BEST SET FOR A PLAY
Jon Benn
The Importance of Being Earnest, Bay Theatre Players, Batemans Bay
BEST SET FOR A MUSICAL, VARIETY OR DANCE PRODUCTION
Oli Gait and Julie Fraser
Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, Albatross Musical Theatre Company, Nowra
BEST COSTUMES FOR A PLAY
Samantha Haslam and Deborah Franco
The Importance of Being Earnest, Bay Theatre Players, Batemans Bay
BEST COSTUMES FOR A MUSICAL, VARIETY OR DANCE PRODUCTION
Lola Lochrin, Kristy Lochrin, Belle Lochrin
Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, Albatross Musical Theatre Company, Nowra
BEST COSTUMES FOR A SCHOOL OR YOUTH PRODUCTION
Julia Armstrong and Dee Skinner
The Wizard Of Oz, JAM Junior Albatross MTC, Nowra
BEST LIGHTING
Justin Pham
The Cripple of Inishmaan, Campbelltown Theatre Group
TECHNICAL ACHIEVEMENT
Trent Houssenloge, Chris Curran, Bonnie Neate, Suzy Piani and Alex Clifford
Video production, animations, lighting and sound design, Wired, The Training Ground, Canberra
JOHN THOMSON THEATRE MAGIC
The vomiting
God of Carnage, Griffith & Regional Association for the Performing Arts (GRAPA)
BEST ORIGINAL WORK
Lusi Austin
Script and music, Intertwined, Lemon Tea Theatre, Cowra
BEST ORIGINAL WORK FOR A SCHOOL OR YOUTH PRODUCTION
BJ Anyos, Georgia Pike-Rowney and Katie Lee Cavanagh
Jack and the Beanstalk – the Musical, Child Players ACT, Canberra
BEST ENSEMBLE IN A PLAY
The cast: Arran McKenna, Stuart Roberts, Glen Brighenti, Antonia Kitzel, Steph Roberts, Holly Ross
Bloody Murder, Canberra Repertory Society
BEST ENSEMBLE IN A SCHOOL OR YOUTH PRODUCTION
The backup singers
Southern Stars the Arena Spectacular: Magnifica, NSW Department of Education, Wollongong
BEST ENSEMBLE IN A MUSICAL, VARIETY OR DANCE PRODUCTION
The chorus
Nice Work If You Can Get It, Queanbeyan Players
PATRICIA KELSON ENCOURAGEMENT AWARD
Serena Ruscica
As Annie, Annie, So Popera Productions, Wollongong
BEST YOUTH ACTOR IN A FEATURED ROLE IN A PLAY
Banjo Campbell
As Father in The Book of Everything, Oxley College, Bowral
BEST YOUTH ACTOR IN A FEATURED ROLE IN A MUSICAL
Owen Hooper
As Harry in Mamma Mia!, Scots All Saints College, Bathurst
BEST YOUTH ACTRESS IN A FEATURED ROLE IN A PLAY
Gloria Waters
As Mother in The Book of Everything, Oxley College, Bowral
BEST YOUTH ACTRESS IN A FEATURED ROLE IN A MUSICAL
Ella Saxon
As Betty Rizzo in Grease, Mater Dei Catholic College, Wagga Wagga
AND
Kristin Mitchell
As Rosie in Mamma Mia!, Wollongong High School of the Performing Arts
BEST YOUTH ACTOR IN A LEADING ROLE IN A PLAY
Harrison Kirsch
As Thomas Klopper in The Book of Everything, Oxley College, Bowral
AND
Nicholas Doan
As Narrator in Puffs (Or: Seven Increasingly Eventful Years at a Certain School of Magic), Narrabundah College, Canberra
BEST YOUTH ACTRESS IN A LEADING ROLE IN A PLAY
Emma Piva
As Jo March in Little Women, Canberra Girls Grammar School
BEST YOUTH ACTOR IN A LEADING ROLE IN A MUSICAL
Lachlan Nicholls
As Dewey Finn in School of Rock, St Edmund’s College, Canberra
BEST YOUTH ACTRESS IN A LEADING ROLE IN A MUSICAL
Emily Saeki
As Sandy Dumbrowski in Grease, Mater Dei Catholic College, Wagga Wagga
BEST VARIETY PERFORMANCE BY AN INDIVIDUAL OR ENSEMBLE
Jayda Ciocci
in ‘Are You Gonna Go My Way?’ and others in Southern Stars the Arena Spectacular: Magnifica, NSW Department of Education, Wollongong
BEST DANCE PERFORMANCE BY AN INDIVIDUAL OR ENSEMBLE
Katy Hinch-Parr
In ‘Beat It’, Solid Gold, “Legs” Dance, Canberra
BEST PERFORMANCE IN A MONOLOGUE OR ONE-ACT PLAY
Bruce Hardie
Gordon’s monologue in Act 2, Dead Man’s Cell Phone, Canberra Repertory Society
BEST ACTOR IN A FEATURED ROLE IN A PLAY
Jimmy Roe
Almost, Maine, Bay Theatre Players, Batemans Bay
