# Annual Auckland Theatre Awards

The Annual Auckland Theatre Awards (colloquially The Hackmans, and not to be confused with the Auckland Community Theatre Awards) are annual performing arts awards presented by in Auckland New Zealand. The awards are normally presented at the Civic Theatre in Auckland. The Excellence Awards were introduced in 2014, and are judged by a panel of four to six industry judges. There is also a People's Choice section of awards. The awards were founded by Kip Chapman and Rachel Forman in 2008, and handed over to Eli Matthewson and Sophie Dowson in 2014.

## Awards for 2020

There were no awards presented for 2020.

## Awards for 2019

The awards for 2019 were presented at the Civic on 16 January 2020.
| Award | Winner | Notes |
| Excellence award for overall production | Working On My Night Moves | Production team Te Aihe Butler, Julia Croft, Sarah Foster-Sproull, Calvin Hudson, Nisha Madhan, Kate Prior, Ruby Reihana-Wilson, Meg Rollandi, Jason Wright and Lydia Zanetti. The judges described Working on My Night Moves as Croft and Madhan's "most uncomfortably intoxicating work to date". The show was developed at the Battersea Arts Centre in London. |
| Excellence award for overall production | Only Bones v1.0 | By Kallo Collective, featuring Thom Monckton and Gemma Tweedie. |
| Excellence award for overall production | Pinay | New Zealand's first Filipino play, written by Marianne Infante, of Proudly Asian Theatre, and directed by James Roque, the judges commented it was "moving and heartfelt". |
| Excellence award for overall production | Yes Yes Yes | Yes Yes Yes, a play about consent, was designed for educational settings. Production team Eleanor Bishop, Rachel Marlow, Karin McCracken, Ruby Reihana-Wilson, Helen Sheehan and Lydia Zanetti. |
| Excellence award for overall production | Sing It To My Face | Barbarian Productions assembled different generations of community choirs to sing to each other about generational issues. |
| Excellence in direction | Sophie Roberts | For The Wolves |
| Excellence in performance | Arlo Green | For Homos |
| Excellence in leadership | Ahi Karunaharan | In 2019 Karunaharan directed two mainstage shows for Silo Theatre and Auckland Theatre Company, telling South Asian stories and featuring only South Asian performers. |
| Excellence in Design | Rachel Marlow, Nic Smillie and Rachael Walker | For Rosencrantz & Guildenstern are Dead |
| Outstanding newcomer award | Brady Peeti Ankita Singh | Peeti starred in Māori/Australian Aboriginal comedy, Black Ties. Singh runs her own production company, Oriental Maidens |

## Awards for 2018

The awards for 2018 were presented through a Facebook livestream rather than the usual live event at the Civic.
| Award | Winner | Notes |
| Excellence for Overall Production | The Contours of Heaven | A one-woman show by Ana Scotney |
| Excellence for Overall Production | Burn Her | Written by Sam Brooks, produced by Smoke Labours Productions |
| Excellence for Overall Production | Hir | Silo Theatre's Hir |
| Excellence for Overall Production | Tea | Writer and directed by Ahi Karunaharan |
| Community Spirit Award | Nisha Madhan | For her mentoring work throughout the community |
| Excellence Award: Performance | Leon Wadham | For his Comedy Festival piece Giddy |
| Excellence Award: Performance | Goretti Chadwick | For Auckland Theatre Company's Still Life with Chickens. |
| Excellence Award: Performance | The ensemble cast of The Wizard of Otahuhu | Made up of 50 actors aged between from 9 to 30 |
| Excellence in Sound Design | Claire Duncan | For Medusa |
| Excellence in Impact by a Company | Everybody Cool Lives Here | |
| Excellence in Lighting Design | Rachel Marlow | For her body of work in 2018 |
| Outstanding Newcomer Awards | Marianne Infante Micheal McCabe Petmal Lam | |
| Emerging company | The Maumahara Girlie team | Producer Vanessa Crofskey & director/creator Mya Morrison-Middleton, with Whetu Silver, Freddy Carr, Amanda Tito and Onehou Strickland. |

## Awards for 2017

The 9th Annual Auckland Theatre Awards were presented in the Wintergarden at The Civic on 4th December 2017. The ceremony was hosted by Johanna Cosgrove and directed by Sam Snedden. Jacinda Ardern presented the Hackman Cup. Jennifer Ward-Lealand presented the Excellence Awards.
| Award | Winner | Notes |
| Lifetime Achievement Award | Jeremy Collins | Developing Philips Selecon, one of the world’s foremost producers of luminaires for theatre, as well as providing mentorship and advocacy to others in the industry. |
| Excellence Award: Overall Body of Work | John Verryt | Set design |
| Excellence Award: Overall Body of Work | FAFSWAG | |
| Excellence Award: Overall Production | OTHER [chinese] | Directed by Alice Canton, produced by Julie Zhu |
| Excellence Award: Overall Production | Mirror, Mirror | Directed by Troy Tuua, produced by Mangere Arts Centre |
| Excellence Award: Overall Production | Nell Gwynn | Directed by Colin McColl, produced by Auckland Theatre Company |
| Excellence Award: Performance | Nicole Whippy | For The Mountaintop |
| Excellence Award: Performance | Rutene Spooner | For Super HUGH-Man |
| Excellence Award: Innovation of Form | Peter & the Wolf | Created by Sophie Roberts and Leon Radojkovic, produced by Silo Theatre |
| Excellence Award: Excellence in Adaptation | E Kore A Muri E Hokia (Mo & Jess Kill Susie) | by Te Rēhia Theatre |
| Excellence Award: Community Spirit | Auckland Fringe festival | |
| Hackman Cup for Most Original Production of the Year | OTHER [chinese] | |

