2017 Green Room Best Actor awarded to Monash professor
Theatre-maker and Director of Monash University’s Centre for Theatre and Performance (CTP), Associate Professor Jane Montgomery-Griffiths, has won best actor in the prestigious Green Room Awards 2017, at a ceremony in Melbourne.
Awarded in the Independent Theatre category for her performance in the Pulitzer Prize winning play ‘Wit’ by Margaret Edson, the production played to sell out audiences and rave reviews from Melbourne’s major theatre critics.
Now in their 34th year, the Green Room Awards are Melbourne's premier performing arts industry awards and recognise excellence and innovation across a range of categories.
Dean of the Arts Faculty, Professor Rae Francis, congratulated Associate Professor Montgomery-Griffiths on winning the best actor award.
“The project is a wonderful example of the impact that our academics are having beyond the academy, and also an inspiring example of the benefits of collaboration across disciplines, institutions and sectors.”
Associate Professor Montgomery Griffiths said she was thrilled to receive the award.
“Wit is a beautiful and important play, and performing in it was one of the highlights of my career.
“It’s also wonderful that this production, the first professional production of the play in Australia, demonstrates how Monash and the theatre industry are working together to foster thought-provoking and powerful Practice-as-Research projects,” Associate Professor Montgomery-Griffiths said.
Highlighting Monash’s strength in partnering with industry to create real-world impact, the production has formed the basis of a Monash Warwick Alliance grant to examine the role theatre can play in public health education.
The production was made possible by the generous support of the Monash Academy of Performing Arts (MAPA), and the Pratt Foundation through its ongoing financial sponsorship of the Centre for Theatre Performance (CTP).
A number of Monash alumni and current students received nominations including, Chris Wenn, for sound design, Mark Wilson for direction, writing and best production, and Melanie Jame Walsh for experimental performance.
Two teaching staff, Emma Valente and Stephen Nicolazzo, were nominated for best independent production, while Emma was also nominated for best lighting, Monash CTP artist in residence, Zoe Dawson, received a best writing nomination. The full list of nominees can be found here