Naledi Theatre Awards SA: All the winners

King Kong won the awards for Best Production of a Musical, Best Director of a Musical and Best Original Score/Arrangement/Musical Adaptation. The Best Supporting/Featured Performance in a Musical/Revue Female and Male awards were given to King Kong's Ntambo Rapatla and Sanda Shandu respectively.

West Side Story was won the Best Musical Director, Best Set Design, Best Lighting Design, Best Original Choreography and Best Lead Performance in a Musical/Revue awards.

Sarafina by the legendary Mbongeni Ngema received the Best Sound Design or Sound Scape Award.

This year’s best newcomer award went to Phillip Schnetler, male lead in Priscilla Queen of the Desert, while his co-star, David Dennis, won the Best Male Lead Performance in a Musical/Revue Award.

Here is the full list of winners:

Best Production of a Musical

• King Kong: Legend of a Boxer
• West Side Story
• Evita
• Priscilla Queen of the Desert
• Sarafina

Best Musical Director

• Eddie Mathiba – Sarafina
• Charl-Johan Lingenfelder – West Side Story
• Louis Zurnamer – Evita
• Charl-Johan Lingenfelder & Sipumzo Trueman Lucwaba – King Kong: Legend of a Boxer
• Bryan Schimmel – Priscilla Queen of the Desert

Best Director of a Musical/Revue

• Matthew Wild – West Side Story
• Jonathan Munby & Mdu Kweyama – King Kong: Legend of a Boxer
• Mbongeni Ngema – Sarafina
• Elizma Badenhorst – Rock of Ages

Best Lead Performance in a Musical/Revue (Female)

• Noxolo Dlamini – Sarafina
• Lynelle Kenned – West Side Story
• Nondumiso Tembe – King Kong: Legend of a Boxer
• Emma Kingston – Evita
• Claire Taylor – Rock of Ages

Best Lead Performance in a Musical/Revue (Male)

• Andile Gumbi – King Kong
• David Dennis – Priscilla Queen of the Desert
• Jonathan Rox – Evita
• Sne Dladla – King Kong: Legend of a Boxer
• Phillip Schnetler – Priscilla Queen of the Desert

Best Supporting/Featured Performance in a Musical/Revue (Female)

• Velephi Mnisi – Sarafina
• Bianca Le Grange‏ – West Side Story
• Lerato Mvelase – King Kong: Legend of a Boxer
• Ntambo Rapatla – King Kong: Legend of a Boxer
• Chantal Herman for Priscilla Queen of the Desert
• Isabella Jane for Evita

Best Supporting/Featured Performance in a Musical/Revue (Male)

• Dumisani Mtshali – Sarafina
• Sanda Shandu – King Kong: Legend of a Boxer
• Schoeman Smit – Rock of Ages
• Mark Tatham – Pinocchio
• Grant Towers – Pinocchio

Best Newcomer / Breakthrough

• Noxolo Dlamini – Sarafina
• Ian Roelofs – Karel se Oupa
• Phillip Schnetler – Priscilla Queen of the Desert
• Kanyi Nokwe – Pinocchio
• Isabella Jane – Evita

Best Original Score / Arrangement / Musical Adaptation

• Mbongeni Ngema – Sarafina
• Todd Matshikiza & Charl-Johan Lingenfelder – King Kong: Legend of a Boxer
• Matthew MacFarlane – Tamasha on Hope Street
• Alice Gillham – Calling Me Home
• Sabelo Mavuso – Itsoseng

Best Sound Design or Sound Scape

• Gladman Balintulo for Sarafina
• Mark Malherbe – King Kong: Legend of a Boxer
• Mark Malherbe – West Side Story
• Wessel Odendaal – The Mystery of Irma Vep
• Sue Grealy – The Old Man & The Sea

Best Original Choreography for a Play, Musical/Revue

• Louisa Talbot for West Side Story
• Gregory Maqoma & Richard Lothian for King Kong: Legend of a Boxer
• Nompumelelo Gumede – Sarafina
• Weslee Lauder – Rock of Ages
• Bafikile Sedibe – Sophiatown

Best Costume Design

• Birrie le Roux – King Kong
• Birrie le Roux – West Side Story
• Marcel Meyer – Hamlet
• Sasha Ehlers – Moliere’s Tartuffe
• Pierre du Plessis – The Mystery of Irma Vep

