for the opera Faramondo.

Helped by their partnership with impresario John Frost on Once, Melbourne Theatre Company has received 16 nominations, including four for What Rhymes with Cars and Girls (based on the album of the same name by Tim Rogers) and three for Marlin (an Arena Theatre co-production for children).

Sydney Theatre Company has 15 nominations in total, including three of the four productions nominated for Best Play (though it shares one nomination in this category, for Calpurnia Descending, with Malthouse Theatre Company).

Nominations were spread more evenly in the Dance and Physical Theatre category, with nominees ranging from Sydney Dance Company and The Australian Ballet (both members of the Australian Major Performing Arts Group) to Lucy Guerin Inc and Expressions Dance Company (part of the small to medium sector) and independent artists Antony Hamilton and Rachel Arianne Ogle.

Over 800 productions and events were entered for nomination this year, with nominations determined by nine panels, comprising 161 panel members from across the country.

The nominees were announced at simultaneous events in Sydney, Melbourne, Adelaide, Brisbane, Perth, and Hobart by a range of performing arts talents, including Caroline O’Connor, Simon Gleeson, Wesley Enoch, Annette Downs, Michael Griffiths, and Suzie Mather.

Named after dancer, actor, choreographer and director Sir Robert Helpmann, the Helpmann Awards were established in 2001 by Live Performance Australia (LPA), then known as the Australian Entertainment Industry Association.

LPA Chief Executive, Evelyn Richardson, said the vibrancy and calibre of the 2015 Helpmann Awards nominees reflected a remarkable year in the live performance sector in Australia.

Richardson stated "this year’s nominees across the 42 categories come from a range of disciplines and should all be congratulated for their immense display of talent and commitment to the live performance industry."

Also announced on Monday night was the Best Special Event Award, presented to Perth International Arts Festival, in association with Royal De Luxe for The Incredible and Phenomenal Journey of the Giants to the Streets of Perth. Featuring two giant marionettes searching for each other across three days in Perth’s CBD, The Incredible and Phenomenal Journey of the Giants to the Streets of Perth captivated Western Australia’s capital, where 1.4 million people viewed the spectacle as part of the Perth International Arts Festival.

The Helpmann Awards also incorporates the $10,000 cash prize Brian Stacey Award for Emerging Australian Conductors which has this year been awarded to Jessica Gethin. Since she first took the podium as the Western Australia Youth Orchestra Conducting Intern, Jessica has won praise from audiences and critics alike for her dynamic energy, outstanding musicianship and abounding presence on the podium.

The winners of the 2015 Helpmann Awards will be announced on Monday 27th July at Sydney’s Capitol Theatre, on the set of Cameron Mackintosh’s Les Misérables. Previous Helpmann Awards winner, Todd McKenney, will host the ceremony.

Speaking at the Melbourne nominations event, McKenney acknowledged the sector's sometimes-uneasy relationship with awards, stating "some people poo-poo awards but I just think, if for no other reason, it's great to be able to stand here in a room of proud Australians who do world class work and thank each other and acknowledge each other for that hard work."

The awards ceremony will feature performances by cast members from Les Misérables and Once, as well as the Australia Piano Quartet, and Cosentino – The Grand Illusionist, and will be broadcast live on Foxtel Arts.

The 2015 Helpmann Award nominees are:

Industry Awards

BEST COSTUME DESIGN

ANNA CORDINGLEY 
Masquerade
Produced by Griffin Theatre Company and State Theatre Company of South Australia. NSW: Presented by Sydney Festival and Sydney Opera House. SA: Presented in association with Adelaide Festival Centre and Windmill Theatre. VIC: Presented by Melbourne Festival. This project has been assisted by the Australian Government’s Major Festivals Initiative, managed by the Australia Council, its arts funding and advisory body, in association with the Confederation of Australian International Arts Festivals, Sydney Festival, Melbourne Festival, State Theatre Company of South Australia and Griffin Theatre Company.

