# 6th Helpmann Awards

The 6th Annual Helpmann Awards for live performance in Australia were held on 31 July 2006 at the Lyric Theatre in Sydney.

## Winners and nominees

In the following tables, winners are listed first and highlighted in boldface. The nominees are listed below the winner and not in boldface.

### Theatre

| Best Play | Best Direction of a Play |
| Stuff Happens – Company B presented by Company B and Newtheatricals in association with Lunchbox Theatricals Away – Queensland Theatre Company Edward Albee's The Goat, or Who is Sylvia? – State Theatre Company of South Australia Le Dernier Caravanserail – Melbourne International Arts Festival and Theatre du Soleil | Marion Potts – Edward Albee's The Goat, or Who is Sylvia? Declan Donnellan – Twelfth Night (Chekhov International Festival in co-operation with Cheek by Jowl presented by Sydney Festival) Ariane Mnouchkine – Le Dernier Caravanserail Simon Phillips – King Lear (Melbourne Theatre Company) |
| Best Female Actor in a Play | Best Male Actor in a Play |
| Caroline O'Connor – End of the Rainbow (Ensemble Productions) Jennifer Flowers – Doubt (Sydney Theatre Company) Victoria Longley – Edward Albee's The Goat, or Who is Sylvia? Leah Purcell – Stuff Happens | Greg Stone – Stuff Happens Stephen Dillane – Macbeth (Arts Projects Australia and Adelaide Festival of Arts) Marcus Graham – Oedipus the King (Queensland Theatre Company) Robert Menzies – Julius Caesar (Sydney Theatre Company) |
| Best Female Actor in a Supporting Role in a Play | Best Male Actor in a Supporting Role in a Play |
| Alison Bell – Doubt Michaela Cantwell – Honk If You Are Jesus (State Theatre Company of South Australia) Anne Looby – The Peach Season (Griffin Theatre Company) Belinda McClory – The Odyssey (Malthouse Theatre, Melbourne International Arts Festival, Black Swan Theatre Company and the Perth International Arts Festival) | Russell Dykstra – Stuff Happens Cameron Goodall – Edward Albee's The Goat, or Who is Sylvia? Hamish Michael – Two Brothers (Melbourne Theatre Company & Sydney Theatre Company) Frank Whitten – Julius Caesar |

### Musicals

Best Musical :
| The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee – Melbourne Theatre Company Dusty: The Original Pop Diva – Dusty Productions Fiddler of the Roof – TML Enterprises Menopause the Musical – McPherson Ink ||
| Best Direction of a Musical | Best Choreography in a Musical |
| Simon Phillips – The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee Stuart Maunder – Dusty: The Original Pop Diva Robyn Nevin – Summer Rain (Sydney Theatre Company) Gary Young – Menopause the Musical | Ross Coleman – Dusty: The Original Pop Diva Ross Coleman – The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee Andrew Hallsworth – Leader of the Pack (Crown and Leader Entertainment with newtheatricals) Andrew Hallsworth – Menopause the Musical |
| Best Female Actor in a Musical | Best Male Actor in a Musical |
| Tamsin Carroll – Dusty: The Original Pop Diva Amanda Harrison – Leader of the Pack Marina Prior – The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee Magda Szubanski – The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee | David Campbell – Sunset Boulevard (The Production Company) David Campbell – The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee Ian Stenlake – Oklahoma! (The Production Company) Topol – Fiddler on the Roof |
| Best Female Actor in a Supporting Role in a Musical | Best Male Actor in a Supporting Role in a Musical |
| Christen O'Leary – The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee Alexis Fishman – Dusty: The Original Pop Diva Jodie Gillies – Summer Rain Deni Hines – Dusty: The Original Pop Diva | Tyler Coppin – The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee Mitchell Butel – Summer Rain Barry Crocker AM – Fiddler on the Roof Bert LaBonte – The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee |

### Opera and Classical Music

| Best Opera | Best Direction of an Opera |
| Flight – Adelaide Festival of Arts, Glyndebourne Festival Opera and State Opera of South Australia La Boheme – Opera Australia The Magic Flute – Opera Australia Romeo & Juliet – Opera Australia | John Cox – The Rake's Progress (Opera Australia) David Freeman – Nabucco (Opera Australia) Rachel McDonald – La Voix Humaine (Opera Australia) Simon Phillips – La Boheme |
| Best Female Performer in an Opera | Best Male Performer in an Opera |
| Emma Matthews – Lakmé (Opera Australia) Elizabeth Connell – Nabucco Rachelle Durkin – Rinaldo (Opera Australia) Emma Matthews – Romeo & Juliet | Philip Langridge – Death in Venice (Opera Australia) Teddy Tahu Rhodes – Don Giovanni (Opera Australia) David Walker – Flight |
| Best Female Performer in a Supporting Role in an Opera | Best Male Performer in a Supporting Role in an Opera |
| Catherine Carby – The Rake's Progress Amelia Farrugia – La Boheme Natalie Jones – La Boheme Nicole Youl – Carmen (West Australian Opera) | Peter Coleman-Wright – Death in Venice Joshua Bloom – The Rake's Progress Warwick Fyfe – The Magic Flute Graham Pushee – Rinaldo |
| Best Classical Concert Presentation | Best Performance in a Classical Concert |
| Tristan und Isolde – Queensland Music Festival and the Australian Youth Orchestra Brodsky Quartet – Sydney Festival Candide – Perth International Arts Festival Opera in Concert, Verdi's Otello – MSO | Lisa Gasteen – Tristan und Isolde (Queensland Music Festival and Australian Youth Orchestra) Diana Doherty – Bohemia Concert - Bohuslav Martinu - Concerto for oboe and small orchestra (Sydney Symphony) Rachelle Durkin – Candide (Perth International Arts Festival) Maestro Oleg Caetani – Opera in Concert, Verdi's Otello (MSO) |

### Dance and Physical Theatre

| Best Ballet or Dance Work | Best Visual or Physical Theatre Production |
| Jiri – The Australian Ballet A Midsummer Night's Dream – West Australian Ballet An Evening of Works by Russell Maliphant – George Piper Dances presented by Sydney Festival I Want to Dance Better at Parties – Chunky Move presented by Sydney Festival | On the Case – Legs on the Wall Bright Abyss – La Compagnie du Hanneton presented by Sydney Festival PreTender – Buzz Dance Theatre |
| Best Choreography in a Dance or Physical Theatre Work ||
| Debra Batton and Mark Murphy – On the Case Felicity Bott – PreTender Russell Maliphant – An Evening of Works by Russell Maliphant Chrissie Parrott – A Midsummer Night's Dream ||
| Best Female Dancer in a Dance or Physical Theatre Work | Best Male Dancer in a Dance or Physical Theatre Work |
| Lana Jones – JIRI (Forgotten Land) (The Australian Ballet) Rachel Rawlins – JIRI (Forgotten Land, Petite Mort) Leanne Mason – Rabbit (Buzz Dance Theatre) Danielle Rowe – The Sleeping Beauty (The Australian Ballet) | Daryl Brandwood – A Midsummer Night's Dream Michael Nunn – An Evening of Works by Russell Maliphant Remi Wortmeyer – JIRI (Forgotten Land) Paul Blackman – PreTender |

