# 14th Helpmann Awards

The 14th Annual Helpmann Awards for Australian live performance were held on 18 August 2014 at the Capitol Theatre in Sydney.

## Winners and nominees

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

### Theatre

| Best Play | Best Direction of a Play |
| Angels in America – Belvoir Roman Tragedies – Toneelgroep Amsterdam and Adelaide Festival in association with Adelaide Festival Centre The Shadow King – Malthouse Theatre Waiting for Godot – Sydney Theatre Company | Michael Kantor – The Shadow King Sam Strong – The Floating World (Griffin Theatre Company) Andrew Upton – Waiting for Godot Ivo van Hove – Roman Tragedies |
| Best Female Actor in a Play | Best Male Actor in a Play |
| Cate Blanchett – The Maids (Sydney Theatre Company) Zahra Newman – The Mountaintop (Melbourne Theatre Company) Alison Whyte – The Bloody Chamber (Malthouse Theatre) Ursula Yovich – Mother Courage and Her Children (Queensland Theatre Company and Queensland Performing Arts Centre) | Richard Roxburgh – Waiting for Godot Paul Blackwell – Vere (Faith) (State Theatre Company of South Australia and Sydney Theatre Company) Luke Carroll – The Cake Man (Yirra Yaakin Theatre Company and Belvoir) Denis O'Hare – An Iliad (Homer's Coat, Adelaide Festival and Perth International Arts Festival) |
| Best Female Actor in a Supporting Role in a Play | Best Male Actor in a Supporting Role in a Play |
| Robyn Nevin – Angels in America Elizabeth Debicki – The Maids Zahra Newman – The Government Inspector (Belvoir and Malthouse) Susan Prior – Small and Tired (Belvoir) | Luke Mullins – Waiting for Godot Jimi Bani – The Shadow King Tom Budge – The Beast (Melbourne Theatre Company in association with Melbourne Festival and Melbourne International Comedy Festival) Ewen Leslie – Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead (Sydney Theatre Company) |

### Musicals

Best Musical :
| The King & I – Opera Australia & John Frost Strictly Ballroom The Musical – Global Creatures Richard O’Brien’s Rocky Horror Show – Howard Panter for Ambassador Theatre Group & John Frost Sweet Charity – Luckiest Productions & Neil Gooding Productions in association with Hayes Theatre Co. ||
| Best Direction of a Musical | Best Choreography in a Musical |
| Dean Bryant – Sweet Charity Baz Luhrmann – Strictly Ballroom The Musical Rosemary Myers – Pinocchio (Windmill Theatre & State Theatre Company of South Australia) Christopher Renshaw – The King & I | Andrew Hallsworth – Sweet Charity David Atkins & Dein Perry – Hot Shoe Shuffle (David Atkins Enterprises) Susan Kikuchi – The King & I John O'Connell – Strictly Ballroom The Musical |
| Best Female Actor in a Musical | Best Male Actor in a Musical |
| Verity Hunt-Ballard – Sweet Charity Lisa McCune – The King & I Caroline O'Connor – Gypsy: A Musical Fable (The Production Company) Phoebe Panaretos – Strictly Ballroom The Musical | Craig McLachlan – Richard O’Brien's Rocky Horror Show Martin Crewes – Sweet Charity Matt Hetherington – Dirty Rotten Scoundrels (George Youakim) Josh Quong Tart – The Lion King (Disney Theatrical Productions Australia) |
| Best Female Actor in a Supporting Role in a Musical | Best Male Actor in a Supporting Role in a Musical |
| Heather Mitchell – Strictly Ballroom The Musical Debora Krizak – Sweet Charity Lucy Maunder – Grease (John Frost) Shu-Cheen Yu – The King & I | Reg Livermore – Wicked (Marc Platt, David Stone, Universal Pictures, The Araca Group, Jon B. Platt, John Frost) Russell Dykstra – The Lion King Drew Forsythe – Strictly Ballroom The Musical Marty Rhone – The King & I |

