Awards celebrate work during a difficult period

Outstanding Contribution to Dunedin Theatre award recipient Simon O’Connor (centre) is joined by his wife Teresa and grandson Nico O’Connor at Monday’s awards ceremony. PHOTOS: SIMON HENDERSON

The extraordinary efforts of local theatre practitioners to create shows in the face of the Covid-19 pandemic were celebrated at the Dunedin Theatre Awards on Monday night.

The small-scale, invitation-only ceremony was hosted at Hanover Hall by the Dunedin Theatre Reviewers Collective, and was a chance to reward theatrical achievements in 2020 and 2021.

Lisa Warrington.

Reviewers collective members Barbara Frame, Terry MacTavish, Helen Watson White, Brenda Harwood and Angela Trolove, were impressed by the "sheer volume" of quality theatre that had been made during the past two years.

"Shows have had to be cancelled, postponed and staged under difficult circumstances — in many cases just getting performances to happen has been a major achievement," Harwood said.

Resilience, A Lockdown Response director Cindy Diver.

The awards were presented across a broad range of categories, from costumes to community theatre, acting, directing and the Production of the Year(s).

Dunedin Theatre Reviewers Collective "living taonga" Louise Petherbridge QSO was on hand to present the winners with their framed certificates.

Kimberley Buchan played the role of Laura in The Glass Menagerie.

Two special awards for Outstanding Contribution to Dunedin Theatre were presented to former Fortune Theatre dramaturg Alister McDonald and long-standing actor and playwright Simon O’Connor.

Presenting the award to McDonald, Frame paid tribute to his breadth of knowledge and understanding of theatre’s impact on audiences, and highlighted his direct involvement in 44 productions.

Matt Wilson for his solo turn in The End of the Golden Weather.

Accepting the award, McDonald spoke of the joys and challenges of being dramaturg at the Fortune, as well as the many people he had worked with.

Presenting the award to O’Connor, MacTavish highlighted the extraordinary range of his acting talent and his many successful roles, as well as his work as a playwright determined to tell important stories.

Alister McDonald accepts his special award for Outstanding Contribution to Dunedin Theatre from "living taonga" Louise Petherbridge QSO at Monday’s Dunedin Theatre Awards ceremony.

In response, O’Connor spoke of his fondness for Dunedin’s theatre practitioners, and the support he had enjoyed over the years.

WINNERS

Dunedin Theatre Awards Winners:
Production of the Year: Resilience, A Lockdown Theatre Response (Wow! Productions & Theatreworks)
Outstanding Director: Lisa Warrington — The End of the Golden Weather (Wow! Productions)
Performance Female Role: Kimberley Buchan — The Glass Menagerie (Globe Theatre)
Performance Male Role: Matt Wilson — The End of the Golden Weather (Wow! Productions)
Performance Ensemble: Sophie Graham & Alex Martyn — Lemons, Lemons, Lemons, Lemons, Lemons (Arcade Theatre Company)
Community Theatre: Bittersweet: Unwrapping Cadbury’s (Talking House)
Script/Narrative/Libretto: Michael Metzger — The Changing Shed
Design & Technology: Charmian Smith — costumes for Murder in the Cathedral (Dunedin Medieval Society/Suitcase Theatre)
Touring Production: Wild Dogs Under My Skirt
Emerging talent: Jordan Wichman
SPECIAL AWARDS:
Outstanding Contribution to Dunedin Theatre — Alister McDonald
Outstanding Contribution to Dunedin Theatre — Simon O’Connor