Fiona Ramsey scoops two awards at the Naledi Awards

For the first time in the Awards 12-year history, the same actress has won the Best Lead Performance in a Play (Female) for two different plays.

Fiona Ramsay, one of South Africa’s most prominent performers, received her award for her roles in Miss Dietrich Regrets and Doubt. Her co-star in Doubt, Janna Ramos-Violante, won the Best Supporting Actress award.

Another exciting ‘first’ for the Naledi’s was the overwhelming success of Moagi Modise’s Lepatata. It won the Best Ensemble category, making South African theatrical history in the process as the first Setswana play to win a major theatre award. The play was directed by Makhaola Ndebele.

Another innovation this year by Naledi’s Executive Director, Dawn Lindberg, was the Lesedi Spirit of Courage Award which went to Gaynor Young, who was seriously injured during a production of the musical, Camelot at the SA State Theatre some years ago.

On winning the awards, she says: “I am overwhelmed! I am humbled at being awarded the very first Lesedi Spirit of Courage Award. Courage! That is such a noble and powerful word suggesting bravery and fearlessness. I possess neither! I am simply taking part in this wonderful thing called life. Like everyone, I have experienced downs as well as ups. I am unbelievably fortunate in that my life is surrounded by love. And that has made all the difference.”

Top honours this year went to Lara Foot’s magnificent staging of Fishers of Hope (4 awards), including Best Production of a Play. The dark musical Sweeney Todd, The Demon Barber of Fleet Street won three awards, and Nataniël’s innovative musical After Animals took home five awards. Janice Honeyman’s effervescent musical Sister Act garnered three awards, and Greg Homann’s thought-provoking Alan Paton drama, A Voice I Cannot Silence, also walked away with three awards.

Ralph Lawson, who portrayed controversial author and poet Alan Paton in Cry the Beloved Country, took the top acting accolade for Best Lead Performance in a Play (Male). Bright new face, Menzi Mkhwane, won The Brett Golden Award for Best Newcomer/Breakthrough award for the same production. Gregg Homann and Lawson also won the award for Best New SA Script.

FULL LIST OF WINNERS

 BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS: Janna Ramos-Violante, Doubt

BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR: Phillip Tipo Tindisa, Fishers of Hope

BEST PRODUCTION FOR CHILDREN (Supported by Assitej SA) (0 – 12):Shrek, The Musical. JR. Prod. by People’s Theatre.  Based on book by William Steig, Dir. by Jill Girard & Keith Smith.

BEST PRODUCTION FOR YOUNG AUDIENCES (Supported by Assitej SA) (13 – 17) Making Mandela, Prod. by KBT Productions & Hello Elephant in ass. with the SA State Theatre & Daphne Kuhn for the A&G Theatre on the Square.  Written & Dir. by Nick Warren & Jenine Collocott.

BEST PERFORMANCE IN A CHILDRENS’ THEATRE PRODUCTION: Gamelihle Bovana, James and The Giant Peach         

BEST NEWCOMER/BREAKTHROUGH (The Brett Goldin Award) Sponsored by Distell: Menzi Mkhwane, A Voice I Cannot Silence

BEST COSTUME DESIGN: Floris Louw, After Animals

BEST LIGHTING DESIGN (Sponsored by Robe Lighting): Kevin Stannet,After Animals

BEST AV / ANIMATION: JanHendrik Burger, After Animals

BEST SET DESIGN (Sponsored by Dreamsets): Patrick Curtis, Fishers of Hope

BEST SOUND DESIGN (Sponsored by DWR Distribution): Larry Pullen,After Animals BEST SCORE / ARRANGEMENT / ADAPTATION: Nataniël,After Animals  

BEST MUSICAL DIRECTOR: Rowan Bakker, Sister Act     

BEST PRODUCTION: CUTTING EDGE: Johnny Boskak Is Feeling Funny, Written by Greig Coetzee, Co-Dir. by Roslyn Wood-Morris & Craig Morris.

BEST ENSEMBLE: Lepatata, Prod. by Market Theatre & Windybrow Theatre. Written by Moagi Modise, Dir. by Makhaola Ndebele.

BEST ORGINAL CHOREOGRAPHY: Grant van Ster,  Fishers of Hope       

BEST DIRECTOR OF A MUSICAL / REVUE: Steven Stead, Sweeney Todd

BEST DIRECTOR OF A PLAY: Khayelihle Dom Gumede, Crepuscule

BEST SUPPORT/FEATURED PERFORMANCE IN A MUSICAL: Phumi Mncayi, Sister Act    

BEST PERFORMANCE IN A MUSICAL (FEMALE): Candida Mosoma, Sister Act

BEST PERFORMANCE IN A MUSICAL (MALE): Jonathan Roxmouth, Sweeney Todd, The Demon Barber of Fleet Street

BEST LEAD PERFORMANCE IN A PLAY (FEMALE): Fiona Ramsay, Miss Dietrich Regrets

Fiona Ramsay,Doubt     

BEST LEAD PERFORMANCE IN A PLAY (MALE): Ralph Lawson, A Voice I Cannot Silence

BEST NEW SA SCRIPT: A Voice I Cannot Silence. Prod. by Arts Trust of SA (ATSA). Written by Greg Homann & Ralph Lawson, Dir. by Greg Homann.

BEST PRODUCTION OF A PLAY: Fishers of Hope, Prod. by the Baxter Theatre Centre & Mopo Productions in ass. with the SA State Theatre.  Written & Dir. by Lara Foot.

BEST PRODUCTION OF A MUSICAL (THE JOAN BRICKHILL AWARD):Sweeney Todd, The Demon Barber of Fleet Street, Prod. by Pieter Toerien & Kickstart by arr. with DALRO (Pty) Ltd. Written by Hugh Wheeler, Music & Lyrics by Stephen Sondheim, Dir. by Steven Stead.

LESEDI SPIRIT OF COURAGE AWARD: Gaynor Young

EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR’S AWARD: Thembi Mtshali

LIFETIME ACHIEVEMENT AWARD: Taliep Petersen (Posthumous)

LIFETIME ACHIEVEMENT AWARD: Alvon Collison

WORLD IMPACT AWARD: Ladysmith Black Mambazo

THE SOPHIE MCINGA EMERGING VOICE AWARD (SPONSORED BY THE MARKET THEATRE 40^TH YEAR ANNIVERSARY): Thandazile ‘Sonia’ Radebe.