The 17th Annual Helpmann Awards for live performance in Australia was held on 24 July 2017 at the Capitol Theatre, Sydney. Nominations were announced on 19 June 2017. The ceremony was hosted by Jan van de Stool and Tim Draxl.

Winners of major awards included play The Drover's Wife, opera Saul and musical The Book of Mormon.

Recipients and nominations

Theatre

Best PlayBest Direction of a Play
The Drover's Wife – Belvoir Jasper Jones – Melbourne Theatre Company Once in Royal David's City – Queensland Theatre and Black Swan State Theatre Company Things I Know To Be True – State Theatre Company South Australia and Frantic AssemblyLeticia Cáceres – The Drover's Wife Judy Davis – Faith Healer (Belvoir) Susie Dee – SHIT (Dee & Cornelius and Sydney Festival) Kip Williams – Chimerica (Sydney Theatre Company)
Best Female Actor in a PlayBest Male Actor in a Play
Kate Mulvany – Richard 3 (Bell Shakespeare) Helen Morse – John (Melbourne Theatre Company) Leah Purcell – The Drover's Wife Alison Whyte – Faith HealerMark Coles Smith – The Drover's Wife Jason Chong – Chimerica Colin Friels – Faith Healer Jason Klarwein – Once in Royal David's City
Best Female Actor in a Supporting Role in a PlayBest Male Actor in a Supporting Role in a Play
Amber McMahon – Girl Asleep (Windmill Theatre Company) Chloe Bayliss – Gloria (Griffin Theatre Company) Tilda Cobham-Hervey – Things I Know To Be True Melita Jurisic – JohnGuy Simon – Jasper Jones Peter Carroll – Twelfth Night (Belvoir) Pip Miller – Faith Healer Jamie Oxenbould – The Literati (Bell Shakespeare & Griffin Theatre Company)

Musicals

Best Musical
The Book of Mormon – Anne Garefino, Scott Rudin, Important Musicals, John Frost, Roger Berlind, Scott M. Delman, Jean Doumanian, Roy Furman, Stephanie P. McClelland, Kevin Morris, Jon B. Platt, Sonia Friedman Productions Aladdin – Disney Theatrical Productions (Australia) Kinky Boots – Michael Cassel by special arrangement with Daryl Roth and Hal Luftig My Fair Lady – Opera Australia and John Frost
Best Direction of a MusicalBest Choreography in a Musical
Trey Parker and Casey Nicholaw – The Book of Mormon Julie Andrews – My Fair Lady Jerry Mitchell – Kinky Boots Casey Nicholaw – AladdinJerry Mitchell – Kinky Boots Christopher Gattelli – My Fair Lady Casey Nicholaw – Aladdin Casey Nicholaw – The Book of Mormon
Best Female Actor in a MusicalBest Male Actor in a Musical
Anna O'Byrne – My Fair Lady Amy Lehpamer – Dusty (The Production Company) Zahra Newman – The Book of Mormon Sophie Wright – Kinky BootsCallum Francis – Kinky Boots Charles Edwards – My Fair Lady AJ Holmes – The Book of Mormon Ainsley Melham – Aladdin
Best Female Actor in a Supporting Role in a MusicalBest Male Actor in a Supporting Role in a Musical
Robyn Nevin – My Fair Lady Teagan Wouters – Kinky Boots Lucy Maunder – Matilda the Musical (The Royal Shakespeare Company and Louise Withers, Michael Coppel and Michael Watt with Chokey Productions, Just for Laughs Theatricals, Glass Half Full Productions, Paula Marie Black, Greenleaf Productions and Michael Lynch) Phoebe Panaretos – Green Day's American Idiot (shake & stir theatre co and QPAC)Michael James Scott – Aladdin Reg Livermore – My Fair Lady Bert LaBonte – The Book of Mormon Rowan Witt – The Book of Mormon

