CAT Awards change name and location as winners are announced

There were some big changes at the 22nd CAT Awards. For one thing, said co-founder and convenor Coralie Wood, the name has been officially changed. No longer is CAT an acronym for Canberra Area Theatre.

"The company is The CAT Awards - we are also the Canberra Area Theatre Awards. But like the Tony Awards and the Oscars we're just going to try the CAT Awards and The CAT Awards Ltd, a not-for-profit organisation," Wood said.

The reason for the new name, she said, was because of the awards' growth in recent years - "we are everywhere, we've expanded" - and chairman Dennis Martin wanted the change for branding purposes.

Reflecting the growth in entries outside Canberra, another big change this year was that for the first time, the awards were not held in Canberra but in the Dubbo Civic Theatre.

Despite the logistical challenges involved in relocating from Llewellyn Hall, where the awards have taken place for the past few years, she said, "We wanted to show the NSW region we do care."

Dubbo had the biggest available theatre for their purposes.

"They've welcome us like you couldn't believe."

Wood said the awards would return to Canberra next year and would travel to one of the regional locations every two or three years.

Hosted by musician Ian McLean and actor John Wood, the CATs featured a tribute to singer-actor and CATs patron Jon English, who died last year.

Wood was impressed by the quality of the school and youth productions and by the standard of two ANU productions, the ANU Med Revue Murder She Prescribed and ANU Interhall Productions' Sweeney Todd, both of which were multiple award winners.

This year, Wollongong High School of the Performing Arts' production of Legally Blonde won six awards (Matthew Hearne for best youth actor in a featured role in a musical, Talia Sigsworth as best youth actress in a leading role in a musical, Jeremy Boulton as best youth actor in a leading role in a musical, best production of a school or youth musical, Janet Cunningham as best director of a school or youth musical, Ruth Elleysven as best musical director for a school or youth production). Cunningham also won the Gold Cat Award for direction, teaching and inspiring students at Wollongong High School of the Performing Arts.

Two productions each won five awards. Free Rain's Wicked won best actor in a featured role in a musical (Fraser Findlay as Dr Dillamond), best actress in a leading role in a musical (Kirrah Amosa as Elphaba), best choreographer (Michelle Heine) and best ensemble in a musical. Wollongong's So Popera's The Producers won best actor in a featured role in a musical (Nelson Bower as Carmen Ghia, a joint award with Findlay), best actor in a leading role in a musical (Daniel Downing as Leo Bloom, a joint award with Spencer Cliff in ANU Interhall Productions's Sweeney Todd), best director of a musical or variety show (Amy Copeland) and best orchestra (a joint award with the same Sweeney Todd).

Canberra Repertory Society's productions won a total of seven awards. Macbeth won for best actress in a leading role in a play (Jenna Roberts as Lady Macbeth, a joint award with Alex Rapp as Rita in Burrado company On 4 Young and Old's Educating Rita), best actor in a featured role in a play (Cameron Thomas as Macduff) and the John Thompson Magic Moment of Theatre (the disappearance of the witches). Noises Off won best actor in a leading role in a play for Arran McKenna as Frederick Fellowes/Philip Brent. She Stoops to Conquer won best costume design for Anna Senior. Witness for the Prosecution won best set designer for a play (Quentin Mitchell) and best actress in a featured role in a play (Alice Ferguson as Janet Mackenzie).

Ted Briggs, one of the judges who helps Wood with the data coordination, said the 2016 entries was, "A strong field as usual marked by some very professional-looking productions."

He said there were seven joint winners this year, testament to the high standard of the productions and the difficulty the judges had in choosing.

As well as the big musical winners like Wicked and The Producers he praised productions such as Phoenix Players' Spring Awakening, which won best set design for Chris Zuber (who shared the award with Heath Neville, who won for Grease, produced by Marian Catholic College in Griffith).

"It showed what can come about from using limited resources really well," Briggs said of Spring Awakening, which also won best lighting design for Hamish McConchie. Briggs and the other judges were also impressed by another Phoenix production, Next to Normal, which won best youth actress in a featured role in a musical for Kaitlin Nihill as Natalie, Nihill was also awarded the Mary Porter Scholarship.

In youth plays, Briggs particularly praised Chevalier College's The 39 Steps ("a tricky piece to do") which won best featured youth actress for Brodie Ackroyd and best leading youth actor for Patrick Holman as well as best production of a school or youth play. Briggs also singled out Joe Woodward's work at Daramalan College (he won best director of a school or youth play for The Resistible Rise of Arturo Ui).

Among adult plays, "We were all impressed with Playhouse Creatures," he said. The Pigeonhole Productions play about women reclaiming the stage in England won best director for Jordan Best, best production of a play and best ensemble in a play.

The Silver Cat was awarded to Molong Players "for bringing original theatre to the Molong Community for the last 40 years and for raising more than $1.5 milion for local charities".