State Opera trilogy up for four Helpmanns

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Tuesday June 23, 2015 Comments

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Einstein on the Beach, part of the Philip Glass Trilogy. Photo: Darren Williams

State Opera of South Australia’s $1.7 million production of The Philip Glass Trilogy has been nominated for four 2015 Helpmann Awards, including best opera.

It has also picked up nominations in the prestigious national performing arts awards for best musical direction (Tim Sexton), best direction of an opera (Leigh Warren) and best lighting design (Geoff Cobham).

The Philip Glass Trilogy – comprising contemporary American composer Glass’s works Akhnaten, Einstein on the Beach and Satyagraha – was presented with a cast of 140 performers over three cycles at Her Majesty’s Theatre in August last year. State Opera CEO and artistic director Sexton described it at the time as a “huge financial risk”, but the reviews were glowing.

The 2015 Helpmann Award nominees were announced last night at simultaneous events in Adelaide, Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, Perth and Hobart, with winners to be revealed on July 27 at Sydney’s Capitol Theatre.

Paul Capsis in Little Bird.

State Theatre Company of South Australia’s Little Bird – a one-man musical drama/dark fairytale starring cabaret star Paul Capsis, presented at the 2014 Adelaide Cabaret Festival – has scored three award nominations.

Written specifically for Capsis by playwright Nicki Bloom, with songs and music by Cameron Goodall and Quentin Grant, it is up for best new Australian work and best original score, with Geoff Cobham picking up another nomination for his scenic design.

Two other State Theatre shows also feature in the nominations: Masquerade (a co-production with Griffin Theatre Company, nominated for best original score and best costume design) and Footfalls, part of the Beckett Triptych presented during the Adelaide Festival (best female actor in a supporting role in a play nomination for Pamela Rabe).

2014 Adelaide Cabaret Festival shows The Cowgirl and the Showgirl (featuring singers Beccy Cole and Libby Donovan) and Nova Noir (Kim Smith), are both vying for best cabaret performer honours, while No Strings Attached Theatre of Disability and Performing Lines show Sons & Mothers is nominated in the best regional touring production category.

The Helpmann Awards comprise a total of 41 categories, and touring musical Les Miserables has secure nominations across 12 of them – the highest number for any single production. Brisbane Baroque’s production of Faramondo is nominated for eight awards, and the musicals Anything Goes and Once have each received nine nominations.

The awards include contemporary music, with the 2015 WOMADelaide vying for best contemporary music festival honours with Bluesfest Byron Bay, Laneway Festival and Vivid Live.

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<h1>State Opera trilogy up for four Helpmanns</h1>

<address><a href="https://inreview.com.au/contributors/suzie-keen/" class="author">Suzie Keen</a></address>
											
							State Opera of South Australia’s $1.7 million production of The Philip Glass Trilogy has been nominated for four 2015 Helpmann Awards, including best opera.
It has also picked up nominations in the prestigious national performing arts awards for best musical direction (Tim Sexton), best direction of an opera (Leigh Warren) and best lighting design (Geoff Cobham).
The Philip Glass Trilogy – comprising contemporary American composer Glass’s works Akhnaten, Einstein on the Beach and Satyagraha – was presented with a cast of 140 performers over three cycles at Her Majesty’s Theatre in August last year. State Opera CEO and artistic director Sexton <a href="http://indaily.com.au/arts-and-culture/2014/07/28/risky-business-state-opera/" target="_blank">described it at the time</a> as a “huge financial risk”, but the reviews were glowing.
The <a href="http://www.helpmannawards.com.au/" target="_blank">2015 Helpmann Award nominees</a> were announced last night at simultaneous events in Adelaide, Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, Perth and Hobart, with winners to be revealed on July 27 at Sydney’s Capitol Theatre.
<div id="attachment_42234" style="width: 310px" class="wp-caption alignright"><a href="http://indaily.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2015/06/Paul-Capsis.jpg"><img aria-describedby="caption-attachment-42234" loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="wp-image-42234" src="https://indaily.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2015/06/Paul-Capsis.jpg" alt="Paul Capsis in Little Bird." width="300" height="343" /></a>
Paul Capsis in Little Bird.
</div>
State Theatre Company of South Australia’s <a href="http://indaily.com.au/arts-and-culture/2014/06/11/paul-capsis-little-bird/">Little Bird</a> – a one-man musical drama/dark fairytale starring cabaret star Paul Capsis, presented at the 2014 Adelaide Cabaret Festival – has scored three award nominations.
Written specifically for Capsis by playwright Nicki Bloom, with songs and music by Cameron Goodall and Quentin Grant, it is up for best new Australian work and best original score, with Geoff Cobham picking up another nomination for his scenic design.
Two other State Theatre shows also feature in the nominations: Masquerade (a co-production with Griffin Theatre Company, nominated for best original score and best costume design) and Footfalls, part of the Beckett Triptych presented during the Adelaide Festival (best female actor in a supporting role in a play nomination for Pamela Rabe).
2014 Adelaide Cabaret Festival shows The Cowgirl and the Showgirl (featuring singers Beccy Cole and Libby Donovan) and Nova Noir (Kim Smith), are both vying for best cabaret performer honours, while No Strings Attached Theatre of Disability and Performing Lines show Sons & Mothers is nominated in the best regional touring production category.
The Helpmann Awards comprise a total of 41 categories, and touring musical Les Miserables has secure nominations across 12 of them – the highest number for any single production. Brisbane Baroque’s production of Faramondo is nominated for eight awards, and the musicals Anything Goes and Once have each received nine nominations.
The awards include contemporary music, with the 2015 WOMADelaide vying for best contemporary music festival honours with Bluesfest Byron Bay, Laneway Festival and Vivid Live.
 
 
 
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