Finley Award Results

BEST DIRECTOR (PLAY) - SUSAN HAYWARD AWARD

Brendan Ellis, Incognito, Melville Theatre Company

BEST ACTOR (PLAY)

Tim Claxton, Holding the Man, PAANDA

BEST ACTRESS (PLAY) 

Suzannah Churchman, Incognito, Melville Theatre Company 

BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR (PLAY) 

Matthew Jones, Blithe Spirit, PAANDA

BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS (PLAY) 

Nichola Renton, The Comedy of Errors, GRADS 

BEST SET (PLAY) - THE DAVID CREWES AWARD

Sarah Christiner, Incognito, Melville Theatre Company

BEST COSTUMES (PLAY) - THE BRENDA STANLEY AWARD

Marjorie DeCaux, Robin Hood, Darlington Theatre Players

BEST DIRECTOR (MUSICAL) - MARY WEBB AWARD

Kimberley Shaw, Into the Woods, Stirling Players

BEST ACTOR (MUSICAL)

Matthew Arnold, The Producers, Alexandra Theatre

BEST ACTRESS (MUSICAL)

Elethea Santorelli, Next to Normal, Melville Theatre Company 

BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR (MUSICAL)

Tate Bennett, Little Women, Old Mill Theatre

BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS (MUSICAL)

Samantha Robb, Rapunzel Gets Tangled, Stage Left Theatre Troupe

BEST CHOREOGRAPHER

Ashleigh Winter, The Producers, Alexandra Theatre 

BEST MUSICAL DIRECTOR

Liam House, Into the Woods, Stirling Players 

BEST SET (MUSICAL) – THE KEVAN HOOK AWARD

Wayne Herring, Into the Woods, Stirling Players

BEST COSTUMES (MUSICAL) – THE TERRY MCAULEY AWARD

Marjorie DeCaux, Alice in Wonderland, Darlington Theatre Players

THE YVONNE LYNCH BREAKTHROUGH AWARD 

Brittany Isaia, Twisted, Darlington Theatre Players

YOUTH PRODUCTION – THE AILSA TRAVERS AWARD

Chitty Chitty Bang Bang Jr., Bel Canto Performing Arts

THE BRIAN MADDOCKS AWARD FOR YOUTH IN A PLAY

Jennifer Wright, To Kill a Mockingbird, Stirling Players

THE VERONICA OVERTON-LOW AWARD FOR YOUTH IN A MUSICAL

Cadence Smythe, Little Women, Old Mill Theatre

HYWELL WILLIAMS AWARD FOR TECHNICAL ACHIEVEMENT

Let the Right One In, Harbour Theatre

THE ELIZABETH CREWES FRONT OF HOUSE AWARD

Trap, Garrick Theatre

SHIELA BUCHANEN ACHIEVEMENT AWARD

Harbour Theatre for their response to COVID-19

YVONNE HOUGH NIELSEN AWARD

Thomas Dimmick for consistently high standards

TERRI HACKETT AWARD FOR BEST PLAY ENSEMBLE

When the Rain Stops Falling, PAANDA 

PAULINE LAWRENCE AWARD FOR BEST LIGHTING

Sarah Connolly, Hogfather, Roleystone Theatre

BEST PLAY

Incognito, Melville Theatre Company

RUNNER-UP PLAY

Bette and Joan, Garrick Theatre

THIRD-PLACED PLAY

William Shakespeare’s Long Lost First Play (abridged), Melville Theatre Company

TOP 12 PLAYS

Lizzie’s a Darlin’, Irish Theatre Players
Managing Carmen, Garrick Theatre
The Comedy of Errors, GRADS
The Odd Couple, Old Mill Theatre
Holding the Man, PAANDA
Incognito, Melville Theatre Company
The Trappe Family, Irish Theatre Players
Old Love, Melville Theatre Company
William Shakespeare’s Long Lost First Play (abridged), Melville Theatre Company
Bette and Joan, Garrick Theatre
To Kill a Mockingbird, Stirling Players
When the Rain Stops Falling, PAANDA