BEST ACTOR IN A FEATURED ROLE IN A MUSICAL
Brad Roe
As Cosmo Brown in Singin’ in the Rain, Rehearsal Room, Campbelltown
BEST ACTRESS IN A FEATURED ROLE IN A PLAY
Felicity Burke
As Eileen Osbourne
AND
Nicki James
As Kate Osbourne
in The Cripple of Inishmaan, Campbelltown Theatre Group
BEST ACTRESS IN A FEATURED ROLE IN A MUSICAL
Anna Tully
As Eileen Evergreen in Nice Work If You Can Get It, Queanbeyan Players
BEST ACTOR IN A LEADING ROLE IN A PLAY
Joshua Paterson
As Billy Claven
AND
Keelan Judge
As Billy Claven
in The Cripple of Inishmaan, Campbelltown Theatre Group
BEST ACTOR IN A LEADING ROLE IN A MUSICAL
Luke Ferdinands
As Jimmy Winter in Nice Work If You Can Get It, Queanbeyan Players
BEST ACTRESS IN A LEADING ROLE IN A PLAY
Liz St Clair Long
As Lydia in The Actress, Canberra Repertory Society
BEST ACTRESS IN A LEADING ROLE IN A MUSICAL
Sarah Hull
As Diana Goodman in Next to Normal, Queanbeyan Players
BEST CHOREOGRAPHY
Bonnie Neate and Suzy Piani
Wired, The Training Ground, Canberra
AND
Laura Pearce, Charlotte Gearside and Annaleisha Cologna
Mamma Mia!, St Clare’s College, Canberra
BEST MUSICAL DIRECTION FOR A SCHOOL OR YOUTH PRODUCTION
David Saxon and Rebecca Saxon
Grease, Mater Dei Catholic College, Wagga Wagga
BEST DIRECTION OF A SCHOOL OR YOUTH MUSICAL
Helen McLean
Strictly Ballroom, The Illawarra Grammar School, Mangerton
BEST MUSICAL DIRECTION
Jen Hinton
Next to Normal, Queanbeyan Players
BEST DIRECTION OF A PLAY
Josh Wiseman
Bloody Murder, Canberra Repertory Society
BEST DIRECTION OF A MUSICAL OR VARIETY SHOW
Dave Smith
Nice Work If You Can Get It, Queanbeyan Players
BEST DANCE PRODUCTION
Solid Gold
“Legs” Dance, Canberra
BEST PRODUCTION OF A SCHOOL OR YOUTH MUSICAL
Grease
Mater Dei Catholic College, Wagga Wagga
BEST PRODUCTION OF A SCHOOL OR YOUTH PLAY
Puffs (Or: Seven Increasingly Eventful Years at a Certain School of Magic)
Narrabundah College, Canberra
BEST PRODUCTION OF A VARIETY SHOW
Southern Stars the Arena Spectacular: Magnifica
NSW Department of Education, Wollongong
BEST PRODUCTION OF A PLAY
Bloody Murder
Canberra Repertory Society
BEST PRODUCTION OF A MUSICAL
Nice Work If You Can Get It
Queanbeyan Players
CAT AWARDS COMMENDATION
The CAT Awards commends the following companies and individuals, and acknowledges the special contributionthey have made over the last year to theatre and to the community.
Anna Butler
For calm and efficient stage managing 3000+ schoolchildren, Southern Stars the Arena Spectacular: Magnifica, NSW Department of Education
Neville Pye
For consistently high-quality sound design for multiple shows for many years, highlighted by the sound design for six 2024 Canberra Repertory Society productions
Dave Tricks
For his dedication to the role of mic technician and for his contribution to many theatre companies in performing that duty over many years
Oxley College, Bowral
For their support to performing arts, presenting 4 major productions in 2024 giving students of all ages an opportunity to participate in theatre
See Me Hear Me Theatre, Tumut
For inclusivity through captioning of the radio play Xander Starbuck – Space Cowboy
The Dragon Mothers: Sarea Nicholas, Jessica Coates, Karen Malam, Tam Connor, Mel McDonald and Vicki Young
For set, costumes and puppetry work for many Canberra theatre companies
SILVER CAT AWARD
Annette Challis (1960-2024), co-founder Revolution Theatre Productions
For a lifetime of support to theatre and the community in Albury Wodonga, especially through Revolution Theatre Productions, the fund-raising arm of the Albury Wodonga Community Chest
GOLD CAT AWARD
Dave Smith
For achievement in performance in Next to Normal and direction of Nice Work if You Can Get It
for Queanbeyan Players