GAYS SHINE IN FLEUR DE CAP NOMINATIONS

Facebook was very busy with congratulatory postings from, for and among SA’s theatre fraternity when the nominees for the past year’s Fleur Du Cap Theatre Awards were recently announced.

This year marks the 49th annual awards ceremony that will take place at the Baxter Theatre on Sunday, 16 March. This fabulous event is a highlight on the theatre’s social calendar as it’s always a night of glamour, good wine, deserving winners and much socialising.

But there’s more to the evening and awards. Each winner receives a R15 000 cash prize as well as a silver medal, making it one of the most coveted theatre awards in the industry.

“For almost five decades, the awards have recognised and affirmed the rich diversity and excellence within the performing arts fraternity in the Western Cape,” says Melanie Burke, chairperson of the panel of judges.

And for the LGBT community, it’s another opportunity for us to show our brilliance. Of the list of nominees – whether a performer, production or a behind the scenes person – our LGBT light shone bright. In fact, one-fifth of the nominees are members of the community.

They are:

Best Performance by a Supporting Actor in a Play
• Terence Bridgett as Nick Bottom in Shakespeare’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream

Best Performance by a Lead Actor in a Musical
• Brendan van Rhyn as Frank-N-Furter in The Rocky Horror Show
• Grant Almirall as Frankie Valli in Jersey Boys
• Jonathan Roxmouth as Joe Gillis in Sunset Boulevard

Best Performance by a Lead Actress in a Musical
• Angela Killian as Norma Desmond in Sunset Boulevard

Best Supporting Actor in a Musical
• Duane Alexander as Bob Crewe in Jersey Boys

Best Lighting Design
• Craig Leo in Voices Made Night

Best Set Design
• Craig Leo for Voices Made Night
• Saul Radomsky for Die Laaste Karretjiegraf

Best Costume Design
• Marcel Meyer for Tennessee Williams’ The Milk Train Doesn’t Stop Here Anymore

Best Sound Design, Original Musical Composition or Original Score
• Charl-Johan Lingenfelder for Tennessee Williams’ The Milk Train Doesn’t Stop Here Anymore

Best Puppetry Design
• Fred Abrahamse and Marcel Meyer for A Midsummer Night’s Dream

Best New South African Script
• Nicholas Spagnoletti for Civil Parting

Also worth a mention is the production company Abrahamse and Meyer Productions that received six nominations; three for The Milk Train Doesn’t Stop Here Anymore and three for A Midsummer Night’s Dream.

Jennifer Steyn, who was nominated for Best Performance by a Lead Actress in a play, played the part of Flora “Sissy” Goforth in Tennessee Williams’ The Milk Train Doesn’t Stop Here Anymore. Ms Steyn isn’t gay – but Tennessee Williams was and she did a super job playing one of his greatest roles both here and in the USA.

The full list of nominees in the various categories can be found here.

The Fleur du Cap Theatre Awards are funded by the Distell Foundation to support the development of the Performing Arts by rewarding theatre excellence. At inception in 1965, The Fleur du Cap Awards were known as the Three Leaf Awards, later becoming the Fleur du Cap Theatre Awards in 1978 and named after one of Distell’s leading wine brands.

These annual awards are among the most coveted in the South African performing arts fraternity and winners are chosen from just over 100 productions that are performed at some 30 venues in and around Cape Town.