The presentation of the annual Performing Arts WA (PAWA) Awards is a highlight on the calendar for members of the local performing arts scene.

Presented by Artist Relief Fund WA (formerly Performing Arts WA), the PAWA Awards celebrate the achievements of our vibrant local professional performing arts sector, include 21 categories across theatre, dance and production.

In keeping with the current restrictions on social gatherings, the 2020 PAWA Awards will be announced online in a special digital ceremony, on Saturday 2 May, 2020. Details about how to access the digital ceremony will be revealed soon (stay tuned for this announcement).

Seesaw congratulates the nominees for the 2020 PAWA Awards:

Theatre awards

Best mainstage production

Fully Sikh, Barking Gecko Theatre & Black Swan State Theatre Company
Lé Nør [the rain], The Last Great Hunt
Medea, A Black Swan State Theatre Company collaboration with WA Youth Theatre Company
On Our Beach, Spare Parts Puppet Theatre
The Torrents, Black Swan State Theatre Company

Best independent production
Dad, The Blue Room Theatre Summer Nights & Emily Stokoe
Feminah, The Blue Room Theatre Summer Nights & Charlotte Otton
I Feel Fine, The Blue Room Theatre & public service announcement
See You Next Tuesday, The Blue Room Theatre & Static Drive Co.The Wolves, The Blue Room Theatre & Red Ryder Productions

Best new work
Gita Bezard, Adriane Daff, Matthew Edgerton, Jeffrey Jay Fowler, Arielle Gray, Chris Isaacs, Jo Morris, Clare Testoni & Tim Watts, Lé Nør [the rain]
Sukhjit Kaur Khalsa, Fully Sikh
Sam Nerida, See You Next Tuesday
Charlotte Otton, Feminah
Isaac Powell, Jarryd Prain & Marshall Stay, Dad

Best newcomer
Helene Cielak, Miss Westralia, The Blue Room Theatre & Blonde Moment Theatre
Marlanie Haerewa, My Robot, Barking Gecko Theatre
Sukhjit Kaur Khalsa, Fully Sikh, Barking Gecko Theatre & Black Swan State Theatre Company
Richard Maganga, Water, Black Swan State Theatre Company
Charlotte Otton, Feminah, The Blue Room Theatre Summer Nights & Charlotte Otton
Elise Wilson, GRACE, The Blue Room Theatre Summer Nights & public service announcement

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Best supporting actor (male)
St John Cowcher, Playthings, The Blue Room Theatre & Second Chance Theatre
Timothy Green, The Apparatus, The Blue Room Theatre & Humphrey Bower
Geoff Kelso, The Torrents, Black Swan State Theatre Company
Sam Longley, Tony Galati: The Musical, Aarnav Productions
Adam Marks, FRONT, The Blue Room Theatre Summer Nights & SLATE

Best supporting actor (female)
Emily Rose Brennan, The Torrents, Black Swan State Theatre Company
Amberly Cull, Tony Galati: The Musical, Aarnav Productions
Yilin Kong, A Ghost In My Suitcase, Barking Gecko Theatre
Morgan Owen, Cotton Wool Kid, The Blue Room Theatre Summer Nights & The Cutting Room Floor
Alexandria Steffensen, Medea, A Black Swan Collaboration with WA Youth Theatre Company

Best actor (male)
Humphrey Bower, The Apparatus, The Blue Room Theatre & Humphrey Bower
Daniel Buckle, Playthings, The Blue Room Theatre & Second Chance Theatre
Ian Michael, Our Town, Black Swan State Theatre Company
Ben Mortley, Cotton Wool Kid, The Blue Room Theatre Summer Nights & The Cutting Room Floor
Nick Pages-Oliver, The Three Deaths of Ebony Black, Amberly Cull
Nick Stevenson, Whisper White, The Strawboat Collective

Best actor (female)
Rebecca Bradley, On Our Beach, Spare Parts Puppet Theatre
Kylie Bywaters, Floor Thirteen, The Blue Room Theatre & Marshall Stay
Amberly Cull, The Three Deaths of Ebony Black, Amberly Cull
Mikayla Merks, FRONT, The Blue Room Theatre Summer Nights & SLATE
Charlotte Otton, Feminah, The Blue Room Theatre Summer Nights & Charlotte Otton
Shari Sebbens, Our Town, Black Swan State Theatre Company

Best director of a mainstage production
Matt Edgerton, Fully Sikh, Barking Gecko Theatre & Black Swan State Theatre Company
Philip Mitchell, On Our Beach, Spare Parts Puppet Theatre
Kyle J Morrison, Ice Land: A Hip h’Opera, Yirra Yaakin Theatre Company
Clare Watson, The Torrents, Black Swan State Theatre Company
Tim Watts & Matt Edgerton, Lé Nør [the rain], The Last Great Hunt

Best director of an independent production
Michael Abercromby, FRONT, The Blue Room Theatre Summer Nights & SLATE
Scott McArdle, Playthings, The Blue Room Theatre & Second Chance Theatre
Emily McLean, The Wolves, The Blue Room Theatre & Red Ryder Productions
Phoebe Sullivan, GRACE, The Blue Room Theatre Summer Nights & public service announcement
Alexa Taylor, See You Next Tuesday, The Blue Room Theatre & Static Drive Co.

