Take a bow: BNT claims record wins

MEMBERS of Ballarat National Theatre are celebrating this year’s program with centre stage wins in the 2023 Victorian Drama League Awards.

During a presentation event earlier this month, the team walked away with five wins and eight nominations.

Despite being Ballarat’s longest-running theatre company, president Liana Emmerson said it’s the greatest number of accolades the group has received in a single year.

“I don’t think this has ever happened before, certainly not with the VDLs which have been around for 26 years,” she said.

“We’ve gotten some really good results with nominations before but this was 13 categories for us which is pretty incredible.”

Emmerson said the awards were a recognition of the quality of Ballarat’s amateur theatre output.

“We had other companies coming up to us after the show saying, ‘We’ll have to get out to Ballarat’ which I felt was really exciting,” she said.

“The visibility it gave us was pretty incredible.”

The basis of BNT’s accolades was around their rendition of Terry Pratchett’s Wyrd Sisters, which ran eight times at Woodmans Hill Performing Arts Centre in September and October.

The play was tied with Torquay Theatre’s production of Tartuffe for Best Production (Comedy), while Emmerson received the gold and silver nods for Best Director (Comedy), Best Set Design for a Drama or Comedy respectively.

BNT member Charlie Hughes earned a silver for their sound design while Mathew Heenan and Tayla Harbour were nominated for best lighting, and Shell Pryor was acknowledged for prop design.

Acting nominees included Ruby Penhall and Reuben Morgan for their supporting roles, as well as Joe Appleton who had a lead part.

Jack Brown and James Wait were both nominated for Best Actor Minor Role (Comedy), with company colleague Barry Kay taking the win.

Kay’s role in the production as Vitoller and Death marked his major return to staged theatre productions after 25 years as an actor at Sovereign Hill.

A performer for about four decades, he said his achievement is due to the troupe’s combined efforts.

“It was just great to be part of a team again after being away for so long, and the cast were fantastic,” he said.

“That’s what drew me to theatre in the first place. It’s this collaborative artform where a bunch of people come together to tell one story.

“Everyone has their part to play and hopefully you’re pulling in the same direction.”