Best Set Design

• Conor Murphy – West Side Story
• Paul Wills – King Kong
• Nadine Minnaar & Louis Minnaar – Calling Me Home
• Nadine Minnaar & Louis Minnaar – The Mystery of Irma Vep
• Fred Abrahamse – Hamlet

Best Lighting Design

• Mandla Mtshali – When Swallows Cry
• Joshua Cutts – West Side Story
• Tim Mitchell – King Kong: Legend of a Boxer
• Darron Araujo & Guy de Lancey – Dead Yellow Sands
• Wilhelm Disbergen – Tamasha on Hope Street

Best Production of a Play

• When Swallows Cry
• The Inconvenience of Wings
• Tamasha on Hope Street
• Die Reuk van Appels
• Moliere’s Tartuffe
• The Suitcase

Best Ensemble

• The Play That Goes Wrong
• Vir. Ander
• The System
• Moliere’s Tartuffe
• Hamlet

Best Director of a Play

• Lesedi Job – When Swallows Cry
• Sylvaine Strike – Moliere’s Tartuffe
• Lara Foot – The Inconvenience of Wings
• Lara Bye – Die Reuk Van Appels
• Andre Odendaal – Karel se Oupa

Best Performance in a Play (Female)

• Ameera Patel – Tamasha on Hope Street
• Jennifer Steyn – The Inconvenience of Wings
• Carly Graeme – Betrayal
• Chi Mhende – Chasing Chairs
• Masasa Lindiwe Mbangeni – The Suitcase
• Vanessa Cooke – Moliere’s Tartuffe

Best Performance in a Play (Male)

• Andrew Buckland – The Inconvenience of Wings
• Graham Hopkins – Freud’s Last Session
• Mpho Osei Tutu – When Swallows Cry
• Craig Morris – Moliere’s Tartuffe
• Lindani Nkosi – Tamasha on Hope Street
• Christiaan Schoombie – When Swallows Cry
• Warren Masemola – When Swallows Cry

Best Supporting Actress in a Play

• Khutjo Green – Moliere’s Tartuffe
• Esmeralda Bihl – Karel se Oupa
• Sive Gubangxa – The Play That Goes Wrong
• Camilla Waldman – Moliere’s Tartuffe
• Taryn Bennett – The Old Man & The Sea

Best Supporting Actor in a Play

• Mncedisi Shabangu – The Inconvenience of Wings
• Roberto Pombo – The Play That Goes Wrong
• Katlego Letsholonyana – Itsoseng
• Afzal Kahn – Tamasha on Hope Street
• John Lata – The Suitcase

Best Performance in a Solo Production

• Lebohang Toko – The Man Jesus
• Graham Weir – Dead Yellow Sands
• Gideon Lombard – Die Reuk Van Appels
• Sello Maake KaNcube – The House of Truth
• Jemma Kahn – In Bocca Al Lupo

Best New South African Script

• When Swallows Cry by Mike Van Graan
• The Inconvenience of Wings by Lara Foot
• Tamasha on Hope Street by Rajesh Gopie
• Die Reuk Van Appels by Johann Smith
• Karel se Oupa by Retief Scholtz

Best Production for Children (Supported by Assitej SA) (Aged 0-12)

• Cloud Catcher
• Cradle Under the Shade
• Rat Race
• Seussical’s Christmas Carol
• Taking Flight
• The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe

Best Production for Young Audiences (Supported by Assitej SA) (Aged 13-17)

• A Short Cut To A Short Life
• Hamlet
• Onderwêreld
• Plastocracy

Best performance in a Production for Young Audiences (Supported by Assitej SA) (Aged 13-17)

• Christopher van der Westhuizen – Onderwêreld
• Jaques De Silva – Taking Flight
• Kgaogelo Monana – A Short Cut To A Short Life
• Nieke Lombard – Cloud Catcher
• Tebogo Machaba – Taking Flight
• Yamikani Mahaka-Phiri – Beneath African Skies

Special Awrds for 2017

World Impact Award

• William Kentridge

Lesedi Spirit of Courage Award

• Oscar von Memerty

Innovation in Theatre Award

• Dorothy Ann Gould

Lifetime Achievement Awards

• Sandra Prinsloo & Don Mattera