The best of local theatre from the past two years will be celebrated at next month’s Dunedin Theatre Awards, which returns to its original format after several Covid-disrupted years.
Presented by the Dunedin Theatre Reviewers Collective, the awards were founded in 2010 and held annually until 2019, but were cancelled in 2020 because of the pandemic, and were held in a reduced format in December 2021.
Rather than hosting the awards during the frantic pre-Christmas period, collective members Barbara Frame, Terry MacTavish, Helen Watson White and Brenda Harwood chose to postpone the event to a quieter time of the year.
So the awards will be held on Monday, February 12, at Hanover Hall, and will celebrate theatrical achievement from 2022 and 2023. The event is supported by a Dunedin City Council Community Events grant.
Ms MacTavish said the collective had been affected by the pandemic alongside Dunedin’s theatre practitioners, who had made "extraordinary efforts" to create shows despite the challenges of the pandemic.
"We are so proud of our local theatre community for carrying on and creating some wonderful shows during a difficult time, and we want to acknowledge their mahi with an awards ceremony."
Ms Frame said the awards remained true to their original purpose of acknowledging the contribution of performers, directors, writers, designers and creatives to the performing arts sector, locally and nationally.
"We hope to bring the theatre community together to celebrate the value of their mahi and artistry to Dunedin."
The awards will be presented across a broad range of categories, including design and technology, costumes, scripts, performances, direction, touring production and production of the year.
There will also be special awards for outstanding contributions to the Dunedin theatre community and emerging artists.
A list of finalists will be announced at the end of this month.
Note: This story has been updated on January 22 with the following message:
It is with deep sorrow that the Dunedin Theatre Reviewers Collective acknowledges the death of our living taonga Louise Petherbridge on January 18.
We were looking forward to her dignified presence at our awards ceremony, on February 12, where she was to assist us by handing out the awards to the winners.
Our heartfelt condolences go to her son David and his partner Danny, and to the MacTavish, Hudson, Harris and Aitken families.
She will be sadly missed.