### Opera and Classical Music

| Best Opera | Best Direction of an Opera |
| The Melbourne Ring Cycle – Opera Australia La Traviata – State Opera of South Australia, New Zealand Opera, Opera Queensland Nixon in China – Victorian Opera The Turk in Italy – Opera Australia | Neil Armfield – The Melbourne Ring Cycle Roger Hodgman – Nixon in China Chas Rader-Shieber – Orlando (Hobart Baroque in association with The Glimmerglass Festival) Simon Phillips – The Turk in Italy |
| Best Female Performer in an Opera | Best Male Performer in an Opera |
| Christine Goerke – Elektra (Sydney Symphony Orchestra) Emma Matthews – The Turk in Italy Jessica Pratt – La Traviata (Victorian Opera) Kathryn Lewek – Orlando | Terje Stensvold – The Melbourne Ring Cycle Yonghoon Lee – Tosca (Opera Australia) Riccardo Massi – La Forza del Destino (Opera Australia) Barry Ryan – Nixon in China Stefan Vinke – The Melbourne Ring Cycle |
| Best Female Performer in a Supporting Role in an Opera | Best Male Performer in a Supporting Role in an Opera |
| Jacqueline Dark – The Melbourne Ring Cycle Miriam Gordon-Stewart – The Melbourne Ring Cycle Eva Jinhee Kong – Nixon in China | Warwick Fyfe – The Melbourne Ring Cycle Mario Bellanova – La Traviata (State Opera of South Australia, New Zealand Opera, Opera Queensland) Andrew Collis – Cinderella (Opera Queensland) Daniel Sumegi – The Melbourne Ring Cycle |
| Best Symphony Orchestra Concert | Best Chamber and/or Instrumental Ensemble Concert |
| Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra – Arts Centre Melbourne, Perth Concert Hall, Queensland Performing Arts Centre and Sydney Opera House Asher Fisch Conducts and Plays Mozart – West Australian Symphony Orchestra Bach Christmas Oratorio – Australian Chamber Orchestra War Requiem – Sydney Symphony Orchestra | The Jerusalem Project – Melbourne Recital Centre and Sydney Opera House Tokyo String Quartet – Musica Viva Australia Akademie für Alte Musik Berlin – Sydney Festival Murray Perahia in Recital – Melbourne Recital Centre and Sydney Symphony Orchestra |
| Best Individual Classical Music Performance ||
| Julia Lezhneva – Julia Lezhneva with the Tasmanian Symphony Orchestra (Hobart Baroque) Mariss Jansons – Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra (Arts Centre Melbourne, Perth Concert Hall, Queensland Performing Arts Centre and Sydney Opera House) Murray Perahia – Murray Perahia (Melbourne Recital Centre in association with Sydney Symphony Orchestra) Andreas Scholl – Andreas Scholl sings Vivaldi (Australian Chamber Orchestra) ||

### Dance and Physical Theatre

| Best Ballet or Dance Work | Best Visual or Physical Theatre Production |
| Chroma – The Australian Ballet Bolshoi Ballet – The Bright Stream – Queensland Performing Arts Centre and Tourism & Events Queensland Ballet at the Quarry: Radio and Juliet – West Australian Ballet Sadeh21 – Batsheva Dance Company, Adelaide Festival and Perth International Arts Festival | Whelping Box – Branch Nebula, Matt Prest & Clare Britton, produced by Intimate Spectacle & Performing Lines, presented by Performance Space & Arts House A Midsummer Night's Dream (As You Like It) – Chekhov International Theatre Festival, Dmitry Krymov's Laboratory and Perth International Arts Festival Circus Under My Bed – Sydney Opera House, Melbourne International Comedy Festival, Arts Centre Melbourne, The Flying Fruit Fly Circus Opus – Circa |
| Best Female Dancer in a Dance or Physical Theatre Production | Best Male Dancer in a Dance or Physical Theatre Production |
| Charmene Yap – 2 in D Minor as part of Interplay (Sydney Dance Company) Lucinda Dunn OAM – Manon (The Australian Ballet) Fiona Evans – Onegin (West Australian Ballet) Dalisa Pigram – Gudirr Gudirr (Marrugeku and Sydney Festival) | James Vu Anh Pham – 247 Days (Chunky Move) Daniel Gaudiello – Cinderella (The Australian Ballet) Andre Santos – Russell Kerr's Peter Pan (West Australian Ballet) Kimball Wong – Nought (Australian Dance Theatre) |
| Best Choreography in a Dance or Physical Theatre Production ||
| Stephanie Lake – A Small Prometheus (Melbourne Festival, Arts House and Insite Arts) Rafael Bonachela – Les Illuminations (Sydney Dance Company and Sydney Opera House) Daniel Jaber – Nought (Australian Dance Theatre) Garry Stewart – Monument (The Australian Ballet) Natalie Weir – When Time Stops (Expressions Dance Company and Queensland Performing Arts Centre in association with Brisbane Festival) ||

