The Adelaide Critics Circle awards were again held at the University of Adelaide's Little Theatre this year with an excellent crowd in attendance. The awards, which took place on Monday 7th of December, are now in their 18th year. Members of the arts community, supporters, friends and family all turned out to learn who the winners for 2015 would be.
The Adelaide Critics Circle has faced a few funding challenges in the past 2 years, particularly with the withdrawal of funding by Arts SA at the end of 2013, and this year only managed to confer the awards, with the cash prize, due to the support of the Independent Arts Foundation (IAF) and the generous support of other individual donations.
Presented by the ACC Chair, Peter Burdon, the audience heard how the funding challenges had meant the well-known trophy, designed and created by Christine Pyman, was no longer financially viable. Burdon continued by acknowledging the generous donors for the cash prizes, but admitted that the amount had been reduced by fifty percent due to the challenges of fundraising. Despite this reduction the awards remain the only ones in Australia to be accompanied by a cash prize and, with $500 going to Professional categories and $250 to the Amateur/Community category, still represents a huge boost for the recipients.
The winners of the awards for 2015 were:
Group Award – Amateur & Community Theatre
University of Adelaide Theatre Guild - Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf
Individual Award – Amateur & Community Theatre
Julie Quick, actor - Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf: University of Adelaide Theatre Guild
Professional Group Award
Brink Productions - The Aspirations of Daise Morrow
Professional Individual Award
Michelle Ryan, dancer - Intimacy: Body Torque
Emerging Artist of the Year
Elena Carapetis, writer - The Good Son: The Other Ones
Independent Arts Foundation Award for Innovation
Zephyr Quartet - Music for Strings and iThings
Visual Arts - Emerging Artist
Julia McInerney
Lifetime Achievement Award
Michael Fuller
Critic, Michael Morely delivered an empassioned, well-recieved, speech in the absense of Michael Fuller, who was unable to attend due to health reasons.
With ongoing support from the community and the plan to incorporate in the New Year, the Adelaide Critics Circle is confident in its plans to continue into the foreseeable future.
Critic, Ewart Shaw also made a personal plea on behalf of his media outlet, Radio Adelaide, for support in the face of potential closure. Attendees and award winners were encouraged to have their photo taken with the banner #SAVEradAD to show support for Radio Adelaide and help guarantee its future.
Paul Rodda
When: 7 Dec
Where: The Little Theatre
Photography by Paul Rodda