DALE FERGUSON 
Anything Goes
Opera Australia and John Frost

GABRIELA TYLESOVA 
The Rabbits
Opera Australia and Barking Gecko Theatre Company, in association with West Australian Opera. Co-commissioned by Perth International Arts Festival and Melbourne Festival.

GARY MCCANN 
Faramondo
Brisbane Baroque in association with QPAC

BEST LIGHTING DESIGN

GEOFF COBHAM 
The Philip Glass Trilogy
State Opera Company, South Australia

NICK SCHLIEPER 
Macbeth
Sydney Theatre Company

PAULE CONSTABLE 
Faust
Opera Australia

PAULE CONSTABLE 
Les Misérables
Cameron Mackintosh Australia

RACHEL BURKE
Marlin
Produced by Arena Theatre Company, presented by Melbourne Theatre Company

BEST ORIGINAL SCORE

CAMERON GOODALL and QUENTIN GRANT
Little Bird
State Theatre Company of South Australia, in association with Adelaide Festival Centre

KATE MILLER-HEIDKE with IAIN GRANDAGE
The Rabbits
Opera Australia

MIKELANGELO and THE BLACK SEA GENTLEMEN
Masquerade
Produced by Griffin Theatre Company and State Theatre Company of South Australia

TIM ROGERS
What Rhymes with Cars and Girls
Melbourne Theatre Company

BEST MUSIC DIRECTION

ERIN HELYARD
Faramondo
Brisbane Baroque, in association with QPAC

MARTIN LOWE
Once
John Frost, Barbara Broccoli, John N. Hart Jr., Patrick Milling Smith, Frederick Zollo

TIM ROGERS
What Rhymes with Cars and Girls
Melbourne Theatre Company

TIMOTHY SEXTON
The Philip Glass Trilogy
State Opera South Australia

BEST SCENIC DESIGN

DAN POTRA
The Perfect American
Brisbane Festival and Opera Queensland, in association with Queensland Performing Arts Centre and Griffith University.

GEOFF COBHAM
Little Bird
State Theatre Company of South Australia, in association with Adelaide Festival Centre

MARG HORWELL
Marlin
Produced by Arena Theatre Company, presented by Melbourne Theatre Company

MATT KINLEY
Les Misérables
Cameron Mackintosh Australia

BEST SOUND DESIGN

CLIVE GOODWIN
Once
John Frost, Barbara Broccoli, John N. Hart Jr., Patrick Milling Smith, Frederick Zollo

JD BRILL, CLAIR GLOBAL and EAGLES
Eagles | History of the Eagles Live In Concert 2015
The Eagles and Frontier Touring

MICHAEL WATERS
Anything Goes
Opera Australia and John Frost

MICK POTTER
Les Misérables
Cameron Mackintosh Australia

BEST NEW AUSTRALIAN WORK

AIDAN FENNESSY, MUSIC AND LYRICS BY TIM ROGERS
What Rhymes with Cars and Girls
Melbourne Theatre Company

ARENA THEATRE COMPANY
Marlin
Produced by Arena Theatre Company, presented by Melbourne Theatre Company

JOANNA MURRAY-SMITH
Switzerland
Sydney Theatre Company

NICKI BLOOM with songs and music by CAMERON GOODALL and QUENTIN GRANT
Little Bird
State Theatre Company of South Australia, in association with Adelaide Festival Centre

OPERA AUSTRALIA and BARKING GECKO THEATRE COMPANY, in association with WEST AUSTRALIAN OPERA, co-commission by PERTH INTERNATIONAL ARTS FESTIVAL and MELBOURNE FESTIVAL
The Rabbits
Opera Australia and Barking Gecko Theatre Company, in association with West Australian Opera, co-commission by Perth International Arts Festival and Melbourne Festival