BEST MUSICAL

Into the Woods, Stirling Players

RUNNER-UP MUSICAL

Next to Normal, Melville Theatre Company

THIRD-PLACED MUSICAL

The Producers, Alexandra Theatre

TOP SIX MUSICALS

Next to Normal, Melville Theatre Company
Mamma Mia!, Koorliny Arts Centre
The Producers, Alexandra Theatre
Twisted, Darlington Theatre Players
Shout, Koorliny Arts Centre
Into the Woods, Stirling Players

Finley Adjudicators' Certificates

Darlington Theatre Player’s Robin Hood for the best pantomime of the year

Primadonna Productions’ Song Contest: The Almost Eurovision Experience for promoting audience participation with the inventive use of clackers 

Gemma Little for her comic sensibilities and perfect timing as the awkward assistant host Katarina Vogbogalov in Primadonna Productions’ Song Contest: The Almost Eurovision Experience

Murray Music and Theatre’s Nana’s Naughty Knickers for the creative contraptions that helped turn an elderly woman’s apartment into a sexy lingerie boutique

King the cat for his scene-stealing performance in Harbour’s production of Breakfast at Tiffanys

Jodie Mars for helping deliver a musical where the performers showed creative vocal strength, both as individuals and as an ensemble, the vocal director for Laughing Horse’s production of Jekyll and Hyde

Myles Wright for writing the music that add such emotion and drama to GRADS’ production of Boys in the Band

Chris McCafferty for his versatility playing five significant different characters in Wanneroo’s production of Annie

The Irish Theatre Players for their environmentally friendly decision to introduce on-line programs 

Paul Treasure for his deftness, endurance and ethereal presence as Pete, on stage throughout the entire performance of Roleystone Theatre’s Almost, Maine

Oliver Twist at Holy Cross College for their well-drilled and efficient stage crew

Mark Lawson for the innovative construction and design of the quintessential flying car in Bel Canto Performing Arts’ production of Chitty Chitty Bang Bang Jr.

Bailey Bridgeman Peters for his energetic and charismatic performance in Koorliny Arts Centre’s Mamma Mia!

Ellie Cutbush for an impressive debut season in community theatre with a distinctive talent of playing appreciably older women

Darlington Theatre Players’ Twisted for the creativity and sense of fun that underpinned the creation of a flying carpet

The genetically-rich under one year old Idris Wake for the theatrical debut of one of the youngest performers in community theatre over the last year

Jacinda Gordon for the splendid and imposing Headless Horseman creation in the Murray Music and Drama’s production of Sleepy Hollow

Garrick Theatre’s production of Trap for the scary and provocative atmosphere created throughout

Darlington Theatre Players’ Twisted for including pronouns in their program

GRADS’ production of The Comedy of Errors for their engaging interactions with the audience

Tara Talbot for her imaginative and immersive portrayal of the snake Kaa in Laughing Horse Productions’ Jungle Book

Bunbury’s Tony Cary and the Netherlands’ Bart Donkers for co-writing a full musical for the Bunbury Musical Comedy Group from either side of the planet

On-stage Partnerships: 

Sarah House and Siobhan Vincent for their engaging and enthralling portrayals of two legends of the Silver Screen as Joan Crawford and Bette Davis in Garrick Theatre’s Bette and Joan

Jarrod Buttery and Meredith Hunter for their ability to create a warm, intimate and intricate relationship without any meaningful direct interactions while playing Andy and Melissa in Harbour Theatre’s two-hander Love Letters

Callum O’Mara and Sarah Harris for their restrained and deftly considered on-stage relationship in Melville Theatre’s Old Love as the younger Bud and Molly

Karen Godfrey and Suzy June Wakeling for their perfect comedic delivery in depicting a much-loved television partnership as the Vicar and Alice in Laughing Horse Productions’ The Vicar of Dibley

Robrecht Herfkens and Benjamin Small for building strong and distinctive characters while still nurturing an important on-stage partnership as Felix Ungar and Oscar Madison in Old Mill Theatre’s The Odd Couple

Matthew Jones and Tim Claxton for the rich, sensitive and layered relationship they developed in PAANDA’s Holding the Man as Timothy Conigrave and John Caleo

Siobhan Vincent and Nigel Goodwin for their commitment and genuine on-stage relationship to each other as Lily Harrison and Michael Minetti in KADS’ Six Dance Lessons in Six Weeks