Page 4360 - Week 14 - Wednesday, 27 November 2013
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Twenty-nine Critics Circle awards were given with citations underscoring the high level of expertise and passion that our artists have for their craft. In film, Clare Young was honoured for her film Bottom of the Lake. Awards for dance went to Liz Lea and Elizabeth Cameron Dalman. In writing, awards went to Lesley Lebkowicz, Irma Gold, the Scissors Paper Pen Collective and Robert Macklin. Visual arts awards were given to Canberra Contemporary Art Space, Anita McIntyre, G W Bott, Wendy Teakel, Jenny Kemarre Martiniello, Eleanor Gates Stuart, Jo Hollier, Luna Ryan, Jock Puautjimi and Valerie Kirk.
Mr Assistant Speaker, let me pause for a moment to acknowledge the work of Valerie Kirk in the context of the centenary tapestry, which I understand is going to be called the great centenary tapestry. Ms Kirk coordinated this work as a community collaboration extending over 18 months. The finished product now hangs in the Assembly’s exhibition room and will formally be handed over to the Assembly next Wednesday, 4 December. All members have been invited and I encourage them to attend.
In the category of musicals, awards went to producer Jeff Wayne for War of the Worlds by Supa Productions; Anne Somes for Free Rain Theatre’s production of The Phantom of the Opera; and to Dave Smith in the role of Jean Valjean in Canberra Philharmonic’s production of Les Miserables.
In theatre: Chrissie Shaw received an award for Bijou; Jenna Roberts was honoured for her performance as Helena in A Midsummer Night’s Dream; and Duncan Ley got a gong for directing Under Milkwood for Canberra Repertory Society. Canberra rep itself got an award for their production of The Book of Everything, and another award went to the production Pea performed at the Street Theatre during their Made in Canberra season.
In music, awards went to composer Sandra France and librettist Helen Nourse for their opera From a Black Sky; guitarists Matt Withers and Bradley Kunda also received awards; vocalist Leisa Keen; pianist and composer Adam Cook; and director of the Griffyn Ensemble, Michael Sollis. Awards also went to the Musical Offering, about which Mr Smyth spoke yesterday in the discussion on the matter of public importance, and to Mr Christopher Latham, as director of the Canberra International Music Festival, which Mr Smyth also discussed yesterday in his remarks.
The Media Entertainment and Arts Alliance gave two awards, as they have done for the past 20 years. Their green room performer of the year award went to Chrissie Shaw. That was her second gong for the evening. And their peer recognition award went to playwright Peter Matheson.
The award of the evening—that is, the Canberra artist of the year award—was given, well deservedly, to Christopher Latham. His citation reads:
For his visionary directing of the Canberra International Music Festival, particularly for his extraordinary ability to identify the archetypal features of Canberra’s design and lifestyle, then to construct a festival program that complements those qualities and broadens the audience appeal. For fully
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