TAMARA SAULWICK
Endings
Sydney Festival and Insite Arts

CONTEMPORARY MUSIC

BEST AUSTRALIAN CONTEMPORARY CONCERT

CHET FAKER | NATIONAL TOUR 2015
Chet Faker, Frontier Touring, Artist Voice, Opulent, Future Classics and Perth International Arts Festival

JIMMY BARNES | 30:30 HINDSIGHT GREATEST HITS TOUR 2014
Jimmy Barnes and Frontier Touring, in association with Premier Artists and A Day on the Green

KYLIE | KISS ME ONCE TOUR 2015
Kylie Minogue and Frontier Touring

TINA ARENA RESET TOUR
Tina Arena and New World Artists

BEST CONTEMPORARY MUSIC FESTIVAL

BLUESFEST BYRON BAY
The 26th Annual Bluesfest Byron Bay 2015 and Peter Noble

LANEWAY FESTIVAL
Lunatic Entertainment and Chugg Entertainment

VIVID LIVE 2015
Destination NSW and Sydney Opera House

WOMADELAIDE 2015
Ian Scobie

BEST INTERNATIONAL CONTEMPORARY CONCERT

ED SHEERAN | X WORLD TOUR 2015
Ed Sheeran and Frontier Touring

FOO FIGHTERS | SONIC HIGHWAYS WORLD TOUR 2015
Foo Fighters and Frontier Touring

PAUL SIMON and STING – ON STAGE TOGETHER
Paul Simon, Sting and Live Nation

THE ROLLING STONES | 14 ON FIRE
The Rolling Stones, Frontier Touring, AEG Live and IEC Entertainment

OPERA AND CLASSICAL MUSIC

BEST DIRECTION OF AN OPERA

DAVID MCVICAR
Faust
Opera Australia

DAVID MCVICAR
Don Giovanni
Opera Australia

LEIGH WARREN
Philip Glass Trilogy
State Opera of South Australia

PAUL CURRAN
Faramondo
Brisbane Baroque, in association with QPAC

BEST FEMALE PERFORMER IN A SUPPORTING ROLE IN AN OPERA

ANNA DEVIN
Faramondo
Brisbane Baroque, in association with QPAC

ANNA STARUSHKEVYCH
Faramondo
Brisbane Baroque, in association with QPAC

NICOLE CAR
Don Giovanni
Opera Australia

TARYN FIEBIG
Don Giovanni
Opera Australia

BEST FEMALE PERFORMER IN AN OPERA

CAITLIN HULCUP
Iphigenie en Tauride
Pinchgut Opera

JENNIFER RIVERA
Faramondo
Brisbane Baroque, in association with QPAC

LATONIA MOORE
Aida – Handa Opera on Sydney Harbour
Opera Australia

NICOLE CAR
Faust
Opera Australia

BEST MALE PERFORMER IN A SUPPORTING ROLE IN AN OPERA

CHRISTOPHER LOWREY
Faramondo
Brisbane Baroque, in association with QPAC

SHANE LOWRENCEV
Don Giovanni
Opera Australia

TEDDY TAHU RHODES
Faust
Opera Australia

WARWICK FYFE
The Flying Dutchman
Victorian Opera

BEST MALE PERFORMER IN AN OPERA

ADAM DIEGEL
Madama Butterfly
English National Opera, Metropolitan Opera and Lithuanian National Opera, in association with West Australian Opera and Perth International Arts Festival

CHRISTOPHER PURVES
The Perfect American
Brisbane Festival and Opera Queensland, in association with QPAC and Griffith University

CLAUDIO SGURA
Tosca
Opera Australia

MICHAEL FABIANO
Faust
Opera Australia

TEDDY TAHU RHODES
Don Giovanni
Opera Australia

BEST OPERA

FARAMONDO
Brisbane Baroque, in association with QPAC

FAUST
Opera Australia

MADAMA BUTTERFLY
English National Opera, Metropolitan Opera and Lithuanian National Opera in association with West Australian Opera and Perth International Arts Festival

