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The Canberra Times

National

The show goes on as the CAT Awards announced

Lainie Hart as Lili Kalinovskaya and Michael Sparks as Korzh won best actress and best actor CAT awards for their work in The Woman in the Window for the Canberra Rep. Picture: Elesa Kurtz

Theatres and concert venues may be closed but the maxim "the show must go on" means the 2019 Canberra Area Theatre Awards have still been announced.

Instead of a gala night the coveted 'gongs' were handed out on Saturday night in a pre-produced online video, which also celebrated the 25^{^th}anniversary of the CAT awards.

Dozens of performers and production personnel in the ACT and southern NSW in 2019 had their achievements recognised.

CATS chair Dennis Martin outlined the amazing statistics around the productions.

Wollongong-based So Popera was recognised for its production of Singin' in the Rain.

"In 2019, over 60 companies produced almost 100 productions, involving 9,000 performers, musicians, production teams and so many other people contributing in a myriad of ways. Audience numbers were an astounding 130,000," he said.

The Gold Cat Award went to Michelle Heine, owner of the Legs Dance Studio in Tuggeranong, for outstanding contribution to dance and theatre in the ACT region through co-direction and choreography of Kinky Boots, and fostering the love of dance among people of all age.

The Silver Cat Award went to Russell and Jeanette Brown for their pivotal roles over many years in Canberra Repertory's set and costume departments, allowing REP to continue to present six shows a year with consistently high production standards.

Michelle Heine of Legs Dance Studio in Tuggeranong won the Gold CAT Award.

Canberra Rep took out the most awards in the theatre category, 13 in total for its plays The Woman in the Window, World Goes 'Round and Waiting in the Wings.

In the youth category, Chevalier College in Bowral won three awards for We Will Rock You, while Oxley College, also in Bowral, won four awards for The Crucible.

Oxley College's performance of The Crucible.

CAT Awards chief executive officer Coralie Wood said it had been "a challenging few months".

"The twin challenges of the bushfire crisis and now COVID-19 forced the postponement, then the cancellation of the awards night at Canberra's Llewellyn Hall," she said.

How to Train Your Doctor, 2019 ANU Med Revue, Canberra won the CAT award for best original work.

"While it was heartbreaking to have to call off the Llewellyn Hall event, we are delighted that we've come up with a fabulous alternative."

New companies to win awards were the Pinnacle Players, Orange - best actor (shared by Alvaro Marques, Mark Coster and Nick Tucknott, all for their work in Art) and best play (Art) - while the Australian Voice Collective, from Canberra, won best ensemble.

The Australian Voice Collective was meant to perform at the awards ceremony, but instead made a video of its haunting rendition of Sounds of Silence.

The Wollongong-based So Popera Productions won seven awards for their musicals Into the Woods (five) and Singin' in the Rain (two).

The 2019 ANU Med Revue How to Train Your Doctor, won the CAT award for best original work.

The awards video is available here

The full list of winners is below:

BEST SET FOR A PLAY

Andrew Kay (design) and Russell Brown (coordination) The Art of Coarse Acting, Canberra Repertory Society

AND

A Doll's House, Canberra Repertory Society

AND

Waiting in the Wings, Canberra Repertory Society and Queanbeyan Performing Arts Centre

BEST SET FOR A MUSICAL, VARIETY OR DANCE PRODUCTION

Amy Copeland Into The Woods, So Popera Productions, Wollongong

BEST COSTUMES FOR A PLAY

Anna Senior (design) Jeanette Brown (coordination) The Woman in the Window, Canberra Repertory Society

AND

Waiting in the Wings, Canberra Repertory Society and Queanbeyan Performing Arts Centre

BEST COSTUMES FOR A MUSICAL OR VARIETY SHOW

Amy Copeland Into The Woods, So Popera Productions, Wollongong

BEST COSTUMES FOR A SCHOOL OR YOUTH PRODUCTION

Costume team, TOYS: To Infinity & Beyond, Bom Funk Dance Studio Bom Funk Dance Studio, Jerrabomberra

BEST LIGHTING

Chris Ellyard The Woman in the Window, Canberra Repertory Society

TECHNICAL ACHIEVEMENT

John Webb Design and construction of the rain system, Singin' in the Rain, So Popera Productions, Wollongong

JOHN THOMSON THEATRE MAGIC

Canberra Girls Grammar School Entry and assembly of the flying house, Wicked, Canberra Girls Grammar School

BEST ORIGINAL WORK

Alex Wood, Ben Harris, Gabriella Gross, Kathryn Parker and Will Dunlop

Script for How to Train Your Doctor, ANU Med Revue, Canberra

BEST ORIGINAL WORK FOR A SCHOOL OR YOUTH PRODUCTION

Bill Dickson

Original music, The Treasure of Peter Pan, Daramalan Theatre Company, Canberra

BEST ENSEMBLE IN A PLAY

The residents of The Wings, Waiting in the Wings, Canberra Repertory Society and Queanbeyan Performing Arts Centre