### Contemporary Music

| Best Australian Contemporary Concert | Best Performance in an Australian Contemporary Concert |
| Boulevard Delirium – Malthouse Theatre in association with Schauspielhaus Vienna Broad – Maiden Australia Productions and Queensland Performing Arts Centre The Motown Show - Human Nature – The Harbour Agency Pannikin – Melbourne International Arts Festival and Marguerite Pepper Productions | Paul Capsis – Boulevard Delirium The Go-Betweens – Danger in the Past: The Story of the Go-Betweens (Sydney Festival) Delta Goodrem – Delta Goodrem: The Visualise Tour 2005 (Dainty Consolidated Entertainment) Andrew Tierney, Mike Tierney, Toby Allen, Phil Burton – The Motown Show - Human Nature |
| Best Contemporary Music Festival | Best International Contemporary Music Concert |
| The 17th Annual East Coast Blues and Roots Festival – Peter Noble, Chugg Entertainment, Talentworks and Definitive Events Apollo Bay Music Festival – Apollo Bay Music Festival Splendour in the Grass 2005 – Splendour in the Grass St Jeromes Laneway Festival – Rockin Roll Circus and Chugg Entertainment | Il Divo – Dainty Consolidated Entertainment Mariza – Sydney Festival Orion – Melbourne International Arts Festival and Pomegranate Arts Pat Metheny Trio – Adelaide Festival of Arts |

### Other

| Best Presentation for Children | Best Comedy Performer |
| Stella and the Moon Man – Kim Carpenter's Theatre of Image with Sydney Theatre Company and Australian Youth Orchestra The Green Sheep – Windmill Performing Arts Rabbit – Buzz Dance Theatre Space Magic – Hi-5 Productions | Colin Lane and Frank Woodley – Lano & Woodley - Goodbye (Token Events) David Collins & Shane Dundas – The Umbilical Brothers - The Rehearsal (A-List Entertainment) Judith Lucy – I Failed! (Token Events) Akmal Saleh – Akmal Live (A-List Entertainment) |
| Best Special Event ||
| Festival Melbourne 2006 (Performing Arts Program) – Arts Projects Australia Il Cielo che Danza (The Dancing Sky) and The City of Bells – Adelaide Festival of Arts and Studio Festi Mazda's Opera in the Domain - Madama Butterfly – Opera Australia Red Shoe Delivery Service – Melbourne International Arts Festival, the Arts Centre and Red Shoe Delivery Service ||

### Industry

Best New Australian Work :
| Garry Stewart – Garry Stewart and Louis-Philippe Demers' Devolution (Adelaide Festival of Arts, Australian Dance Theatre and Sydney Festival) Debra Batton (original concept) and Mark Murphy (story development) – On the Case Bruce Gladwin, Simon Laherty, Sonia Teuben, Genevieve Morris & Jim Russell (co-devisors) – Small Metal Objects (Back to Back Theatre and Melbourne International Arts Festival) Michael Smetanin – Sydney Symphony Contemporary Music Festival; Mysterium Cosmographicum (Sydney Symphony) ||
| Best Original Score | Best Music Direction |
| Casey Bennetto – Keating! A country soul opera (Catherine Woodfield) Iain Grandage – The Drover's Wives (Steamworks Arts Production in association with Black Swan Theatre Company) Iain Grandage – The Odyssey Carl Polke – On the Case | Stephen Murphy – Dusty: The Original Pop Diva Roman Gottwald – Boulevard Delirium Ian McDonald – The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee Trevor Pinnock – Rinaldo |
| Best Scenic Design | Best Costume Design |
| Anna Tregloan – The Odyssey Shaun Gurton – King Lear Roger Kirk – Dusty: The Original Pop Diva Dave Jones – On the Case | Zoe Atkinson – The Odyssey Jennifer Irwin – Amalgamate (The Australian Ballet & Bangarra Dance Theatre) Leon Krasenstein – A Midsummer Night's Dream Nina Randall – Tempo Rouge (Dion & Randall Productions) |
| Best Lighting Design | Best Sound Design |
| Louis-Philippe Demers – Garry Stewart and Louis-Philippe Demers' Devolution Damien Cooper – Summer Rain Matt Scott – King Lear Paul Jackson – The Odyssey | Michael Waters – Dusty: The Original Pop Diva David Franzke – The Odyssey Max Lyandvert – Julius Caesar Michael O'Brien – PreTender |

### Lifetime Achievement

* JC Williamson Award
* Graeme Bell MBE AO
* John Clark AM