THE PHILIP GLASS TRILOGY
State Opera South Australia

BEST CHAMBER AND INSTRUMENTAL ENSEMBLE CONCERT

GOLDNER STRING QUARTET, MUSICA VIVA INTERNATIONAL CONCERT SERIES NATIONAL TOUR 2015
Goldner String Quartet for Musica Viva Australia

LES ARTS FLORISSANTS and LE JARDIN DES VOIX IN Â JARDIN Ã L’ITALIENNE
Melbourne Recital Centre, Sydney Opera House and Perth International Arts Festival

THE SIXTEEN
Melbourne Recital Centre, Sydney Opera House, Perth International Arts Festival, Queensland Performing Arts Centre and Australian National University of Music, Llewellyn Hall

STEPHEN HOUGH IN RECITAL
Sydney Symphony Orchestra

BEST SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA CONCERT

THE DAMNATION OF FAUST
Melbourne Symphony Orchestra

MAHLER 3
Melbourne Symphony Orchestra

REFLECTIONS ON GALLIPOLI
Australian Chamber Orchestra

TAFELMUSIK’S HOUSE OF DREAMS
Musica Viva

BEST INDIVIDUAL CLASSICAL MUSIC PERFORMANCE

ASHER FISCH
Beethoven Festival
West Australian Symphony Orchestra

CHRISTIAN TETZLAFF
Christian Tetlaff
Melbourne Recital Centre

EMANUEL AX
The Beethoven Piano Concertos
Sydney Symphony Orchestra

WILLIAM CHRISTIE
William Christie
Melbourne Recital Centre, Sydney Opera House, and Perth International Arts Festival

COMEDY

BEST COMEDY PERFORMER

JUDITH LUCY
Judith Lucy – Ask No Questions of the Moth
Token Events

MATT OKINE
The Other Guy
Century Entertainment

NAZEEM HUSSAIN
Nazeem Hussain – Legally Brown
Live Nation

RONNY CHIENG
You Don’t Know What You’re Talking About
Century Entertainment

SAM SIMMONS
Sam Simmons – Spaghetti for Breakfast
Token Events

CABARET

BEST CABARET PERFORMER

BECCY COLE and LIBBY O'DONOVAN
The Cowgirl and the Showgirl
Adelaide Festival Centre Trust

CAMILLE O’SULLIVAN
Camille O’Sullivan – Changeling
Arts Centre Melbourne

DAVID CAMPBELL and JOHN BUCCHINO
David Campbell Sings John Bucchino
Luckiest Productions

KIM SMITH
Nova Noir
Adelaide Festival Centre Trust

DANCE AND PHYSICAL THEATRE

BEST BALLET OR DANCE WORK

FRAME OF MIND
Sydney Dance Company

MEETING
Antony Hamilton and Alisdair Macindoe

MOTION PICTURE
Lucy Guerin Inc

PRECIPICE
Rachel Arianne Ogle

BEST CHOREOGRAPHY IN A DANCE OR PHYSICAL THEATRE PRODUCTION

ANTONY HAMILTON
MEETING
Antony Hamilton Projects, Arts House and Insite Arts

NATALIE WEIR
Natalie Weir’s The Red Shoes
Expressions Dance Company and Queensland Performing Arts Centre

RAFAEL BONACHELA
Frame of Mind
Sydney Dance Company

STEPHEN PAGE
Patyegarang
Bangarra Dance Theatre

BEST FEMALE DANCER IN A DANCE OR PHYSICAL THEATRE PRODUCTION

CHLOE LEONG
William Forsythe’s Quintett
Sydney Dance Company

ELISE MAY
Natalie Weir’s The Red Shoes
Expressions Dance Company and Queensland Performing Arts Centre

