8th Helpmann Awards

The 2008 Helpmann Awards were presented on 28 July 2008 at the Lyric Theatre, Sydney. The ceremony was hosted by Jonathan Biggins and Julia Zemiro^[1] and was broadcast live on Bio. (Foxtel's biography channel).^[2]

8th Helpmann Awards
Date	28 July 2008
Location	Lyric Theatre, Sydney
Hosted by	Jonathan Biggins and Julia Zemiro
Television/radio coverage
Network	Bio.
← 7th · Helpmann Awards · 9th →

Nominees

(winners are bolded)^{[3][4][5][6][7][8][9][10][11]}

Theatre

Best Play	Best Direction of a Play
Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf? – Company B Black Watch – National Theatre of Scotland presented by Sydney Festival, Perth International Arts Festival When the Rain Stops Falling – Brink Productions Toy Symphony – Company B	Neil Armfield – Toy Symphony Benedict Andrews – Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf? Barrie Kosky – The Tell-Tale Heart (Malthouse Theatre and Melbourne International Arts Festival) John Tiffany – Black Watch
Best Female Actor in a Play	Best Male Actor in a Play
Leah Purcell – The Story of the Miracles at Cookie's Table (Griffin Theatre Company and HotHouse Theatre) Catherine McClements – Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf? Kate Dickie – Aalst (National Theatre of Scotland, presented by Sydney Festival, Perth International Arts Festival and Brisbane Powerhouse) Genevieve Picot – Rock 'n' Roll (Melbourne Theatre Company)	Richard Roxburgh – Toy Symphony Marton Csokas – Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf? Martin Niedermair – The Tell-Tale Heart Geoffrey Rush – Exit the King (Company B and Malthouse Theatre)
Best Female Actor in a Supporting Role in a Play	Best Male Actor in a Supporting Role in a Play
Julie Forsyth – Exit the King Monica Maughan – Toy Symphony Susan Prior – Riflemind (Sydney Theatre Company) Alison Whyte – Don's Party (Melbourne Theatre Company and Sydney Theatre Company)	Russell Dykstra – Toy Symphony Travis McMahon – Don's Party (Melbourne Theatre Company and Sydney Theatre Company) James Stewart – The Glass Menagerie (Queensland Theatre Company) David Woods – Exit the King

Musicals

Best Musical
Billy Elliot the Musical – Universal Pictures, Working Title Films and Old Vic Productions Guys and Dolls – Ambassador Theatre Group, Shows Inc, Marriner Theatres and Tulchin/Bartner Productions Company – Kookaburra: The National Musical Theatre Company The Phantom of the Opera – The Really Useful Group Asia Pacific and The Gordon/Frost Organisation
Best Direction of a Musical	Best Choreography in a Musical
Stephen Daldry in association with Julian Webber – Billy Elliot the Musical Gale Edwards – Company Michael Grandage & Jamie Lloyd – Guys and Dolls Roger Hodgman – Little Me (The Production Company)	Peter Darling – Billy Elliot the Musical Rob Ashford – Guys and Dolls Ross Coleman – Sweet Charity (The Production Company) Ross Coleman – Shout! The Legend of The Wild One (Dennis Smith & John Gilbert)
Best Female Actor in a Musical	Best Male Actor in a Musical
Genevieve Lemon – Billy Elliot the Musical Marina Prior – Guys and Dolls Ana Marina – The Phantom of the Opera Sharon Millerchip – Sweet Charity	Lochlan Denholm, Nick Twiney, Rarmian Newton and Rhys Kosakowski – Billy Elliot the Musical iOTA – Richard O'Brien's Rocky Horror Show Mitchell Butel – Little Me Anthony Warlow – The Phantom of the Opera
Best Female Actor in a Supporting Role in a Musical	Best Male Actor in a Supporting Role in a Musical
Sharon Millerchip – Richard O'Brien's Rocky Horror Show Lola Nixon – Billy Elliot the Musical Colette Mann – Priscilla Queen of the Desert the Musical Jackie Rees – The Phantom of the Opera	Shane Jacobson – Guys and Dolls Linal Haft – Billy Elliot the Musical Bill Hunter – Priscilla Queen of the Desert – The Musical John Paul Young – Shout! The Legend of The Wild One

Opera and Classical Music

Best Opera	Best Direction of an Opera
Arabella – Opera Australia Les Contes d'Hoffmann – Opera Australia Dead Man Walking – Andrew McManus Presents and Alexander Productions Little Women – State Opera of South Australia and State Theatre Company of SA	John Cox – Arabella Bruce Beresford – A Streetcar Named Desire Nigel Jamieson – Dead Man Walking Adam Cook – Little Women
Best Female Performer in an Opera	Best Male Performer in an Opera
Cheryl Barker – Arabella Emma Matthews – Les Contes d'Hoffmann Kirsti Harms – Dead Man Walking Elvira Fatykhova – Rigoletto	Teddy Tahu Rhodes – Dead Man Walking John Wegner – Les Contes d'Hoffmann Peter Coleman-Wright – Arabella Jonathan Summers – Il trittico
Best Female Performer in a Supporting Role in an Opera	Best Male Performer in a Supporting Role in an Opera
Emma Matthews – Arabella Antoinette Halloran – A Streetcar Named Desire Hye Seoung Kwon – Carmen Anke Hoppner – The Love of the Nightingale	James Egglestone – Little Women Luke Gabbedy – La bohème Kanen Breen – Les Contes d'Hoffmann Stuart Skelton – A Streetcar Named Desire
Best Classical Concert Presentation	Best Performance in a Classical Concert
West Australian Opera – Opera in the Park – Madama Butterfly Australian Brandenburg Orchestra with L'Arpeggiata – Baroque Beat Sydney Symphony – Sir Charles Mackerras concerts Adelaide Symphony Orchestra – Sibelius Festival	Melbourne Symphony Orchestra – Classical Connections – Sir Charles Returns Simone Young – Turangalîla-Symphonie Michael Kieran Harvey – Messiaen's Catalogue d'oiseaux Aivale Cole – Opera in the Park – Madama Butterfly

