QUT Creative Industries alumni and staff have been recognised for their talents at Queensland’s annual theatre awards ceremony, the Matilda Awards.
QUT Drama graduates David Morton and Nicholas Paine topped the awards event held on 20 February, with their visual theatre company Dead Puppet Society receiving the Gold Matilda Award.
Morton and Paine were joined by 2016 QUT acting graduate Emily Weir; QUT Drama staff Andrea Moor, Shane Pike, and Tony Brumpton; and QUT alumnus Jason Glenwright and Anna Straker as award recipients on the night.
The Brisbane and US-based Dead Puppet Society was formed in 2009, and creates large-scale visual theatre works that make use of design, puppetry and music.
Currently in New York, Dead Puppet Society director David Morton told ABC’s Craig Zonca that he was woken at 4:30am with the news of their award win.
“We were hanging on to the Twitter feeds… and enjoying every moment of it,” Morton told ABC radio after receiving the awards.
Following the recent success of their production The Wider Earth, the company has spent the past two years developing a new work called Laser Beak Man, to open at La Boite in September.
Recent QUT acting graduate Emily Weir received two awards – Best Supporting Female Actor, and the Bille Brown Award for Best Emerging Talent. Weir played the maid Dorine in last year’s adaptation of French playwright Moliere’s 17th-century play Tartuffe.
Weir’s lecturer at QUT, Andrea Moor, was named Best Female Actor for her role in Switzerland, which was also named best production.
QUT Drama Discipline Leader Dance, Drama and Music Associate Professor Sandra Gattenhof said she is proud of the QUT representation at this year’s awards event.
“The talent we have on staff and graduating from QUT is amazing,” Associate Professor Gattenhof said.
The full list of QUT award recipients:
Gold Matilda Award - Drama graduates David Morton and Nicholas Paine for Dead Puppet Society
Best Mainstage Production - Switzerland, starring QUT Drama staff Andrea Moor
Best Musical or Cabaret – Carrie (Wax Lyrical Productions includes QUT Drama staff Shane Pike)
Best Female Actor – QUT Drama staff member Andrea Moor
Best Supporting Female Actor – 2016 QUT Acting Graduate Emily Weir for her work in Tartuffe
Bille Brown Award Best Emerging Talent - 2016 QUT Acting Graduate Emily Weir for her work in Tartuffe
Best Director - QUT Drama alumnus David Morton for The Wider Earth
Best Costume Design - QUT Drama alumnus David Morton and Aaron Barton for The Wider Earth
Best Lighting Design - QUT Technical Production alumnus Jason Glenwright for Carrie: The Musical.
Best Sound Design / Composition - QUT Technical Production staff member Tony Brumpton (with Loir and Tony Buchen) for The Wider Earth
Best Audio/Visual Design – Justin Harrison (AV Design) and QUT Drama alumnus Anna Straker (illustrations) for The Wider Earth
QUT is part of a national collaborative group of five major Australian universities that form the ATN (Australian Technology Network of Universities).
Media contact:
Amanda Weaver, QUT Media, 07 3138 9449, amanda.weaver@qut.edu.au
After hours: Rose Trapnell, 0407 585 901, media@qut.edu.au