JESSE SCALES
William Forsythe’s Quintett
Sydney Dance Company

MADELEINE EASTOE
Giselle
The Australian Ballet

BEST MALE DANCER IN A DANCE OR PHYSICAL THEATRE PRODUCTION

ALISDAIR MACINDOE
Motion Picture
Lucy Guerin Inc

CASS MORTIMER EIPPER
William Forsythe’s Quintett
Sydney Dance Company

DAVID MACK
William Forsythe’s Quintett
Sydney Dance Company

JACK ZIESING
Natalie Weir’s The Red Shoes
Expressions Dance Company and Queensland Performing Arts Centre

BEST VISUAL AND PHYSICAL THEATRE PRODUCTION

BEYOND THE CIRCA
Arts Centre Melbourne and Circa

DISLOCATE’S “IF THESE WALLS COULD TALK”
Marguerite Pepper Productions

THE PAPER ARCHITECT
Davy and Kristin McGuire and Perth International Arts Festival

TABAC ROUGE
Produced by Compagnie du Hanneton, presented by Sydney Festival

REGIONAL TOURING PRODUCTIONS

BEST REGIONAL TOURING PRODUCTION

FESTIVAL OF CIRCA
Circa

FOOD
Force Majeure and Belvoir

KELLY
Queensland Theatre Company

SONS & MOTHERS
Performing Lines and No Strings Attached Theatre of Disability

CHILDRENS PRESENTATIONS

BEST PRESENTATION FOR CHILDREN

CARNIVAL OF THE ANIMALS
Circa and Queensland Performing Arts Centre

HANS CHRISTIAN, YOU MUST BE AN ANGEL
Sydney Opera House and Arts Centre Melbourne

PETE THE SHEEP
Monkey Baa Theatre Company

THE RABBITS
Opera Australia and Barking Gecko Theatre Company, in association with West Australian Opera, co-commissioned by Perth International Arts Festival and Melbourne Festival

THEATRE

BEST DIRECTION OF A PLAY

ANDREW UPTON
Endgame
Sydney Theatre Company

CLARE WATSON
What Rhymes with Cars and Girls
Melbourne Theatre Company

KIP WILLIAMS
Suddenly Last Summer
Sydney Theatre Company

SARAH GOODES
Switzerland
Sydney Theatre Company

BEST FEMALE ACTOR IN A SUPPORTING ROLE IN A PLAY

HELEN THOMSON
After Dinner
Sydney Theatre Company

JULIE FORSYTH
Endgame
Melbourne Theatre Company

PAMELA RABE
Beckett Triptych – Footfalls
State Theatre Company of South Australia, in association with Adelaide Festival

SARAH PEIRSE
Endgame
Sydney Theatre Company

BEST FEMALE ACTOR IN A PLAY

JULIE FORSYTH
Night on Bald Mountain
Malthouse Theatre

PAMELA RABE
The Glass Menagerie
Belvoir

ROBYN NEVIN
Suddenly Last Summer
Sydney Theatre Company

SARAH PEIRSE
Switzerland
Sydney Theatre Company

BEST MALE ACTOR IN A SUPPORTING ROLE IN A PLAY

BRUCE SPENCE
Endgame
Sydney Theatre Company

GLENN HAZELDINE
After Dinner
Sydney Theatre Company

JOHN BELL
As You Like It
Bell Shakespeare

LASARUS RATUERE
Kill the Messenger
Belvoir

BEST MALE ACTOR IN A PLAY

HUGO WEAVING
Endgame
Sydney Theatre Company

HUNTER PAGE-LOCHARD
Brothers Wreck
Belvoir

PETER CARROLL
Oedipus Rex
Belvoir

STEVE RODGERS
Eight Gigabytes of Hardcore Pornography
Griffin Theatre Company and Perth Theatre Company

BEST PLAY

CALPURNIA DESCENDING
Malthouse Theatre and Sydney Theatre Company

ENDGAME
Sydney Theatre Company

THE GLASS MENAGERIE
Belvoir

SUDDENLY LAST SUMMER
Sydney Theatre Company

MUSICALS

BEST CHOREOGRAPHY IN A MUSICAL

ANDREW HALLSWORTH
Anything Goes
Opera Australia and John Frost

KATE CHAMPION and MICHELLE LYNCH
Dirty Dancing – The Classic Love Story on Stage
John Frost