## Awards for 2016

The awards for theatre during 2016 were presented on the 5th December 2016. The Excellence awards, which were presented by Jennifer Ward-Lealand, were judged by former Metro editor Simon Wilson, producer Angela Green, The Pantograph Punch founding editor, Rosabel Tan, and actor and director Jason Te Kare.
| Award | Winner | Notes |
| Lifetime Achievement Award | Carla Van Zon | |
| Excellence Award: Overall Production | Te Pō | Produced by Theatre Stampede, Nightsong Productions, Auckland Arts Festival and the New Zealand Festival. Presented at Q Theatre. |
| Excellence Award: Overall Production | Potato Stamp Megalomaniac | Produced by Pressure Point Collective and presented at The Basement Theatre |
| Excellence Award: Overall Production | That Bloody Woman | Produced by Auckland Theatre Company in association with The Court Theatre and The Christchurch Arts Festival. Presented at Sky City Theatre. |
| Excellence Award: Overall Production | The White Guitar | Produced by The Conch in association with the Christchurch Arts Festival. Presented at Q Theatre by Tour-Makers |
| Excellence Award: Overall Production | Don Juan | Produced by A Slightly Isolated Dog and presented as part of the Matchbox Season at Q Theatre. |
| Excellence Award: Direction | Anapela Polataivao | For her direction of the F.C.C production of Wild Dogs Under My Skirt, presented at Mangere Arts Centre. |
| Excellence Award: Performance | Morgana O'Reilly | For her performance as Vanda Jordan in the Auckland Theatre Company production of Venus in Fur, presented in the Herald Theatre |
| Excellence Award: Performance | Jennifer Ludlam | For her performance as Arthur in the Silo Theatre production of Boys Will Be Boys, presented at Q Theatre |
| Excellence Award: Design | Andrew Foster | For his set designs for Te Pō, To Kill a Mockingbird, Defending the J.J. Mac, Thomus & Vernon God Little, presented at Q Theatre, The Civic Theatre and The Basement Theatre |
| Excellence Award: Entrepreneurial Achievement | Lester McGrath | For his leadership as general manager of Auckland Theatre Company in the creation of the ASB Waterfront Theatre. |
| Best Newcomer Awards | Nicky Vella – Producer Natasha Hoyland – Stage Manager & Producer Tim Earl – Actor | |

## Awards for 2015

The awards for 2015 were awarded on 7 December of that year. The judges for the Excellence awards were Metro editor Simon Wilson, producer Angela Green, playwright Sam Brooks, actor and director Jason Te Kare, costume designer Elizabeth Whiting and vocal coach Linda Cartwright.
| Award | Winner | Notes |
| Lifetime Achievement Award | George Henare CNZM, OBE | |
| Excellence Award: Overall Production | The Book of Everything | by Silo Theatre |
| Excellence Award: Overall Production | Little Shop of Horrors | by Live Live Cinema |
| Excellence Award: Overall Production | All Your Wants and Needs Fulfilled Forever | by PlayGround Collective |
| Excellence Award: Overall Production | Hudson & Halls Live! | by Silo Theatre |
| Excellence Award: Set Design and Lighting Design | Tony Rabbit | For A Doll's House |
| Excellence Award: Sound Design and Composition | Thomas Press | For his work throughout 2015 |
| Best Newcomers | Christine Urquhart – Set & Costume designer Jordan Keyzer – Stage Manager & Producer Gaby Solomona - Actor | |

## Awards for 2014

The awards for 2014 were announced on the 1 December of that year. The organisers introduced an Excellence Award section, judged by a panel of six. Jacinda Ardern, who was a Labour MP and shadow minister for the arts, presented some of the awards. A nationwide initiative to honour service and dedication to theatre was also premiered. The Service Honour medals were awarded for achieving 25, 50 or 100 professional productions. Recipients were Silo Theatre director Sophie Roberts, playwright Roger Hall and actor Jennifer Ward-Lealand.
| Award | Winner | Notes |
| Lifetime Achievement Award | Linda Cartwright | Actor and vocal coach |
| Excellence Award for achieving excellence across all aspects of this ambitious production | Shane Bosher and team | Angels In America, Silo Theatre |
| Achieving excellence with its original concept and execution | 360: A Theatre of Recollections | Theatre Stampede and Nightsong Productions |
| Achieving excellence in a wide range of performances | Stephen Lovatt | |
| Achieving excellence in lighting design | Jane Hakaraia | Various projects |
| Achieving excellence in all aspects of producing their debut production | Daffodils: Bullet Heart Club | |
| Achieving excellence in fostering new and emerging artists in Auckland City | The Basement Theatre | |
| Achieving excellence in physical performance | Trygve Wakenshaw | Various productions |
| Newcomer award | Lavinia Uhila - Producer and Actor Jess Sayer - Actor and Playwright Amanaki Prescott - Dancer, Actor and Playwright | |