Opera and Classical Music

Best OperaBest Direction of an Opera
Saul – Glyndebourne Festival Opera and Adelaide Festival in association with the State Opera of South Australia, the Adelaide Symphony Orchestra and the Adelaide Festival Centre Cavalleria Rusticana & I Pagliacci – Opera Australia Così fan tutte – Opera Australia King Roger – Opera AustraliaBarrie Kosky – Saul Gale Edwards – Cloudstreet (State Opera South Australia) David McVicar – Così fan tutte Damiano Michieletto – Cavalleria Rusticana & I Pagliacci
Best Female Performer in an OperaBest Male Performer in an Opera
Lise Lindstrom – The Ring Cycle (Opera Australia) Nicole Car – Così fan tutte Rachelle Durkin – Armida (Pinchgut Opera) Antoinette Halloran – Tosca (West Australian Opera)Christopher Purves – Saul Michael Honeyman – King Roger Yonghoon Lee – Carmen (Opera Australia) George Petean – Simon Boccanegra (Opera Australia)
Best Female Performer in a Supporting Role in an OperaBest Male Performer in a Supporting Role in an Opera
Lorina Gore – King Roger Anna Dowsley – Così fan tutte Taryn Fiebig – Così fan tutte Caitlin Hulcup – Theodora (Pinchgut Opera)Kanen Breen – Saul José Carbó – Cavalleria Rusticana & I Pagliacci Saimir Pirgu – King Roger Daniel Sumegi – The Ring Cycle
Best Symphony Orchestra ConcertBest Chamber and/or Instrumental Ensemble Concert
Stemme, Skelton, Tristan & Isolde – Tasmanian Symphony Orchestra Asher Fisch Conducts Resurrection – West Australian Symphony Orchestra The Firebird – Ravishing – Sydney Symphony Orchestra The Rite of Spring – Primal – Sydney Symphony OrchestraAcademy of St Martin in the Fields – Sydney Opera House, Melbourne Recital Centre and QPAC Bach Violin Concertos – Australian Chamber Orchestra Julia Lezhneva – Baroque Brilliance – Australian Chamber Orchestra Monteverdi L'Orfeo – Concerto Italiano – Adelaide Festival
Best Individual Classical Performance
Joshua Bell – Academy of St Martin in the Fields Richard Tognetti – Bach Violin Concertos Daniil Trifonov – Young Russians: Prokofiev, Rachmaninoff & Shostakovich (Sydney Symphony Orchestra) Christoph von Dohnanyi – Romantic Memories: Dohnanyi conducts Bruckner (Sydney Symphony Orchestra)

Dance and Physical Theatre

Best BalletBest Dance Production
Snow White – Ballet Preljocaj – Ballet Preljocaj, QPAC and Brisbane Festival Strictly Gershwin – Queensland Ballet and QPAC Solo Echo – Nederlands Dans Theater – Arts Centre Melbourne and Nederlands Dans Theater We Who Are Left – Queensland Ballet and QPACAttractor – Dancenorth and Lucy Guerin Inc, with Arts Centre Melbourne, WOMADelaide and Brisbane Festival Intimate Space – Restless Dance Theatre in association with the Adelaide Festival OUR land people stories – Bangarra Dance Theatre Split – Lucy Guerin Inc and Arts House
Best Visual or Physical Theatre ProductionBest Choreography in a Ballet, Dance or Physical Theatre Production
Snake Sessions – Branch Nebula and Intimate Spectacle toured by Arts on Tour Mermermer – Chunky Move Sediment – Company 2 Still Life – Dimitris Papaioannou and Sydney FestivalGideon Obarzanek and Lucy Guerin – Attractor Lucy Guerin – Split Gabrielle Nankivell – Wildebeest (Sydney Dance Company) Darcy Grant with Jacob Randell, Jascha Boyce, Simon McClure, Lachlan Binns, Mieke Lizotte, Lewie West, Martin Schreiber, Joanne Curry, Lachlan Harper, Jackson Manson, Triton Tunis-Mitchell and Lewis Rankin – Backbone (Gravity and Other Myths and Adelaide Festival)
Best Female Dancer in a Ballet, Dance or Physical Theatre ProductionBest Male Dancer in a Ballet, Dance or Physical Theatre Production
Lilian Steiner – Split Samantha Hines – Attractor Elma Kris – Nyapanyapa (Bangarra Dance Theatre) Melanie Lane – SplitKevin Jackson – Nijinsky (The Australian Ballet) Benjamin Hancock – The Dark Chorus (Lucy Guerin Inc) Bernhard Knauer – Wildebeest Andre Santos – Beauty & the Beast (West Australian Ballet)

Contemporary Music

Best Australian Contemporary ConcertBest International Contemporary Concert
Nick Cave & the Bad Seeds – Nick Cave & the Bad Seeds and Billions Australia The Beginning & The End – Deborah Conway & Willy Zygier with QPAC, NFSA, Arts Centre Melbourne, Theatre Royal, Margaret River Cultural Centre & StudioVictor Flume – Flume, Future Classic, Chugg Entertainment and Laneway Presents Missy Higgins Orchestral Concert Series 2016 – Missy Higgins and Frontier TouringPatti Smith And Her Band Australian Tour 2017 – Patti Smith and Bluesfest Touring Adele Live 2017 – Adele and Live Nation Australasia Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band – Summer '17 – Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band and Frontier Touring PJ Harvey – PJ Harvey and Billions Australia
Best Contemporary Music Festival
MONA FOMA 2017 – Museum of Old and New Art The 28th Annual Bluesfest Byron Bay – The 28th Annual Bluesfest Byron Bay St Jerome's Laneway Festival 2017 – Lunatic Entertainment & Laneway Presents WOMADelaide 2017 – Womadelaide Foundation

