8th Helpmann Awards

8th Helpmann Awards
Date	28 July 2008
Location	Lyric Theatre, Sydney
Country
Presented by
Host	Jonathan Biggins and Julia Zemiro
Official website	<strong%20class= "error"><span%20class="scribunto-error"%20id="mw-scribunto-error-2">Lua%20error%20in%20Module:Wikidata%20at%20line%20446:%20attempt%20to%20index%20field%20'wikibase'%20(a%20nil%20value). http://<strong%20class="error"><span%20class="scribunto-error"%20id="mw-scribunto-error-2">Lua%20error%20in%20Module:Wikidata%20at%20line%20446:%20attempt%20to%20index%20field%20'wikibase'%20(a%20nil%20value).
Television/Radio coverage
Network	Bio.

The 2008 Helpmann Awards were presented on 28 July 2008 at the Lyric Theatre, Sydney. The ceremony was hosted by Jonathan Biggins and Julia Zemiro and was broadcast live on Bio. (Foxtel's biography channel).

Nominees

(winners are bolded)

Theatre

Best Play	Best Direction of a Play
Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?– Company B Black Watch – National Theatre of Scotland presented by Sydney Festival, Perth International Arts Festival When the Rain Stops Falling – Brink Productions Toy Symphony – Company B	Neil Armfield – Toy Symphony (Company B) Benedict Andrews – Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf? (Company B) Barrie Kosky – The Tell-Tale Heart (Malthouse Theatre and Melbourne International Arts Festival) John Tiffany – Black Watch (National Theatre of Scotland presented by Sydney Festival, Perth International Arts Festival)
Best Female Actor in a Play	Best Male Actor in a Play
Leah Purcell – The Story of the Miracles at Cookie's Table (Griffin Theatre Company and HotHouse Theatre) Catherine McClements – Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf? (Company B) Kate Dickie – Aalst (National Theatre of Scotland, presented by Sydney Festival, Perth International Arts Festival and Brisbane Powerhouse) Genevieve Picot – Rock 'n' Roll (Melbourne Theatre Company)	Richard Roxburgh – Toy Symphony (Company B) Marton Csokas – Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf? (Company B) Martin Niedermair – The Tell-Tale Heart (Malthouse Theatre and Melbourne International Arts Festival) Geoffrey Rush – Exit the King (Company B and Malthouse Theatre)
Best Female Actor in a Supporting Role in a Play	Best Male Actor in a Supporting Role in a Play
Julie Forsyth – Exit the King (Company B and Malthouse Theatre) Monica Maughan – Toy Symphony (Company B) Susan Prior – Riflemind (Sydney Theatre Company) Alison Whyte – Don's Party (Melbourne Theatre Company and Sydney Theatre Company)	Russell Dykstra – Toy Symphony (Company B) Travis McMahon – Don's Party (Melbourne Theatre Company and Sydney Theatre Company) James Stewart – The Glass Menagerie (Queensland Theatre Company) David Woods – Exit the King (Company B and Malthouse Theatre)

