WAITING FOR GODOT, DIRTY ROTTEN SCOUNDRELS and More Win Big at 2013 Sydney Theatre Awards

At a star-studded ceremony tonight, the winners of the 2013 Sydney Theatre Awards were announced. Over 340 members of the Sydney theatre community packed the auditorium at Paddington RSL to celebrate the best of Sydney theatre throughout 2013.

Best Mainstage Production was awarded to Sydney Theatre Company's production of Waiting for Godot, which also won Best Actor in a Supporting Role in a Mainstage Production (Luke Mullins). Best Independent Production went to Cyrano de Bergerac, produced by Sport for Jove, which also garnered Best Director of an Independent Production (Damien Ryan) and Best Actor in a Leading Role in an Independent Production (Yalin Ozucelik). Best Direction of a Mainstage Production went to Sam Strong for Griffin's The Floating World, for which Peter Kowitz was awarded Best Actor in a Leading Role of a Mainstage Production.

Harriet Dyer won Best Actress in a Leading Role of a Mainstage Production for her role in STC's Machinal, which also received Best Lighting Design (Verity Hampson). Toni Scanlan won Best Actress in a Leading Role in an Independent Production for All My Sons, while Susan Prior won Best Actress in a Supporting Role in a Mainstage Production for Small and Tired. Best New Australian Work was awarded to The Secret River by Andrew Bovell, based on the novel by Kate Grenville, and the Best Newcomer Award was given to Elizabeth Debicki (The Maids).

Dirty Rotten Scoundrels scooped the pool in the musical awards, winning Best Production of a Musical, the Judith Johnson Award for Best Performance by an Actor in a Musical (Matt Hetherington) and the Judith Johnson Award for Best Performance by an Actress in a Musical (Katrina Retallick).

The 2013 Sydney Theatre Award for Lifetime Achievement was presented to one of Australia's greatest political playwrights, John Romeril, writer of over 80 plays as well as works for television and film, and one of the creators of the New Wave that revitalised Australian theatre in the 1970's.

A special award was presented to the creators of the iconic annual Sydney theatre "institution" The Wharf Revue, Jonathan Biggins, Drew Forsythe and Phillip Scott, for "services to laughter, satire and sanity, above and beyond the call of duty".

The theme of the 2013 Sydney Theatre Awards ceremony was "the theatre community is a family" and this was reflected in the choice of presenters and performances. Presenters at the Awards ceremony included Anni Finsterer, Jack Finsterer, Blazey Best, Luke McGettigan, Jennifer Hagan, Ron Blair, Meredith Penman, Iain Sinclair, Verity Hunt-Ballard, Scott Johnson, Richard Cottrell, John Turnbull, Marion Potts and NEd Manning.

The Sydney Theatre Awards are run by a group of leading theatre critics to celebrate the strength, quality and diversity of theatre in Sydney. The Sydney Theatre Reviewers are Elissa Blake (Sun Herald), Jason Blake (Sydney Morning Herald), Deborah Jones (The Australian), Jo Litson (SundayTelegraph), John McCallum (The Australian), John Shand (Sydney Morning Herald), Diana Simmonds (Stagenoise website). Polly Simons (Daily Telegraph) and Brad Syke (Crikey).

The Sydney Theatre Awards gratefully thank sponsors Seaborn, Broughton and Walford Foundation, Industrie, Showcast, Currency Press, William Fletcher Foundation, Ticketmaster, Bellbird Cottages, stagenoise, Hayes Theatre Co, ACMN and Blueprint Studios.

WINNERS - 2013 SYDNEY THEATRE AWARDS

BEST MAINSTAGE PRODUCTION

Waiting for Godot (Sydney Theatre Company)

BEST INDEPENDENT PRODUCTION

Cyrano de Bergerac (Sport for Jove)

BEST DIRECTION OF A MAINSTAGE PRODUCTION

Sam Strong (The Floating World)

BEST DIRECTION OF AN INDEPENDENT PRODUCTION

Damien Ryan (Cyrano de Bergerac)

BEST ACTRESS IN A LEADING ROLE IN A MAINSTREAM PRODUCTION

Harriet Dyer (Machinal)

BEST ACTOR IN A LEADING ROLE IN A MAINSTREAM PRODUCTION

Peter Kowitz (The Floating World)

BEST ACTRESS IN A LEADING ROLE IN AN INDEPENDENT PRODUCTION

Toni Scanlan (All My Sons)

BEST ACTOR IN A LEADING ROLE IN AN INDEPENDENT PRODUCTION

Yalin Ozucelik (Cyrano de Bergerac)

BEST ACTRESS IN A SUPPORTING ROLE IN A MAINSTREAM PRODUCTION

Susan Prior (Small and Tired)

BEST ACTOR IN A SUPPORTING ROLE IN A MAINSTREAM PRODUCTION

Luke Mullins (Waiting for Godot)

BEST ACTRESS IN A SUPPORTING ROLE IN AN INDEPENDENT PRODUCTION

Eloise Winestock (The Comedy of Errors)

BEST ACTOR IN A SUPPORTING ROLE IN AN INDEPENDENT PRODUCTION

Damien Ryan (Othello)

BEST STAGE DESIGN IN A MAINSTREAM PRODUCTION

Gabriela Tylesova (Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead)

BEST STAGE DESIGN IN AN INDEPENDENT PRODUCTION

Marg Horwell (Summertime in the Garden of Eden)

BEST COSTUME DESIGN IN A MAINSTREAM PRODUCTION

Gabriela Tylesova (Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead)

BEST COSTUME DESIGN IN AN INDEPENDENT PRODUCTION

Marg Horwell (Summertime in the Garden of Eden)

BEST LIGHTING DESIGN

Verity Hampson (Machinal)

BEST SCORE OR SOUND DESIGN IN A MAINSTREAM PRODUCTION

Elena Kats-Chernin and Daryl Wallis (Frankenstein)

BEST SCORE OR SOUND DESIGN IN AN INDEPENDENT PRODUCTION

Benny Davis and Alister Mew (Delectable Shelter)

BEST NEW AUSTRALIAN WORK

The Secret River by Andrew Bovell, based on the novel by Kate Grenville

BEST NEWCOMER

Elizabeth Debicki (The Maids)

BEST PRODUCTION OF A MUSICAL

Dirty Rotten Scoundrels

JUDITH JOHNSON AWARD FOR BEST PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTRESS IN A MUSICAL

Katrina Retallick (Dirty Rotten Scoundrels)

JUDITH JOHNSON AWARD FOR BEST PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTOR IN A MUSICAL

Matt Hetherington (Dirty Rotten Scoundrels)

BEST PRODUCTION FOR CHILDREN

The Listies in 6D (Sydney Opera House)

BEST PRODUCTION FOR YOUNG PEOPLE

School Dance (Windmill Theatre and Sydney Theatre Company with Sydney Festival)

LIFETIME ACHIEVEMENT AWARD

John Romeril

SPECIAL AWARD

The Wharf Revue - Jonathan Biggins, Drew Forsythe and Phillip Scott

For services to laughter, satire and sanity, above and beyond the call of duty