On Monday 20 May, The Naledi Awards returned to its home at the Joburg Theatre to celebrate the achievements of some of South Africa’s greatest theatrical talent.
Entering its 15th year, the Naledi Theatre Awards aim to celebrate excellence – and the plethora of plays and musicals produced during the 2018 year presented judges with plenty of material to consider.
Sweeping the boards with seven Naledi Awards is the musical The Color Purple. The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time follows with three awards. The brand new South African play, Shoes and Coups gets the nod with two awards, as does the children’s theatre piece “Goggas”.
The Naledi nominations and winners in the technical categories were awarded as follows:
The Naledi Theatre Award for Best Set Design (sponsored by DWR):
WINNER: Stan Knight for Fool for Love
NOMINEES:
- Niall Griffin for Hedwig and the Angry Inch
- Sarah Roberts for The Color Purple
- Thando Lobese-Moropa for The Train Driver
- Wilhelm Disbergen for Freedom
The Naledi Theatre Award for Best Lighting Design (sponsored by Splitbeam)
WINNER: Gareth Hewitt Williams for The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time
NOMINEES:
- Fred Abrahamse for Macbeth
- Mannie Manim for Fool for Love
- Michael Maxwell for My hole my home
- Thapelo Mokgosi for Dikakapa
- Oliver Hauser for African Gothic
The Naledi Theatre Award for Best Sound Design (sponsored by Splitbeam)
WINNER: Ntuthuko Mbuyazi for Florence
NOMINEES:
- Akhona Bozo for Snow White: The Fairest Pantomime in the Land
- Ntuthuko Mbuyazi for Shoes & Coups
- Richard Smith for The Color Purple
- Wessel Odendaal for Hedwig and the Angry Inch
The Naledi Theatre Award for Best AV/Animation Design:
WINNER: Gareth Hewitt Williams for The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time
NOMINEES:
- Gopala Davies for Nijinsky’s War
- Lungile Cindi for Shoes & Coups
- Naret Loots for Hedwig and the Angry Inch
- Wilhelm Disbergen for The Little Prince
Founder and CEO of the Naledi Theatre Awards, Dawn Lindberg, on behalf of the Judges and Board of the Naledis, congratulates all the winners, nominees and theatre practitioners for an exceptional year of entertainment and dedication to the craft.
“We are constantly devastated by the lack of financial support given to theatre in general and the Naledis in particular by the Department of Arts and Culture, National Arts Council and television Channels such as KykNet, Mzansi Magic and the SABC.” She said. “Almost everyone involved in producing, creating and staging the Naledis this year worked for no remuneration. We are profoundly grateful to the Joburg Theatre, Splitbeam Technical and Visual Frontiers as well as the presenters and entertainers who all felt honoured to be part of the celebration of excellence within their own ranks.” – Founder and CEO of the Naledi Theatre Awards, Dawn Lindberg
