2013 Helpmann Awards winners announced

The musical Legally Blonde triumphed at last night's Helpmann Awards, winning in five categories, while Bruce Springsteen and The E Street Band's Wrecking Ball tour was named Best International Contemporary Concert.

Legally Blond's awards included best musical, direction and choreography edging out King Kong as the night's big winners while star of the show Lucy Durack also won the award for best female actor in a musical.

A total of 43 Helpmann Awards were presented during a night that celebrated Australian entertainment and its most outstanding live performances over the the past year.

The Sydney Theatre Company dominated the theatre awards, winning six for acclaimed new production The Secret River, including best play, best direction and best new work.

Best male and female actor awards both went to other companies: Colin Friels winning for his role in Death of a Salesman at Sydney's Belvoir Street Theatre while Alison Bell won for her role in Hedda Gabler at the State Theatre Company of South Australia.

Geoffrey Rush was named best male actor in a musical for A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum.

Opera Australia also collected six awards, including best opera, best male performer (John Wegner) and best female performer (Cheryl Barker), all for Salome.

In music, Bruce Springsteen and The E Street Band's Wrecking Ball 2013 tour and The Frontier Touring Company in association with Jacobsen International was named Best International Contemporary Concert.

Presented at the Sydney Opera House and broadcast on Foxtel's Arena channel, the 13th Annual Helpmann Awards were co-hosted by Eddie Perfect and Christie Whelan Browne.

Recognising distinguished artistic achievement and excellence across the major disciplines of Australia's live performance industry, the Helpmann Awards, run by Live Performance Australia (LPA), have become one of the major highlights on Australia's entertainment calendar.

Acknowledging the fierce competition in the awards, LPA Chief Executive Evelyn Richardson stated "tonight we celebrated the very best of our talented live performance industry.

"The industry remains strong with ticket sales and attendances stable and revenue exceeding $1.2 billion.

"More than 16 million people attended live events in 2012 indicating that Australians continue to engage with and be entertained by our wonderful productions across all the live performance genres."

The NSW Government, through its tourism and major events agency, Destination NSW, is a strategic partner for the 2013 Helpmann Awards.

The Helpmann Awards also incorporates the JC Williamson Award for outstanding contribution to the Australian live performance industry.

2013 HELPMANN AWARD WINNERS

Best Male Actor in a Supporting Role in a Musical: Russell Dykstra
The Addams Family; Rodney Rigby, Stuart Oken, Roy Furman, Michael Leavitt, Five Cent Productions, Eva Price, Silvio Salom, Stuart Ditsky/Adam Ditsky, James Herbert, Arthur Hershaft, Cheryl Lachowicz, Mary Khoury, Mary Lu Roffe and Gian Christian by special arrangement with Elephant Eye Theatrical

Best Female Actor in a Supporting Role in a Musical: Helen Dallimore
Legally Blonde The Musical, Howard Panter for The Ambassador Theatre Group and John Frost

Best Male Actor in a Supporting Role in a Play: Colin Moody
The Secret River, Sydney Theatre Company in association with The Confederation of Australian International Arts Festivals, Sydney Festival, The Centenary of Canberra, Perth International Arts Festival

Best Female Actor in a Supporting Role in a Play: Amber McMahon
School Dance, Windmill Theatre

Best Australian Contemporary Concert: Neil Finn and Paul Kelly
Neil Finn, Paul Kelly and Live Nation Australasia by arrangement with Artist Voice

Best Original Score: Iain Grandage
The Secret River, Sydney Theatre Company in association with The Confederation of Australian International Arts Festivals, Sydney Festival, The Centenary of Canberra, Perth International Arts Festival

Best Contemporary Music Festival: The 24th Annual Bluesfest Byron Bay
Bluesfest

Best New Australian Work: Kate Grenville, An Adaptation for the Stage by Andrew Bovell
The Secret River, Sydney Theatre Company in association with The Confederation of Australian International Arts Festivals, Sydney Festival, The Centenary of Canberra, Perth International Arts Festival

Best Comedy Performer: Julia Morris
Julia Morris - No Judgement, Fox in the Snow

Outstanding Theatrical Achievement For the design, creation and operation of King Kong - the creature
Creature Designer: Sonny Tilders
Aerial Director and King's Men Movement: Gavin Robins
Puppetry Director: Peter Wilson
Kong's Voice: Harley Durst
The King's Men: Lincoln Barros, James Brown, Adam Davis, Simon Fairweather, Josh Feldschuh, Brett Franzi, Nathan Jones, Nathan Kell, Russell Leonard, Brent Osborne, Troy Phillips, Mike Snow, Maxwell Trengove, Tayo Wilson
Kong Voodoo: Harley Durst, Danny Miller, Jacob Williams (Kong Captain), Steve Coupe (Puppetry Captain and Voodoo Understudy)
Circus Captain: Leigh-Anne Vizer

Best Male Dancer in a Dance or Physical Theatre Production: Alisdair Macindoe
Dual, Stephanie Lake and Arts House

Best Female Dancer in a Dance or Physical Theatre Production: Deborah Brown
TERRAIN, Bangarra Dance Theatre

Best Ballet or Dance Work: TERRAIN
Bangarra Dance Theatre

Best Male Performer in an Opera: John Wegner
Salome, Opera Australia

Best Female Performer in an Opera: Cheryl Barker
Salome, Opera Australia

Best Symphony Orchestra Concert: Das Rheingold by Richard Wagner (concert performance), Hamburg State Opera with the Hamburg Philharmonic Orchestra
Queensland Performing Arts Centre and Tourism and Events Queensland

Best Male Actor in a Musical: Geoffrey Rush
A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum, John Frost

Best Female Actor in a Musical: Lucy Durack
Legally Blonde The Musical, Howard Panter for The Ambassador Theatre Group and John Frost

Best Male Actor in a Play: Colin Friels
Death of a Salesman, Belvoir

Best Female Actor in a Play: Alison Bell
Hedda Gabler, State Theatre Company of South Australia

Best Opera: Salome
Opera Australia

Best Play: The Secret River
Sydney Theatre Company in association with The Confederation of Australian International Arts Festivals, Sydney Festival, The Centenary of Canberra, Perth International Arts Festival

Best Musical: Legally Blonde The Musical
Howard Panter for The Ambassador Theatre Group and John Frost

The full list of award winners can be read at www.helpmannawards.com.au/site/_content/document/00000351-source.pdf

29th July 2013 - LIVE PERFORMANCE INDUSTRY GENERATES $1.2 BILLION IN REVENUE FROM 16.2 MILLION ATTENDANCES IN 2012

25th June 2013 - 2013 HELPMANN AWARD NOMINATIONS ANNOUNCED