Winners at the 2024 Canberra Critics Circle Awards

14 November 2024

On Tuesday 12 November members of the ACT Hub collective were delighted to attend the 2024 Canberra Critics Circle Awards, and thrilled to be recognised for outstanding work in such a breadth and depth of areas.

* Joel Horwood 2 awards
– The Helen Tsongas Award for Excellence in Acting was presented by Canberra Theatre director Joel Horwood for their poignant interpretation of Konstantin in Seagull for Chaika Theatre, and their empathetic performances in Queers for Everyman Theatre, and Ordinary Days for Q The Locals. The award is an initiative of the Tsongas family to keep alive the memory of the late Canberra actor Helen Tsongas Brajkovic.
– For a moving and totally believable performance as the tormented Konstantin in Chekhov’s Seagull, for Chaika Theatre

* Amy Kowalczuk for her incisive, sensitive and powerful performance as Blanche DuBois in Free-Rain Theatre Company’s production of A Streetcar Named Desire

* Steph Roberts and Karen Vickery
– For their tremendous double act as Elizabeth I of England and Mary Queen of Scots in Luke Rogers’ production of Kate Mulvaney’s adaptation of Friedrich Schiller’s Mary Stuart (Chaika)

* Karen Vickery 2 awards
– For offering contemporary Canberra audiences a fresh look at Chekhov’s dialogue through her erudite and at times colloquial reinterpretation of his play, Seagull. (Chaika)
– and for Mary Stuart as above. (Chaika)

* Anne Somes for Free-Rain’s exuberant production of Billy Elliot, The Musical a demanding musical set in times of turmoil, directed by Jarrad West, choreographed by Michelle Heine with musical direction by Katrina Tang and Caleb Campbell

* Marcel Cole for his impeccably researched and performed cabaret, Ukelele Man about British entertainer George Formby and his wife Beryl, for which he was assisted by Katy Cole, and directed by Mirjana Ristevski as part of the inaugural ACT Hub Canberra Cabaret Festival. (Not pictured)

Congratulations Hub-sters. We love your work, and we love you!

Left to right: Joel Horwood, Amy Kowalczuk, Steph Roberts, Luke Rogers, Karen Vickery, Anne Somes.