Musicals

Best Musical	Best Direction of a Musical
Universal Pictures, Working Title Films and Old Vic Productions – Billy Elliot the Musical Ambassador Theatre Group, Shows Inc, Marriner Theatres and Tulchin/Bartner Productions – Guys and Dolls Kookaburra: The National Musical Theatre Company – Company The Really Useful Group Asia Pacific Pty Ltd and The Gordon/Frost Organisation – The Phantom of the Opera	Stephen Daldry in association with Julian Webber – Billy Elliot the Musical Gale Edwards – Company Michael Grandage & Jamie Lloyd – Guys and Dolls Roger Hodgman – Little Me
Best Female Actor in a Musical	Best Male Actor in a Musical
Genevieve Lemon – Billy Elliot the Musical Marina Prior – Guys and Dolls Ana Marina – The Phantom of the Opera Sharon Millerchip – Sweet Charity	Lochlan Denholm, Nick Twiney, Rarmian Newton and Rhys Kosakowski – Billy Elliot the Musical iOTA – Richard O'Brien's Rocky Horror Show Mitchell Butel – Little Me Anthony Warlow – The Phantom of the Opera
Best Female Actor in a Supporting Role in a Musical	Best Male Actor in a Supporting Role in a Musical
Sharon Millerchip – Richard O'Brien's Rocky Horror Show Lola Nixon – Billy Elliot the Musical Colette Mann – Priscilla Queen of the Desert the Musical Jackie Rees – The Phantom of the Opera	Shane Jacobson – Guys and Dolls Linal Haft – Billy Elliot the Musical Bill Hunter – Priscilla Queen of the Desert – The Musical John Paul Young – Shout! The Legend of The Wild One
Best Choreography in a Musical
Peter Darling – Billy Elliot the Musical Rob Ashford – Guys and Dolls Ross Coleman – Sweet Charity Ross Coleman – 'Shout! The Legend of The Wild One

Opera and Classical Music

Best Opera	Best Direction of an Opera
Opera Australia – Arabella Opera Australia – Les Contes d'Hoffmann Andrew McManus Presents and Alexander Productions – Dead Man Walking State Opera of South Australia and State Theatre Company of SA – Little Women	John Cox – Arabella Bruce Beresford – A Streetcar Named Desire Nigel Jamieson – Dead Man Walking Adam Cook – Little Women
Best Female Performer in an Opera	Best Male Performer in an Opera
Cheryl Barker – Arabella Emma Matthews – Les Contes d'Hoffmann Kirsti Harms – Dead Man Walking Elvira Fatykhova – Rigoletto	Teddy Tahu Rhodes – Dead Man Walking John Wegner – Les Contes d'Hoffmann Peter Coleman-Wright – Arabella Jonathan Summers – Il trittico
Best Female Performer in a Supporting Role in an Opera	Best Male Performer in a Supporting Role in an Opera
Emma Matthews – Arabella Antoinette Halloran – A Streetcar Named Desire Hye Seoung Kwon – Carmen Anke Hoppner – The Love of the Nightingale	James Egglestone – Little Women Luke Gabbedy – La bohème Kanen Breen – Les Contes d'Hoffmann Stuart Skelton – A Streetcar Named Desire
Best Classical Concert Presentation	Best Performance in a Classical Concert
West Australian Opera – Opera in the Park – Madama Butterfly Australian Brandenburg Orchestra with L'Arpeggiata – Baroque Beat Sydney Symphony – Sir Charles Mackerras concerts Adelaide Symphony Orchestra – Sibelius Festival	Melbourne Symphony Orchestra – Classical Connections – Sir Charles Returns Simone Young – Turangalîla-Symphonie Michael Kieran Harvey – Messiaen's Catalogue d'oiseaux Aivale Cole – Opera in the Park – Madama Butterfly

Dance and Physical Theatre

Best Ballet or Dance Work	Best Visual or Physical Theatre Production
Chunky Move & Melbourne International Arts Festival – Glow The Australian Ballet – The Nutcracker Akram Khan Co. Present By Adelaide Bank Festival of Arts 2008, Sydney Opera House, Brisbane Powerhouse – Sacred Monsters Brisbane Powerhouse and Dancenorth choreographed by Splintergroup – Roadkill	Chunky Move presented by Sydney Festival – Mortal Engine Presented by Sydney Festival – Au Revoir Parapluie Branch Nebula, produced by Performing Lines – Paradise City Cirque Ici, Presented by Sydney Festival – Secret
Best Female Dancer in a Dance or Physical Theatre Production	Best Male Dancer in a Dance or Physical Theatre Production
Sara Black – Glow Sarah-Jayne Howard – Roadkill Larissa McGowan – G Lucinda Dunn – Don Quixote	Paul White – Construct Akram Khan – Sacred Monsters Steven Heathcote – After the Rain Gavin Webber – Roadkill
Best Choreography in a Dance or Physical Theatre Work
Tanja Liedtke – Construct Christopher Wheeldon – After the Rain Gideon Obarzanek – Glow Lloyd Newson – To Be Straight With You

