2018 Union House Theatre Award Nominees

And the nominees are…

These awards are generously provided by the University of Melbourne Theatre Board unless otherwise stated.

Exceptional Production Manager/Stage Manager Award

Eden Cotter-Longworth – Chicago – Ormond College
Annie Gleisner – The Witches of Eastwick – University of Melbourne Music Theatre Assoc UMMTA
Yuchen Huang – A Party to Murder – Melb Uni Chinese Theatre Group CTG
Beatrice Hart & Paris Mordecai – Rhinoceros – Trinity College Dramatic Society
Tully Mauritzen – MindQuest: Journey Into Forever – Melb Uni Comedy Revue Board MUDCRABS
James McKinnon – Into the Woods – Intercollegiate Activities Committee ICAC; The Drowsy Chaperone – Uni Melb Music Theatre Assoc UMMTA
Emily Thrower – Dante’s Disco Inferno – Medleys: The Med Revue

Front of House Award

The Biggest Richard – Melbourne University Sri Lankan Students Assoc. MUSLSA
Cosi – Queen’s College Music & Drama Society
The Golden Horse Awards  – Chinese Music Group CMG
Into the Woods – Intercollegiate Activities Committee ICAC
Lost & Found – Flare Dance Ensemble
The Unexpected Guest – Melb Uni Chinese Theatre Group CTG

Most Outstanding Lighting Design

Alec Barber – Chicago – Ormond College, The Witches of Eastwick – Uni Melb Music Theatre Assoc UMMTA
Nick Chu – Cosi – Queen’s College Music & Drama Society
Kareena Dhaliwal – Plastic Shakespeare – Melb Uni Shakespeare Company MUSC
Anna Grace Smith – MindQuest: Journey Into Forever – Melb Uni Comedy Revue Board MUDCRABS
Jake Kirby – The Drowsy Chaperone – Uni Melb Music Theatre Assoc UMMTA
Oliver Ross – The Cake – Melb Uni Law Revue
Jacob Trethowan –  Everything is Fine – Four Letter Word Theatre; Tastings – UMSU Creative Arts Department
Zena Wang – The Unexpected Guest, A Party to Murder – Melb Uni Chinese Theatre Group CTG; The Golden Horse Awards  – Chinese Music Group CMG

Most Outstanding Sound Design

Liam Beale – Everything is Fine – Four Letter Word Theatre
Foreign Light – Plastic Shakespeare – Melb Uni Shakespeare Company MUSC
James Macaronas – MindQuest: Journey Into Forever – Melb Uni Comedy Revue Board MUDCRABS
Zoe Marshall – Cosi – Queen’s College Music & Drama Society
Mabrur Rahman – The Witches of Eastwick – Uni Melb Music Theatre Assoc UMMTA
Emily Thrower – Dante’s Disco Inferno – Medleys: The Med Revue

Most Outstanding Costume / Make-up Design

Tori Adams & Moni Langford  – The Drowsy Chaperone; The Witches of Eastwick – Uni Melb Music Theatre Assoc UMMTA
Kelly An, Olina Qu & Katrina Wu – The Unexpected Guest – Melb Uni Chinese Theatre Group CTG
Charlotte Armstrong – The Drowsy Chaperone – Uni Melb Music Theatre Assoc UMMTA
Ginny Droppert – Into the Woods – Intercollegiate Activities Committee ICAC
Rebecca Francis & Dharani McDonald – The Addams Family Musical – St Mary’s Drama Society

Most Outstanding Set Design

Milla Gentil & Harriet Wing – The Drowsy Chaperone; The Witches of Eastwick – Uni Melb Music Theatre Assoc UMMTA
Sussanna Kable – Urinetown – Newman College Theatre Assoc
Anna McArthur-Dowty  – Chicago –  Ormond College
Jack Murray –  Everything is Fine; Hedda Gabler – Four Letter Word Theatre
Guy Paul – The Producers – Trinity College Music Theatre Society

Most Outstanding Performance in a Musical (2 Awards)