### Contemporary Music

| Best Australian Contemporary Concert | Best Contemporary Music Festival |
| Hunters & Collectors – Hunters & Collectors, Frontier Touring and Roundhouse Entertainment Australian Chamber Orchestra featuring The Presets – Australian Chamber Orchestra, The Presets, Destination NSW and Sydney Opera House Flume – Infinity Prism Tour – Flume, Future Classic, Lunatic Entertainment & Chugg Entertainment Tame Impala – Tame Impala & Chugg Entertainment | Byron Bay Bluesfest 2014 – Bluesfest Vivid Live – Destination NSW and Sydney Opera House Laneway Festival 2014 – Lunatic Entertainment & Chugg Entertainment The Falls Music & Arts Festival 2013 – Ash Sounds |
| Best International Contemporary Music Concert ||
| Bruce Springsteen & the E Street Band 2014 – Bruce Springsteen & the E Street Band & Frontier Touring The Mrs. Carter Show World Tour starring Beyoncé – Beyonce & Live Nation The Truth About Love Tour – P!nk & Live Nation Eddie Vedder – Eddie Vedder & Chugg Entertainment ||

### Other

| Best Cabaret Performer | Best Comedy Performer |
| Sarah Ward – Yana Alana Between The Cracks (Ebony Bott at fortyfivedownstairs) Tommy Bradson – REG (Adelaide Festival Centre's Adelaide Cabaret Festival) Jerick Hoffer (as Jinkx Monsoon) – The Vaudevillians starring Jinkx Monsoon (Strut & Fret Production House) Lady Rizo – Lady Rizo (Adelaide Festival Centre's Adelaide Cabaret Festival and Sydney Festival) | Sam Simmons – Death of a Sails-Man (Token Events) Ronny Chieng – Chieng Reaction (Century Entertainment) Tom Gleeson – Quality (Token Events) The Boy With Tape on His Face – More Tape (Live Nation & Gag Reflex) |
| Best Presentation for Children | Best Regional Touring Production |
| Pinocchio – Windmill Theatre & State Theatre Company of South Australia The House Where Winter Lives – Punchdrunk and Perth International Arts Festival Miss Ophelia – Arts Centre Melbourne and Sydney Opera House Storm Boy – Barking Gecko Theatre Company and Sydney Theatre Company Wulamanayuwi & the Seven Pamanui – Darwin Festival and Performing Lines | Jack Charles vs The Crown – Ilbijerri Theatre Company and Performing Lines Djuki Mala - Chooky Dancers – Joshua Bond G – Australian Dance Theatre Happy As Larry – Shaun Parker & Company and Arts on Tour |

### Industry

Best New Australian Work :
| Rosemary Myers with Julianne O'Brien – Pinocchio (Windmill Theatre & State Theatre Company of South Australia) Jason De Santis & Eamon Flack – Wulamanayuwi & the Seven Pamanui (Darwin Festival and Performing Lines) Tom E. Lewis and Michael Kantor – The Shadow King Tom Wright – Black Diggers (Queensland Theatre Company and Sydney Festival) ||
| Best Original Score | Best Music Direction |
| Iain Grandage – When Time Stops David Chisholm – The Bloody Chamber David Page & Paul Mac – Blak (Bangarra Dance Theatre) Nick Wales – AM I (Shaun Parker & Company in association with the Confederation of Australian International Arts Festivals, Sydney Festival, Adelaide Festival and Melbourne Festival) Jethro Woodward – Pinocchio | Pietari Inkinen – The Melbourne Ring Cycle Nicolette Fraillon – Cinderella Fabian Russell – Nixon in China Andrew Worboys – Sweet Charity |
| Best Scenic Design | Best Costume Design |
| Gabriela Tylesova – Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead Robert Cousins – The Melbourne Ring Cycle Jonathan Oxlade – Pinocchio Brian Thomson – The King & I | Roger Kirk – The King & I Catherine Martin – Strictly Ballroom The Musical Gabriela Tylesova – Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead Gabriela Tylesova – The Turk in Italy |
| Best Lighting Design | Best Sound Design |
| Nick Schlieper – Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead Geoff Cobham – Pinocchio Nigel Levings – The King & I Matt Scott – Nixon in China | Michael Waters – The King & I Tony David Cray – Handa Opera on Sydney Harbour - Madama Butterfly (Opera Australia) Jessica James-Moody – Sweet Charity Jethro Woodward – The Bloody Chamber |
| Best Special Event ||
| Vivid Sydney 2013 – Destination NSW ||

### Special Awards

| JC Williamson Award | Sue Nattrass Award |
| John Frost | Patricia Boggs |