Fleur du Cap nominees announced

The Fleur du Cap Theatre Awards are more than 40 years old and have been given to outstanding individuals for theatre excellence, specifically focusing on professional theatre productions staged in the Cape Town Metropole and surrounds. The panel of judges base their decisions on having viewed close to 100 productions in several venues in and around the city. Each award carries a R15 000 cash prize as well as a silver medallion. This year, the awards will be given in 12 different categories for musicals, comedy and drama productions. The judges are: Marianne Thamm, Mariana Malan, Marina Griebenow, Peter Tromp, Len Ashton, Beverley Brommert, Wayne Muller, Herman van der Westhuizen, Zane Henry, Jill Makram and Denise Bester.

The nominees in the various categories for productions in 2011 are as follows:

Best Performance by an Actor

* Chris van Niekerk, for Dinsdae by Morrie, as Morrie Schwartz
* Nat Ramabulana, for The Girl in the Yellow Dress, as Pierre
* Thami Mbongo, for Woyzeck, as Woyzeck
* Warrick Grier, for Blackbird, as Ray

Best Performance by an Actress

* Antoinette Kellermann, for As die Broek Pas, as Max/Ella Gericke
* Jennifer Steyn, for Molly Bloom, as Molly
* Liezl de Kock, for Womb Tide, as The Wife
* Robyn Scott, for London Road, as Rose

Best Supporting Actor

* Bongile Mantsai, for Woyzeck, as Drum Major
* Graham Weir, for Waiting for Godot, as Lucky
* Guy de Lancey, for Cosi, as Roy
* Owen L Sejake, for The Train Driver, as Simon Hanabe

Best Supporting Actress

* Emily Child, for Cosi, as Ruth
* Liz Szymczak, for Endgame, as Nell
* Louise Saint-Claire, for Boeing, Boeing, as Bertha
* Ntomboxolo Makhutshi, for London Road, as Stella

Best Director

* Damon Galgut, for Waiting for Godot
* Lara Foot, for Woyzeck
* Malcolm Purkey, for The Girl in the Yellow Dress
* Marthinus Basson, for As die Broek Pas

Best Performance in a One-Person Show

* Andrew Buckland, for 1 man, 3 shows, 100 characters, for various characters
* Antoinette Kellermann, for As die Broek Pas, as Ella/Max Gericke
* James Cairns, for Dirt, for various characters
* James Cairns, for The Sitting Man, for various characters

Best New SA Script

* Afrikaaps - The Cast
* The Girl in the Yellow Dress - Craig Higginson
* London Road - Nicholas Spagnoletti
* The Sitting Man - James Cairns

Rosalie van der Gucht Prize for New Directors

* Bo Petersen, for Blackbird
* Christiaan Olwagen, for Woza Andries
* Francesco Nassimbeni, for Done London
* Scott Sparrow, for Cosi

Best Performance in a Musical

* Angela Kilian, for Evita, as Eva Peron
* Gina Shmukler, for Mamma Mia!, as Donna Sheridan
* Ilse Klink, for Mamma Mia!, as Rosie
* James Borthwick, for Evita, as Juan Peron

Best Performance in a Revue or Cabaret

* Godfrey Johnson, for The Shadow of Brel, as Jacques Brel
* Michele Maxwell, for C'est la Vie
* Moenier Adams, for Afrikaaps, as Monox
* Pieter-Dirk Uys, for FAK Songs and Other Struggle Anthems, as Bambi Kellermann

Best Design

* Leopold Senekal, for Aesop's Fables, for Costume Design; and Woyzeck, for Costume and Set Design
* Marthinus Basson, for Anthony and Cleopatra, for Costume Design
* Craig Leo and Emile Starke, for Womb Tide, for Prop Design
* Faheem Bardien, for Anthony and Cleopatra, for Lighting Design

Best Student Award

* De Klerk Oelofse, from University of Stellenbosch
* Johan Botha, from University of Stellenbosch
* Lerato Motshwarakgo, from UCT
* Nicholas Campbell, from UCT
* Pierre Nelson, from University of Stellenbosch

Members of the public can now vote for their favourite production by logging onto www.capetheatre.co.za. Voting closes on the 28 February and the winning production will receive the People's Choice Award, which will be announced at the ceremony, together with the Lifetime Achievement Award and the Award for Innovation in Theatre. The latter will enable the judges to consider an individual, company or organisation in the theatre industry that has consistently created exceptional work, and may fall outside of the existing categories.

Tickets cost R150 per person and include canapés and award-winning Fleur du Cap wines. Limited seats are available to the public via Computicket or +27 (0)21 421 7695 and all funds raised through ticket sales will be donated to developing the performing arts in South Africa. www.capetheatre.co.za.