Cirque du Soleil to Perform at the Helpmann Awards Ceremony

Jon Nicholls, Executive Producer, 2012 Helpmann Awards® Ceremony today announced that Cirque du Soleil will perform at the annual awards ceremony to be presented at the Sydney Opera House on Monday 24 September.

Presented by Live Performance Australia (LPA) the Helpmann Awards® are the pinnacle industry event for Australia's live performance industry, recognising the very best in live performances that annually attracts over 17 million people to shows across the nation with revenues of over $1.3 billion.

A unique Cirque du Soleil performance is being put together for the 2012 Helpmann Awards® ceremony which will feature several of the stunning acts from the show OVO™ with more than 20 of its artists and musicians participating. This will be the first time that Cirque du Soleil has ever performed at the Sydney Opera House.

Artistic Director of OVO, Marjon van Grunsven said, “We are very excited to be a part of this celebration of the Australian performing arts industry. Cirque du Soleil has been regularly coming to Australia since 1999 and our shows around the world have included many talented Australian artists and we treasure our ongoing strong relationship with the Australian arts community.”

Cirque du Soleil is currently touring Australia under its trademark blue-and-yellow big top with its critically-acclaimed and family-friendly production OVO. Directed by the renowned Brazilian choreographer Deborah Colker, OVO features 54 performing artists from 16 countries, and takes the audience into the a colorful ecosystem teeming with life, where insects work, eat, crawl, flutter, play, fight and look for love in a non-stop riot of energy and movement.

OVO by Cirque du Soleil is being presented in Sydney from 13 September at The Entertainment Quarter in Moore Park, then touring to Adelaide, Melbourne and Perth.

Jon Nicholls said “I am delighted that such a brilliant company as Cirque du Soleil has agreed to join the plethora of extraordinary talent appearing on this year’s Helpmann Awards® Celebration.”

“Another exciting announcement is that Bernadette Robinson, who is nominated as Best Female Actor in a Play for her sensational role in Songs for Nobodies, will also perform at the Ceremony. Songs for Nobodies is also nominated in three other categories. Best Play, Best Director, Simon Phillips and Best New Australian Work, Joanna MurRay Smith.

This year Simon Burke, acclaimed actor and writer, will MC the Awards Ceremony.

The full performance line-up is -
Aston; Cirque du Soleil; Dan Sultan with a Tribute to Jimmy Little; Bernadette Robinson; Artistes from the Australian Ballet; The South Pacific Company; The Chorus Line Company; A Long Way to the Top starring Marcia Hines, Jon Stevens, Brian Cadd, Doug Parkinson and Ian Moss.

The Helpmann Awards® will be broadcast exclusively the following night on Australia’s arts and entertainment channel STUDIO – channel 132 on Foxtel. See the full ceremony recorded live on Tuesday 25 September at 8.30pm.

Tickets for 2012 Helpmann Awards® Ceremony can be purchased from the Sydney Opera House Box Office 02 9250 7777 or www.sydneyoperahouse.com.