Eloise Bagnara, Asher Harrington & Isabella Wiemers – The Witches of Eastwick – Uni Melb Music Theatre Assoc UMMTA
Ryan Bentley – Urinetown – Newman College Theatre Assoc.
Ruby Drummond – The Addams Family Musical – St Mary’s Drama Society
Penelope D’Urso – Chicago – Ormond College
Spencer Hines – The Drowsy Chaperone – Uni Melb Music Theatre Assoc UMMTA
Stephanie Markerink – Into the Woods – Intercollegiate Activities Committee ICAC
Kara Sims – The Drowsy Chaperone – Uni Melb Music Theatre Assoc UMMTA
Finbar Todd – The Producers – Trinity College Music Theatre Society
Hugo Van Buuren & Vaibhav Sinha – Little Shop of Horrors – International House Theatre Group

Most Outstanding Performance in a Drama or Comedy (2 Awards)

Liv Bell – MindQuest: Journey Into Forever – Melb Uni Comedy Revue Board MUDCRABS
Lydia Bell – Engraft – Melb Uni Shakespeare Company MUSC
Ann-Marie Biagioni – Hedda Gabler – Four Letter Word Theatre
Esther Cowan – Mudcrabs Go Wild – Melb Uni Comedy Revue Board MUDCRABS
Eden Gonfond – Hedda Gabler – Four Letter Word Theatre
Lexie Gregory – Engraft – Melb Uni Shakespeare Company MUSC
Joe Jackson –  Mudcrabs Go Wild – Melb Uni Comedy Revue Board MUDCRABS
Cindy Jiang– Translucent, Tastings – UMSU Creative Arts Department
Venus Notarberadino – Hedda Gabler – Four Letter Word Theatre
Matthew Schaffner –  Mudcrabs Go Wild – Melb Uni Comedy Revue Board MUDCRABS
Nan Qin – A Party to Murder – Melb Uni Chinese Theatre Group CTG
Max Wilson – Cosi – Queen’s College Music & Drama Society
Sam Williams – Cosi – Queen’s College Music & Drama Society

Best Dancer/Movement/Physical Performer

Dance Ensemble – The Biggest Richard – Melbourne University Sri Lankan Students Assoc. MUSLSA
Mavin Karunanidhy – Never Enough, Tastings – UMSU Creative Arts Department
Kara Sims – The Drowsy Chaperone – Uni Melb Music Theatre Assoc UMMTA

Most Outstanding Ensemble

The Biggest Richard – Melbourne University Sri Lankan Students Assoc. MUSLSA
The Cake – Melb Uni Law Revue
Cosi – Queen’s College Music & Drama Society
Everything is Fine, Part 2 – Four Letter Word Theatre
Hamlet by the Pool – Melb Uni Shakespeare Company MUSC
Lost & Found – Flare Dance Ensemble

Outstanding Movement Direction / Choreography

Ritika Bhandai – The Hunger, Lost & Found –Flare Dance Ensemble
Holly Bromley & Maddy Pratt – The Drowsy Chaperone – Uni Melb Music Theatre Assoc UMMTA
Hannah Disher & Laura de Iongh – The Witches of Eastwick – Uni Melb Music Theatre Assoc UMMTA
Jericho Mendoza – I Swear, Lost & Found –Flare Dance Ensemble
Tiana Nemec – Chicago – Ormond College
Tzur Rochvarger & Lauren Yung  – Heathers the Musical – University College Theatre Company
Bonnie Sue – Screen Time, Lost & Found –Flare Dance Ensemble
Christine Walsh – The Greatest Circus, Lost & Found – Flare Dance Ensemble

Outstanding Band / Musical Director

David Barrell – The Drowsy Chaperone – Uni Melb Music Theatre Assoc UMMTA
Matthew Castle – Into the Woods – Intercollegiate Activities Committee ICAC
Kelan Galbraith – The Addams Family Musical – St Mary’s Drama Society
Christopher Johnson – The Witches of Eastwick – Uni Melb Music Theatre Assoc UMMTA

