Matilda Awards Celebrate The Best Of Queensland Theatre
Image: Image: Kenn Santos
On Monday the 26th of February the Queensland performing arts community came together in Brisbane to honour some of the best and brightest creatives of the Queensland theatre industry at the 36th Annual Matilda Awards.
Held at the Brisbane Powerhouse in Fortitude Valley the awards celebrate the achievements of the artistic community across Queensland recognising innovative and creative talents across all areas of theatre.
Winners on the evening saw a range of captivating talent take out some of the top awards in the industry.
Cameron Hurry wins for his role in Grand Horizons
Originating as a Broadway production, with two Tony Award nominations under its belt, this captivating yet simple story about a small family’s upheaval has offered plenty of opportunities for its stars to shine.
One of those is Brisbane performer Cameron Hurry.
Playing one of two brothers grappling with the pending separation of their much older parents, Cameron delivered an award worthy performance, recognised by awarding him the Best Performance In A Supporting Role: Independent Production at the Matilda Awards.
“Cameron Hurry emerged as a stand-out performer in Grand Horizons, leaving an indelible mark with his portrayal of the gay drama teacher son” the judges commented.
“Hurry combined his instinct for comic timing with an ability to seamlessly capture nuanced elements of emotion and deliver them with sincerity, drawing the audience in and creating a lively connection between them and his character.”
Timothy Wynn – THAT Production Company wins two Matilda Awards
Brisbane director Timothy Wynn is no stranger to an awards night.
In 2022 alone Timothy was nominated for six Matilda Awards for his work on Seawall and Tick Tick Boom.
On Monday his work was again recognised through THAT production company, of which he has been the artistic director since 2009.
The awards saw the production of Every Brilliant Thing, directed by Wynn, secure the Brisbane Powerhouse Best Independent Production Award.
Actor Jason Klarwein also secured a second win for the production receiving the award for Best Performance In A Leading Role: Independent Production.
Of the production the judges stated, “THAT Production Company is building a strong reputation for producing plays that tap into the complexity of our shared humanity.”
In particulate they noted the complexity of the content within the production and its delivery. “2023 saw THAT take on the daunting task of producing a comedy about suicide. Under the direction of Timothy Wynn with a stellar production team including Eva Fritz, Nathaniel Knight and Wil Hughes, Metro Arts became a safe space for actor Jason Klarwein to explore emotions and experiences often only discussed in whispers – if at all. THAT’s skilful and respectful examination of one man’s relationship with mental health, loss and living produced theatre at its best: challenging, honest, and life-altering.”
Other award winners included:
The Gold Matilda: Suellen Maunder
Best Mainstage Production: Drizzle Boy
Best Musical or Cabaret: Bananaland
Best Direction: Drizzle Boy
Performance In A Supporting Role Mainstage Production: Ngoc Phan
Performance In A Leading Role Mainstage Production: Chenoa Deemal
For the full list of winners head to www.matildaawards.com.au