Dance and Physical Theatre

Best Ballet or Dance Work	Best Visual or Physical Theatre Production
Glow – Chunky Move & Melbourne International Arts Festival The Nutcracker – The Australian Ballet Sacred Monsters – Akram Khan Co. presented by Adelaide Festival of Arts, Sydney Opera House, Brisbane Powerhouse Roadkill – Brisbane Powerhouse and Dancenorth choreographed by Splintergroup	Mortal Engine – Chunky Move presented by Sydney Festival Au Revoir Parapluie – Sydney Festival Paradise City – Branch Nebula produced by Performing Lines Secret – Cirque Ici presented by Sydney Festival
Best Female Dancer in a Dance or Physical Theatre Work	Best Male Dancer in a Dance or Physical Theatre Work
Sara Black – Glow Sarah-Jayne Howard – Roadkill Larissa McGowan – G (Australian Dance Theatre, Theatre de la Ville, Joyce Theatre, Southbank Centre, Merrigong Theatre) Lucinda Dunn – Don Quixote (The Australian Ballet)	Paul White – Construct (Sydney Festival) Akram Khan – Sacred Monsters Steven Heathcote – After the Rain (The Australian Ballet) Gavin Webber – Roadkill
Best Choreography in a Dance or Physical Theatre Work
Tanja Liedtke – Construct Christopher Wheeldon – After the Rain Gideon Obarzanek – Glow Lloyd Newson – To Be Straight With You (DV8 Physical Theatre presented by Adelaide Festival of Arts)

Contemporary Music

Best Australian Contemporary Concert	Best Contemporary Music Festival
The Frontier Touring Company – Crowded House Maiden Australia and QPAC – Broad Andrew McManus Presents – Kate Ceberano – Nine Lime Avenue Tour Sydney Symphony – The Whitlams with the Sydney Symphony	Womadelaide Foundation – Womadelaide Chugg Entertainment & Rockin Roll Circus – St Jeromes Laneway Festival Chugg Entertainment & Peter Noble Presents – 19th Annual East Coast Blues and Roots Festival Vivian Lees & Ken West – Big Day Out Festival 2008
Best Performance in an Australian Contemporary Concert	Best International Contemporary Concert
David Campbell – The Swing Sessions 2 Guy Sebastian – The Memphis Tour Kate Ceberano – Nine Lime Avenue Tour Tina Arena in concert	Sydney Festival – Björk on the Steps of the Sydney Opera House The Frontier Touring Company – Justin Timberlake Dainty Consolidated Entertainment – Bon Jovi – Lost Highway Tour Chugg Entertainment and Perth International Arts Festival – Rufus Wainwright

Other

Best Presentation for Children	Best Regional Touring Production
Mr McGee and the Biting Flea – Patch Theatre Company My Grandma Lived in Gooligulch – Gooligulch Productions in association with Garry Ginivan Attractions Hoods – Real T.V. Cat – Windmill Performing Arts	Keating! – Company B Mr McGee and the Biting Flea – Patch Theatre Company True Stories – Bangarra Dance Theatre Heroes – Queensland Theatre Company
Best Comedy Performer
David Collins & Shane Dundas – The Umbilical Brothers: Don't Explain Frank Woodley – Possessed Julia Morris – Julia Morris in Shoosh Please! Ross Noble

Industry

Best New Australian Work
Michael Gow – Toy Symphony Andrew Bovell – When the Rain Stops Falling (Brink Productions co-presented by State Theatre Company of South Australia and Adelaide Festival of Arts) Gideon Obarzanek – Glow (Chunky Move presented by Melbourne International Arts Festival) Alana Valentine – Parramatta Girls (Company B)
Best Original Score	Best Music Direction
Barrie Kosky – The Tell-Tale Heart Richard Mills – Songlines for the Heart's Desire Andree Greenwell – Venus & Adonis Ben Frost – Mortal Engine	Stephen Amos – Billy Elliot the Musical Peter Farnan – Sleeping Beauty Lionel Friend – Arabella Peter Casey – Company
Best Scenic Design	Best Costume Design
Dan Potra – Dead Man Walking Peter McKintosh – The 39 Steps John F Macfarlane – The Nutcracker Ian MacNeil – Billy Elliot the Musical	Julie Lynch – Richard O'Brien's Rocky Horror Show Robert Perdziola – Arabella Stephen Curtis – The Government Inspector John F Macfarlane – The Nutcracker
Best Lighting Design	Best Sound Design
Rick Fisher – Billy Elliot the Musical Paul Jackson – Moving Target Trudy Dalgleish – Dead Man Walking Niklas Pajanti – When the Rain Stops Falling	Gareth Fry – Black Watch Chris Full, John Scandrett & Nick Reich – Guys and Dolls Paul Arditti – Billy Elliot the Musical Mic Pool – The 39 Steps
Best Special Event
Sydney Opera House and Australian Broadcasting Corporation – The Choir of Hard Knocks Kookaburra: The National Musical Theatre Company – An Audience With Stephen Sondheim Adelaide Festival of Arts & The Electric Canvas – Ignition! and Northern Lights Queensland Music Festival and Brisbane City Council – Pig City