Dance awards

Best production
Alice (in wonderland), West Australian Ballet
BANG! BANG!, The Blue Room Theatre & Scott Elstermann & Shona Erskine
La Bayadère, West Australian Ballet
Wonder Woman, Laura Boynes

Best new work
Maxine Doyle & STRUT Dance in association with TURA New Music, Sunset
Scott Elstermann, Act 2, Scenes 1-4 as part of BANG! BANG!
Scott Ewen, Wasps At War as part of And Then Some
Adelina Larsson, Julie-Anne Long & Laura Boynes, Wonder Woman

Best newcomer
Lilly King, Radar, Fremantle Biennale & Brooke Leeder and Dancers & BANG! BANG!, The Blue Room Theatre & Scott Elstermann & Shona Erskine
Viola Iida, Sunset, by Maxine Doyle presented by STRUT Dance in association with TURA New Music
Giorgia Schijf, Via Lactaea, Cosmopolitan

Best performer (male)
Scott Elstermann, BANG! BANG!, The Blue Room Theatre & Scott Elstermann & Shona Erskine
Scott Ewen, And Then Some, STRUT Dance, The State Theatre Centre of WA & The Blue Room Theatre
Tyrone Robinson, precipice, State Theatre Centre of WA & Rachel Arianne Ogle
Ian Wilkes, The Line, Co3 Australia

Best performer (female)
Laura Boynes, Wonder Woman, Laura Boynes
Yilin Kong, 歸屬 Gui Shu (Belong), Perth Institute of Contemporary Arts & Performing Lines WA
Chihiro Nomura, Alice (in wonderland), West Australian Ballet
Niharika Senapati, precipice, State Theatre Centre of WA & Rachel Arianne Ogle

Best director or choreographer
Scott Elstermann, Act 2, Scenes 1-4 as part of BANG! BANG!, The Blue Room Theatre & Scott Elstermann & Shona Erskine
Scott Ewen, Wasps At War as part of And Then Some, STRUT Dance, State Theatre Centre of WA & The Blue Room Theatre
Rachel Arianne Ogle, precipice, State Theatre Centre of WA & Rachel Arianne Ogle

Theatre & dance: production awards

Best sound design
Ben Collins, Lé Nør [the rain], The Last Great Hunt
Rachael Dease, Sunset, by Maxine Doyle presented by STRUT Dance in association with TURA New Music
Joe Lui, BANG! BANG!, The Blue Room Theatre & Scott Elstermann & Shona Erskine
Joe Lui, Death Throes, The Blue Room Theatre & Gillies, Croft and Lui
Marshall Stay, Floor Thirteen, The Blue Room Theatre & Marshall Stay

Best lighting design
Lucy Birkinshaw, Medea, A Black Swan Collaboration with WA Youth Theatre Company
Chris Donnelly, BANG! BANG!, The Blue Room Theatre & Scott Elstermann & Shona ErskineChris Donnelly, 歸屬 Gui Shu (Belong), Perth Institute of Contemporary Arts & Performing Lines WA
Mark Howett, The Line, Co3 Australia
Joe Lui, The Apparatus, The Blue Room Theatre & Humphrey Bower
Joe Lui, Death Throes, The Blue Room Theatre & Gillies, Croft and Lui

Best stage design
Raewyn Hill & Mark Howett, The Line, Co3 Australia
Tyler Hill & Ashley de Prazer, 歸屬 Gui Shu (Belong), Perth Institute of Contemporary Arts & Performing Lines WA
Marshall Stay, Floor Thirteen, The Blue Room Theatre & Marshall Stay
Cecile Williams, On Our Beach, Spare Parts Puppet Theatre
Bryan Woltjen & Tyler Hill, Medea, A Black Swan Collaboration with WA Youth Theatre Company

Best costume design
Kelly Fregon, Miss Westralia, The Blue Room Theatre & Blonde Moment Theatre
Caitri Jones, Lé Nør [the rain], The Last Great Hunt
Nicole Marrington, Love You, Stranger as part of BANG! BANG!, The Blue Room Theatre & Scott Elstermann & Shona Erskine
Bruce McKinven, Wonder Woman, Laura Boynes
Matthew McVeigh & Sara Chirichilli, Ice Land: A Hip h’Opera, Yirra Yaakin Theatre Company

Best composition or arranging
Lee Buddle, On Our Beach, Spare Parts Puppet Theatre
Rachael Dease, Sunset, by Maxine Doyle presented by STRUT Dance in association with TURA New Music
Downsyde, Layla, Moana Mayatrix, Zac James & Trooth, Ice Land: A Hip h’Opera, Yirra Yaakin Theatre Company
Pavan Kumar Hari, Fully Sikh, Barking Gecko Theatre & Black Swan State Theatre Company
Eden Mulholland, The Line, Co3 Australia
Dane Yates, Wasps at War as part of And Then Some, STRUT Dance, The State Theatre Centre of WA & The Blue Room Theatre

For more information about the 2020 Performing Arts WA Awards head to https://www.performingartswa.org.au/awards. The online awards ceremony will be broadcast Saturday 2 May, 2020, from 6.30pm via Zoom: details about how to join on the PAWA Awards’ Facebook event.

Pictured top is Spare Parts Puppet Theatre’s production of ‘On Our Beach’.