3rd Helpmann Awards

3rd Helpmann Awards
Date	19 May 2003
Location	Star City Show Room, Sydney
Hosted by	Simon Burke

The 3rd Helpmann Awards ceremony was presented by the Australian Entertainment Industry Association (AEIA) (currently known by its trade name, Live Performance Australia (LPA)), for achievements in disciplines of Australia's live performance sectors. The ceremony took place on 19 May 2003 at the Star City Show Room. During the ceremony, the AEIA handed out awards in 35 categories for achievements in theatre, musicals, opera, ballet, dance and concerts.

Winners and nominees

In the following tables, winners are listed first and highlighted in boldface.

Production

Best Play	Best Musical
Copenhagen – Sydney Theatre Company The Comedy of Errors – The Bell Shakespeare Company Soft – Back to Back and Melbourne Festival Waiting for Godot – Company B Belvoir and Sydney Festival	Cabaret Man of La Mancha Oliver! The Witches of Eastwick
Best Opera	Best Ballet or Dance Work
Lady Macbeth of Mtsensk – Opera Australia Il Trovatore – West Australian Opera, State Opera of South Australia & Opera Queensland Love In the Age of Therapy – OZOpera, Victorian Arts Centre Trust, Melbourne Festival & Sydney Festival The Marriage of Figaro – Opera Australia	Swan Lake The Age of Unbeauty Ellipse Walkabout
Best Visual or Physical Theatre Production	Best New Australian Work
Windmill Performing Arts Circus Oz Playbox Theatre Zen Zen Zo	Walkabout Bill and Mary Love In the Age of Therapy Oboe Concerto for Diana Doherty
Best Special Event or Performance	Best Classical Concert Presentation
Celebrating Samuel Beckett A Long Way to the Top The Man From Snowy River My Life, My Love	The Soldier's Tale The Kancheli Festival La Pasion Segun San Marcos Turangalila - Symphonie
Best Contemporary Music Presentation	Best Presentation for Children
Soweto Gospel Choir Fiddler's Bid George and Special Guest Jon Lord with the Sydney Symphony Women in Voice 11	Twinkle Twinkle Little Fish Aesop and His Fables The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe Out of the Blue

Direction and choreography

Best Direction of a Play	Best Direction of a Musical
Michael Blakemore – Copenhagen Neil Armfield – Waiting for Godot Simon Phillips – The Blue Room Simon Phillips – Great Expectations	B.T McNicholl, Sam Mendes, and Rob Marshall – Cabaret Graham Gill and Sam Mendes – Oliver! James Powell – The Witches of Eastwick Nadia Tass – The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe
Best Direction of an Opera	Best Choreography in a Musical
Neil Armfield – The Marriage of Figaro Elke Niedhardt – Il Trovatore Patrick Nolan – Love In the Age of Therapy Francesca Zambello – Lady Macbeth of Mtsensk	Cynthia Onrubia and Rob Marshall – Cabaret Kelly Abbey – Footloose Geoff Garratt and Matthew Bourne – Oliver! Stephen Mear and Bob Avian – The Witches of Eastwick
Best Choreography in a Ballet or Dance Work
Graeme Murphy – Swan Lake Stephen Page and Steven McTaggart – Walkabout - 'Rush' Garry Stewart – The Age of Unbeauty Frances Rings – Walkabout - 'Rations'

Performance

Best Male Actor in a Play	Best Male Actor in a Musical
Colin Friels – Copenhagen Max Cullen – Waiting for Godot Marcus Graham – The Blue Room Benjamin Winspear – Great Expectations	Toby Allen – Cabaret Paul McDermott – The Witches of Eastwick Anthony Warlow – Man of La Mancha John Waters – Oliver!
Best Male Performer in an Opera	Best Male Dancer in a Ballet or Dance Work
Peter Rose – Der Rosenkavalier Julian Gavin – Andrea Chenier Michael Lewis – Il Trovatore Glen Winsdale – Lohengrin	Russell Page – Walkabout Bradley Chatfield – Ellipse Steven Heathcote – Swan Lake Steven Heathcote – Totem
Best Female Actor in a Play	Best Female Actor in a Musical
Rachel Griffiths – Proof Deborah Mailman – Seven Stages of Grieving Miranda Otto – A Doll's House Sigrid Thornton – The Blue Room	Tamsin Carroll – Oliver! Lisa McCune – Cabaret Caroline O'Connor – Man of La Mancha Marina Prior – The Witches of Eastwick
Best Female Performer in an Opera	Best Female Dancer in a Ballet or Dance Work
Elizabeth Whitehouse – Lady Macbeth of Mtsensk Elizabeth Campbell – Il Trovatore Joanna Cole – Lindy Elizabeth Connell – Ariadne auf Naxos	Simone Goldsmith – Swan Lake Wakako Asano – Ellipse Jayne Cooper – Black Cake From United! Kimberley Davis – The Big 3
Best Male Actor in a Supporting Role in a Play	Best Male Actor in a Supporting Role in a Musical
Peter Carroll – Endgame Paul English – Rapture Christopher Gabardi – Cloud Nine Jean-Marc Russ – The Messiah	Henri Szeps – Cabaret Philip Dodd – Oliver! Simon Gleeson – Mamma Mia! Tony Sheldon – The Witches of Eastwick
Best Female Actor in a Supporting Role in a Play	Best Female Actor in a Supporting Role in a Musical
Jane Harders – Copenhagen Julie Forsyth – Great Expectations Deborah Kennedy – Soulmates Angela Punch McGregor – Great Expectations	Nadine Garner – Cabaret Judi Connelli – Cabaret Geraldine Turner – The Witches of Eastwick Queenie van de Zandt – Oliver!
Best Male Performer in a Supporting Role in an Opera	Best Female Performer in a Supporting Role in an Opera
Jonathan Summers – Cavalleria Rusticana/Pagliacci Jan-Hendrik Rootering – Der Frieschutz Andrew Schroeder – La Boheme	Lisa Harper-Brown – The Marriage of Figaro Natalie Jones – Ariadne auf Naxos Helen Noonan – Motherland Elisa Wilson – La Boheme

Industry

Best Original Score	Best Musical Direction
Steve Francis – Walkabout Paul Grabowsky and Joanne Murray-Smith – Love In the Age of Therapy Andree Greenwell – Volpone Ian MacDonald – Great Expectations	Richard Hockox – Lady Macbeth of Mtsensk Julia de Plater – Love In the Age of Therapy Richard Gill – Lindy Michael Tyack and Julain Bigg – The Witches of Eastwick
Best Costume Design	Best Scenic Design
Julie Lynch – The Way of the World Bob Crowley – The Witches of Eastwick Dale Ferguson – Great Expectations Kristian Fredrikson – Man of La Mancha	Kristian Fredrikson – Swan Lake Stephen Curtis – The Blue Room Dan Potra – Love In the Age of Therapy Tony Tripp – A Doll's House
Best Lighting Design	Best Sound Design
Matt Scott – The Blue Room David Hersey and Jenny Kagan – Oliver! Nigel Levings – Copenhagen Nick Schlieper – Great Expectations	John Scandrett and Julian Spink – Cabaret Paul Charlier – Buried Child Peter Grub – The Witches of Eastwick Peter Grub and Shelley Lee – Oliver!