Contemporary Music

Best Australian Contemporary Concert	Best Contemporary Music Festival
The Frontier Touring Company – Crowded House Maiden Australia and QPAC – Broad Andrew McManus Presents – Kate Ceberano – Nine Lime Avenue Tour Sydney Symphony – The Whitlams with the Sydney Symphony	Womadelaide Foundation – Womadelaide Chugg Entertainment & Rockin Roll Circus – St Jeromes Laneway Festival Chugg Entertainment & Peter Noble Presents – 19th Annual East Coast Blues and Roots Festival Vivian Lees & Ken West – Big Day Out Festival 2008
Best Performance in an Australian Contemporary Concert	Best International Contemporary Concert
David Campbell – The Swing Sessions 2 Guy Sebastian – The Memphis Tour Kate Ceberano – Nine Lime Avenue Tour Tina Arena in concert	Sydney Festival – Björk on the Steps of the Sydney Opera House The Frontier Touring Company – Justin Timberlake Dainty Consolidated Entertainment – Bon Jovi – Lost Highway Tour Chugg Entertainment and Perth International Arts Festival – Rufus Wainwright

Other

Best Presentation for Children	Best Regional Touring Production
Patch Theatre Company – Mr McGee and the Biting Flea Gooligulch Productions in Association with Garry Ginivan Attractions – My Grandma Lived in Gooligulch Real T.V – Hoods Windmill Performing Arts – Cat	Company B – Keating! Patch Theatre Company – Mr McGee and the Biting Flea Bangarra Dance Theatre – True Stories Queensland Theatre Company – Heroes
Best Comedy Performer
David Collins & Shane Dundas – The Umbilical Brothers: Don't Explain Frank Woodley – Possessed Julia Morris – Julia Morris in Shoosh Please! Ross Noble

Industry Awards

Best New Australian Work
Michael Gow – Toy Symphony (Company B) Andrew Bovell – When the Rain Stops Falling (Brink Productions co-presented by State Theatre Company of South Australia and Adelaide Festival of Arts) Gideon Obarzanek – Glow (Chunky Move presented by Melbourne International Arts Festival) Alana Valentine – Parramatta Girls (Company B)
Best Original Score	Best Music Direction
Barrie Kosky – The Tell-Tale Heart Richard Mills – Songlines for the Heart's Desire Andree Greenwell – Venus & Adonis Ben Frost – Mortal Engine	Stephen Amos – Billy Elliot the Musical Peter Farnan – Sleeping Beauty Lionel Friend – Arabella Peter Casey – Company
Best Scenic Design	Best Costume Design
Dan Potra – Dead Man Walking Peter McKintosh – The 39 Steps John F Macfarlane – The Nutcracker Ian MacNeil – Billy Elliot the Musical	Julie Lynch – Richard O'Brien's Rocky Horror Show Robert Perdziola – Arabella Stephen Curtis – The Government Inspector John F Macfarlane – The Nutcracker
Best Lighting Design	Best Sound Design
Rick Fisher – Billy Elliot the Musical Paul Jackson – Moving Target Trudy Dalgleish – Dead Man Walking Niklas Pajanti – When the Rain Stops Falling	Gareth Fry – Black Watch Chris Full, John Scandrett & Nick Reich – Guys & Dolls Paul Arditti – Billy Elliot the Musical Mic Pool – The 39 Steps
Best Special Event
Sydney Opera House and Australian Broadcasting Corporation – The Choir of Hard Knocks Kookaburra: The National Musical Theatre Company – An Audience With Stephen Sondheim Adelaide Bank Festival of Arts 2008 & The Electric Canvas – Ignition! and Northern Lights Queensland Music Festival and Brisbane City Council – Pig City

External links

• Helpmann Awards official site