MICHAEL ASHCROFT and GEOFFREY GARRATT
Les Misérables
Cameron Mackintosh Australia

STEVEN HOGGETT
Once
John Frost, Barbara Broccoli, John N. Hart Jr., Patrick Milling Smith, Frederick Zollo

BEST DIRECTION OF A MUSICAL

DEAN BRYANT
Anything Goes
Opera Australia and John Frost

JOHN TIFFANY
Once
John Frost, Barbara Broccoli, John N. Hart Jr., Patrick Milling Smith, Frederick Zollo

LAURENCE CONNOR and JAMES POWELL
Les Misérables
Cameron Mackintosh Australia

STUART MAUNDER AM
Into the Woods
Victorian Opera

BEST FEMALE ACTOR IN A SUPPORTING ROLE IN A MUSICAL

AMY LEHPAMER
Once
John Frost, Barbara Broccoli, John N. Hart Jr., Patrick Milling Smith, Frederick Zollo

CLAIRE LYON
Anything Goes
Opera Australia and John Frost

KERRIE ANNE GREENLAND
Les Misérables
Cameron Mackintosh Australia

LUCY MAUNDER
Into the Woods
Victorian Opera

BEST FEMALE ACTOR IN A MUSICAL

CAROLINE O’CONNOR
Anything Goes
Opera Australia and John Frost

HELEN DALLIMORE
Blood Brothers
Enda Markey Presents

MADELEINE JONES
Once
John Frost, Barbara Broccoli, John N. Hart Jr., Patrick Milling Smith, Frederick Zollo

PATRICE TIPOKI
Les Misérables
Cameron Mackintosh Australia

BEST MALE ACTOR IN A SUPPORTING ROLE IN A MUSICAL

ALEX RATHGEBER
Anything Goes
Opera Australia and John Frost

BRENT HALL
Once
John Frost, Barbara Broccoli, John N. Hart Jr, Patrick Milling Smith, Frederick Zollo

CHRIS DURLING
Les Misérables
Cameron Mackintosh Australia

COLIN DEAN
Once
John Frost, Barbara Broccoli, John N. Hart Jr, Patrick Milling Smith, Frederick Zollo

EDDIE MULIAUMASEALI’I
Show Boat
The Production Company

TREVOR ASHLEY
Les Misérables
Cameron Mackintosh Australia

BEST MALE ACTOR IN A MUSICAL

HAYDEN TEE
Les Misérables
Cameron Mackintosh Australia

SIMON GLEESON
Les Misérables
Cameron Mackintosh Australia

TODD MCKENNEY
Anything Goes
Opera Australia and John Frost

TODD MCKENNEY
La Cage Aux Folles
The Production Company

BEST MUSICAL

ANYTHING GOES
Opera Australia and John Frost

DIRTY DANCING – THE CLASSIC LOVE STORY ON STAGE
John Frost, Karl Sydow, Martin McCullum and Joyce Entertainment

LES MISÉRABLES
Cameron Mackintosh

ONCE
John Frost, Barbara Broccoli, John N. Hart Jr., Patrick Milling Smith, Frederick Zollo

2015 HELPMANN AWARDS BESTOWED AWARD

BEST SPECIAL EVENT

PERTH INTERNATIONAL ARTS FESTIVAL IN ASSOCIATION WITH ROYAL DE LUXE
The Incredible and Phenomenal Journey of the Giants to the Streets of Perth

LIFETIME ACHEIVEMENT AWARDS

SUE NATTRASS AWARD™
ERIC ROBINSON

JC WILLIAMSON AWARD®
PAUL KELLY

13th June 2015 - TODD MCKENNEY TO HOST 2015 HELPMANN AWARDS

25th March 2015 - 2015 HELPMANN AWARDS CEREMONY DETAILS REVEALED

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