BEST ENSEMBLE IN A SCHOOL OR YOUTH PRODUCTION

The cast Still, We Rise, The Australian Voice Collective, Canberra

BEST ENSEMBLE IN A MUSICAL OR VARIETY SHOW

The cast and band The World Goes 'Round, Canberra Repertory Society

PATRICIA KELSON ENCOURAGEMENT AWARD

Imogen Steele as Fiona, Shrek the Musical Jr, Parkes Musical & Dramatic Society

BEST YOUTH ACTOR IN A FEATURED ROLE IN A PLAY

Brad Worthington as Reverend John Hale in The Crucible, Oxley College, Bowral

BEST YOUTH ACTOR IN A FEATURED ROLE IN A MUSICAL

Luke McClay as Brit in We Will Rock You, Chevalier College, Bowral

BEST YOUTH ACTRESS IN A FEATURED ROLE IN A PLAY

Claire Allan as Tituba in The Crucible, Oxley College, Bowral

BEST YOUTH ACTRESS IN A FEATURED ROLE IN A MUSICAL

Annie Turner as Scaramouche in We Will Rock You, Chevalier College, Bowral

BEST YOUTH ACTOR IN A LEADING ROLE IN A PLAY

Thomas Rapp as John Proctor in The Crucible, Oxley College, Bowral

BEST YOUTH ACTRESS IN A LEADING ROLE IN A PLAY

Jade Gillis as Elizabeth Proctor in The Crucible, Oxley College, Bowral

BEST YOUTH ACTOR IN A LEADING ROLE IN A MUSICAL

Max Kielly as Jafar in Aladdin Jr, Junior Albatross Musical (JAM), Nowra and as The Beast in Beauty and the Beast, Nowra Anglican College

BEST YOUTH ACTRESS IN A LEADING ROLE IN A MUSICAL

Georgia Brian as Lisa in Ladies in Black, Spectrum Theatre Group, Merimbula

BEST VARIETY PERFORMANCE BY AN INDIVIDUAL OR ENSEMBLE

The cast and band Cabaret in The World Goes 'Round, Canberra Repertory Society

BEST PERFORMANCE IN A MONOLOGUE OR ONE-ACT PLAY

Adam Salter in 'A Ten Minute Mystery', Hang on a Second: A night of short plays (and one song), Have a Butchers Productions, Canberra

BEST DANCE PERFORMANCE BY AN INDIVIDUAL OR ENSEMBLE

Level 2 and Level 3 Acro "Machinery', Peter Pan ... and Our Lost Treasures, "Legs" Dance, Canberra

BEST ACTOR IN A FEATURED ROLE IN A PLAY

Michael Sparks ss Korzh in The Woman in the Window, Canberra Repertory Society, Canberra

BEST ACTOR IN A FEATURED ROLE IN A MUSICAL

Garrett Kelly as Horse in The Full Monty, Supa Productions, Canberra

BEST ACTRESS IN A FEATURED ROLE IN A PLAY

Lainie Hart as Lili Kalinovskaya in The Woman in the Window, Canberra Repertory Society

BEST ACTRESS IN A FEATURED ROLE IN A MUSICAL

Michelle Pettigrove as Magda in Ladies in Black, Spectrum Theatre Group, Merimbula

BEST ACTOR IN A LEADING ROLE IN A PLAY

Alvaro Marques as Marc in Art, Pinnacle Players, Orange

Mark Coster as Yvan in Art, Pinnacle Players, Orange

Nick Tucknott as Serge in Art, Pinnacle Players, Orange

BEST ACTOR IN A LEADING ROLE IN A MUSICAL

Jason Bensen as Leo Bloom in The Producers, Dramatic Productions, Canberra

BEST ACTRESS IN A LEADING ROLE IN A PLAY

Karen Vickery as Anna Akhmatova in The Woman in the Window, Canberra Repertory Society

BEST ACTRESS IN A LEADING ROLE IN A MUSICAL

Hannah Garbo as Galinda/Glinda in Wicked, Albatross Musical Theatre Company, Nowra

Molly Stewart as Little Red Riding Hood in Into The Woods, So Popera Productions, Wollongong and as Elphaba in Wicked, Albatross Musical Theatre Company, Nowra

BEST CHOREOGRAPHY

Teagan McKeen and Dane Sanderson, Singin' in the Rain, So Popera Productions, Wollongong

BEST MUSICAL DIRECTION FOR A SCHOOL OR YOUTH PRODUCTION

Barbara Griffin, We Will Rock You, Chevalier College, Bowral

BEST DIRECTION OF A SCHOOL OR YOUTH PLAY

Belinda Quick, The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe, Bay Theatre Players Youth Theatre Group, Batemans Bay

BEST DIRECTION OF A SCHOOL OR YOUTH MUSICAL

Julia Armstrong, Aladdin Jr, Junior Albatross Musical (JAM), Nowra

BEST MUSICAL DIRECTION

Alexander Unikowski, The World Goes 'Round, Canberra Repertory Society

BEST DIRECTION OF A PLAY

Liz Bradley, The Woman in the Window, Canberra Repertory Society