Creative Risk and Artistic Leadership Award

James Macaronas – MindQuest: Journey Into Forever – Melb Uni Comedy Revue Board MUDCRABS
Luke Macaronas – Melb Uni Shakespeare Company MUSC
Amy Spurgeon – Fuck Me Up Elon Musk, Tastings – UMSU Creative Arts Department
Emily White – Stop Body, Tastings – UMSU Creative Arts Department

Community Leader

Zach Ho – Flare Dance Ensemble
XiaoTian Huang – Melb Uni Chinese Theatre Group CTG
Karolina Judd – International House Theatre Group

Most Outstanding Direction

Bec Cecil – The Drowsy Chaperone – Uni Melb Music Theatre Assoc UMMTA
Lucy Fenwick-Elliott – Cosi – Queen’s College Music & Drama Society
Matt Healy  – Urinetown – Newman College Theatre Assoc.
Arthur Knight & Luke Macaronas – Everything is Fine – Four Letter Word Theatre
Tabitha Lee – The Witches of Eastwick – Uni Melb Music Theatre Assoc UMMTA
Izzy Lyndon-James – Chicago – Ormond College

Outstanding Writing

Miso Bell – Hamlet by the Pool – Melb Uni Shakespeare Company MUSC
Sarah Bostock & Sophie Chauhan – Engraft – Melb Uni Shakespeare Company MUSC
Sarah Bostock & Luke Macaronas – Apnoea, Tastings – UMSU Creative Arts Department
Esther Cowen – Fuck Rap, Mudcrabs Go Wild – Melb Uni Comedy Revue Board MUDCRABS
Natalie Fong – Everything is Fine – Four Letter Word Theatre
Lucy Holz – Our Father, Tastings – UMSU Creative Arts Department
Sid Nair – The Biggest Richard – Melbourne University Sri Lankan Students Assoc. MUSLSA

Access and Inclusion Award

Jacinta Dowe  – Where is the Cockroach – Tastings – UMSU Creative Arts
Grace Haslinghouse & Ahila Navaratnam UMMTA – The Witches of Eastwick – Uni Melb Music Theatre Assoc UMMTA
Russell Wong – Everything is Fine – Four Letter Word Theatre

Best Production (non musical)

The Biggest Richard – Melbourne University Sri Lankan Students Assoc. MUSLSA
The Cake – Melb Uni Law Revue
Cosi  – Queen’s College Music & Drama Society
Everything is Fine  – Four Letter Word Theatre
Lost & Found – Flare Dance Ensemble
Plastic Shakespeare  – Melb Uni Shakespeare Company MUSC

Most Outstanding Musical

The Addams Family Musical – St Mary’s Drama Society
Chicago – Ormond College
The Drowsy Chaperone – Uni Melb Music Theatre Assoc UMMTA
The Golden Horse Awards  – Chinese Music Group CMG
Into the Woods – Intercollegiate Activities Committee ICAC
The Witches of Eastwick – Uni Melb Music Theatre Assoc UMMTA

Audience Engagement / Impact

An Other Space – Melb Uni Shakespeare Company MUSC
The Biggest Richard – Melbourne University Sri Lankan Students Assoc. MUSLSA
The Golden Horse Award – Chinese Music Group CMG
Lost & Found – Flare Dance Ensemble
The Unexpected Guest – The Unexpected Guest – Melb Uni Chinese Theatre Group CTG

Murray Sutherland Award

Trust Award. Awarded to two students (one from Queen’s College) for Outstanding Participation in a Production.

Bronya Doyle
Karolina Judd
Luke Macaronas
James McKinnon
Lucy Seale
Matthew Schaffner
Sam Williams

Most Outstanding New Work

Everything is Fine – Four Letter Word Theatre
The Golden Horse Award – Chinese Music Group CMG
The Biggest Richard – Melbourne University Sri Lankan Students Assoc. MUSLSA

Robert McDonald MTC Professional Development Award

By application. To be announced on the night

La Mama Emerging Producer/ Arts Manager Award

By application. To be announced on the night

Dancehouse & Union House Theatre Dance Award

By application. To be announced on the night

Best Newcomer

To be announced on the night