Other

Best Cabaret PerformerBest Comedy Performer
Materharere Hope Haami, Juanita Duncan, Ofa Fotu, Crystal Stacey, Lisa Fa'alafi and Kim 'Busty Beatz' Bowers – Hot Brown Honey (Arts Centre Melbourne and Sydney Opera House in association with Briefs Factory) Jimmy Barnes – Working Class Boy: An Evening of Stories & Songs (Jimmy Barnes, Frontier Touring and in association with Premier Artists) Betty Grumble – Grumble: Sex Clown Saves the World (Don't Be Lonely) Sven Ratzke – Starman (Adelaide Festival Centre's Adelaide Cabaret Festival and Release Creative)Hannah Gadsby – Nanette (Token Events) Aunty Donna – Big Boys (Century Entertainment) Tom Ballard – Problematic (Token Events) Joel Creasey – Poser (Live Nation Australasia) Nazeem Hussain – Public Frenemy Nazeem Hussain (Live Nation Australasia) Sammy J – Hero Complex (Laughing Stock Productions)
Best Presentation for ChildrenBest Regional Touring Production
Jump First, Ask Later – Powerhouse Youth Theatre and Force Majeure Cerita Anak (Child's Play) – Polyglot Theatre and Papermoon Puppet Theatre presented by Arts Centre Melbourne and Asia TOPA In A Deep Dark Forest – The Inhabitors and Arts Centre Melbourne New Owner – The Last Great HuntTerrain – Bangarra Dance Theatre CounterMove – Sydney Dance Company and Arts on Tour The Moon's a Balloon – Patch Theatre Company They Saw A Thylacine – HUMAN ANIMAL EXCHANGE & Performing Lines

Industry

Best New Australian Work
Leah Purcell – The Drover's Wife Busty Beatz and Lisa Fa’alafi – Hot Brown Honey David Morton – The Wider Earth (Queensland Theatre and Dead Puppet Society) Kate Mulvany – Jasper Jones Darcy Grant, Elliot Zoerner, Shenton Gregory, Geoff Cobham, Jacob Randell, Jascha Boyce, Simon McClure, Lachlan Binns, Mieke Lizotte, Lewie West, Martin Schreiber, Joanne Curry, Lachlan Harper, Jackson Manson, Triton Tunis-Mitchell and Lewis Rankin – Backbone Matthew Whittet – Girl Asleep
Best Original ScoreBest Music Direction
Iain Grandage and Rahayu Supanggah – Satan Jawa (Arts Centre Melbourne and Melbourne Symphony Orchestra) Paul Kelly & Camille O'Sullivan with Feargal Murray – Ancient Rain (Far and Away Productions in association with Brink Productions, co-commissioned by Melbourne Festival and Adelaide Cabaret Festival) Trey Parker, Matt Stone and Robert Lopez – The Book of Mormon Rully Shabara and Wukir Suryadi – AttractorErin Helyard – Saul Nicolette Fraillon – Nijinsky Luke Hunter – Kinky Boots Chong Lim – Rolling Thunder Vietnam (Blake Entertainment)
Best Scenic DesignBest Costume Design
Anna Cordingley – Jasper Jones Bob Crowley – Aladdin Katrin Lea Tag – Saul David Morton and Aaron Barton – The Wider EarthGregg Barnes – Aladdin Cecil Beaton – My Fair Lady Jennifer Irwin – OUR land people stories Tess Schofield – The Drover's Wife
Best Lighting DesignBest Sound Design
Joachim Klein – Saul Geoff Cobham – Backbone (Gravity & Other Myths) Mark Howett and Sean McKernan – Boorna Waanginy (Perth International Arts Festival) Matthew Marshall – Green Day's American IdiotGareth Fry and Pete Malkin – The Encounter (Complicite, Sydney Festival, Malthouse Theatre, Adelaide Festival & Perth International Arts Festival) Tony David Cray – Sydney Opera House – The Opera (The Eighth Wonder) (Opera Australia) Kingsley Reeve – Boorna Waanginy Michael Waters – My Fair Lady

Lifetime Achievement

JC Williamson AwardSue Nattrass Award
Richard Tognetti AORob Brookman AM