Winners Revealed For the 2025 Sydney Theatre Awards

The winners of the 2025 Sydney Theatre Awards were announced at a star-studded ceremony. Twenty nine Awards were presented, shared between 19 productions which played on Sydney stages during 2025. Almost 500 members of the Sydney theatre community gathered at the York Theatre, Seymour Centre to celebrate.

Best Mainstage Production was awarded to Grief is the Thing with Feathers, produced by Belvoir and Andrew Henry Presents, which also took home Best New Australian Work, Best Stage Design, Best Lighting Design and Best Sound Design and Composition. Best Independent Production went to Sistren from Green Door Theatre Company in association with Griffin Theatre Company, which was also awarded Best Direction of an Independent Production (Ian Michael). Damien Ryan was awarded Best Direction of a Mainstage Production for his work on The Player Kings for Sport for Jove. Best Performance in a Leading Role in a Mainstage Production went to Kat Stewart (Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?), and Best Performance in a Leading Role in an Independent Production was awarded to Fraser Morrison (Cruise).

Best Musical was presented to Phar Lap: The Electro-Swing Musical (Hayes Theatre Co)), the director of which, Sheridan Harbridge, was awarded Best Direction of a Musical, while the lead actor, Joel Granger, took home Best Performance in a Leading Role in a Musical.

The Award for Lifetime Achievement was presented to Elizabeth Butcher AM. Butcher was General Manager of NIDA for almost 40 years, and alongside director John Clarke, she helped forge the school into a world-renowned training ground. In 1979 she established the Sydney Theatre Company, then found the abandoned wharf in Walsh Bay and convinced the NSW Government to restore it and the Hickson Road precinct as a home for the STC and the arts. Butcher has held positions on the NSW Government Cultural Grants Advisory Council, the Council of the University of NSW, the Australia Council (Chairman of the Theatre Board 1981-1985), the Board of Management of the Seymour Centre (1984-1989), the Sydney Opera House Trust (Chairman 1989-1995), Playing Australia (Deputy Chairman 1992-1993) and the University of Technology Arts Management Course Advisory Committee (Chairperson 1990-1998).

Presenters at the Awards ceremony, which was hosted by Marney McQueen, included Tel Benjamin, Andrew Bevis, Tina Bursill, Brendan de la Hay, Eva Di Cesare, Sue Donnelly, Neil Gooding, Joanne Kee, Radhika Mudaliyar, Caroline O'Connor, Simone Sault, Phil Scott, Ian Stenlake and Hayden Tonazzi. The ceremony opened with a performance of For The Gaze by host Marney McQueen, and featured a performance by Alec Steedman of Write My Story from his new Australian musical, Silver Tongue. Another performance highlight was a celebration of musicals which starred the late Toni Lamond, the Sydney Theatre Awards Lifetime Achievement winner in 2008, performed by Danielle Barnes, Zoe Gertz, Donna Lee, Caroline O'Connor and Geraldine Turner.

This year, for the first time, Sydney Theatre Award winners received a trophy designed by Brian Thomson, rather than the traditional framed certificate. The Sydney Harbour Bridge-like trophy has been affectionately nicknamed the “Syd”.

The Sydney Theatre Awards are presented annually to celebrate the strength, quality and diversity of theatre in Sydney. The Sydney Theatre Awards gratefully thanks major sponsor the Seaborn, Broughton & Walford Foundation, as well as other sponsors: the William Fletcher Foundation, Showcast, Currency Press, Ticketmaster, Actors Benevolent Fund, JPJ Audio, Lisa Loxley Design, Freeflow Projects, HereWeAre and the Seymour Centre.

Full List of Winners

BEST MAINSTAGE PRODUCTION

Grief is the Thing with Feathers (Belvoir and Andrew Henry Presents)

BEST INDEPENDENT PRODUCTION

Sistren (Green Door Theatre Company in association with Griffin Theatre Company)

BEST DIRECTION OF A MAINSTAGE PRODUCTION

Damien Ryan (The Player Kings)

BEST DIRECTION OF AN INDEPENDENT PRODUCTION

Ian Michael (Sistren)

BEST PERFORMANCE IN A LEADING ROLE IN A MAINSTAGE PRODUCTION

Kat Stewart (Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf?)

BEST PERFORMANCE IN A LEADING ROLE IN AN INDEPENDENT PRODUCTION

Fraser Morrison (Cruise)

BEST PERFORMANCE IN A SUPPORTING ROLE IN A MAINSTAGE PRODUCTION

Angela Mahlatjie (Primary Trust)

BEST PERFORMANCE IN A SUPPORTING ROLE IN AN INDEPENDENT PRODUCTION

Deborah Galanos (Saints of Damour)

BEST STAGE DESIGN OF A MAINSTAGE PRODUCTION

Nick Schlieper and Simon Phillips with Craig Wilkinson and Jon Weber (Grief is the Thing with Feathers)

BEST STAGE DESIGN OF AN INDEPENDENT PRODUCTION

Hannah Tayler and Paris Bell (Lost & Finding)

BEST COSTUME DESIGN OF A MAINSTAGE PRODUCTION

Ella Butler and Hailley Hunt (Orlando)

BEST COSTUME DESIGN OF AN INDEPENDENT PRODUCTION

Emelia Simcox (Cowbois)

BEST LIGHTING DESIGN OF A MAINSTAGE PRODUCTION

Nick Schlieper (Grief is the Thing with Feathers)

BEST LIGHTING DESIGN OF AN INDEPENDENT PRODUCTION

Ryan McDonald (Furious Mattress)

BEST SOUND DESIGN AND COMPOSITION OF A MAINSTAGE PRODUCTION

Freya Schack-Arnott and Daniel Herten (Grief is the Thing with Feathers)

BEST SOUND DESIGN AND COMPOSITION OF AN INDEPENDENT PRODUCTION

Tom Hogan (Birdsong of Tomorrow)

BEST NEW AUSTRALIAN WORK

Grief is the Thing with Feathers (Simon Phillips, Nick Schlieper & Toby Schmitz)

BEST NEWCOMER

Danny Howard (Jacky / Whitefella Yella Tree)

Iolanthe (Sistren / The Edit)

BEST ENSEMBLE

The Player Kings (Sport for Jove in association with Seymour Centre)

BEST PRODUCTION OF A MUSICAL

Phar Lap: The Electro-Swing Musical (Hayes Theatre Co)

BEST DIRECTION OF A MUSICAL

Sheridan Harbridge (Phar Lap: The Electro-Swing Musical)

BEST PERFORMANCE IN A LEADING ROLE IN A MUSICAL

Joel Granger (Phar Lap: The Electro-Swing Musical)

BEST PERFORMANCE IN A SUPPORTING ROLE IN A MUSICAL

Elenoa Rokobaro (Hadestown)

BEST MUSICAL DIRECTION

Guy Simpson (Guys & Dolls)

BEST CHOREOGRAPHY OF A MUSICAL

Kelley Abbey (Guys & Dolls)

BEST DESIGN OF A MUSICAL

Dann Barber (Set and Costume Design, Candide)

BEST PRODUCTION FOR CHILDREN

Wolfgang in the Stars (Circa and Riverside Theatres)

BEST PRODUCTION FOR YOUNG PEOPLE

Converted (ATYP)

LIFETIME ACHIEVEMENT AWARD

Elizabeth Butcher AM