Celebrating its 45th year and milestone as Australia's longest continually running theatre awards program, the City of Newcastle Drama Awards (CONDAs) has announced 186 nominations for the 2023 season - the largest number in its history.
Nominations, which span 27 categories, will be judged from the 65 theatrical productions staged locally this year.
"The record-breaking number of nominations this year is a testament to the flourishing theatre scene in Newcastle, and we are excited to celebrate the outstanding achievements of our theatre makers," CONDA president Shane Bransdon said.
Winners of this year's CONDA awards will be announced at a ceremony at Newcastle City Hall on December 9.
Nominees for Best Musical Production are Back to the 80s (Chookas Entertainment), Billy Elliot The Musical (The Very Popular Theatre Company), Heathers The Musical (Chookas Entertainment), La Boheme (Opera Hunter), Legally Blonde (Chookas Entertainment), Merrily We Roll Along (Newcastle Theatre Company), and The Wedding Singer (Hunter Drama)
Nominees for Best Dramatic Production are All My Sons (Maitland Repertory Theatre), Banging Denmark (The Very Popular Theatre Company), Dial M for Murder (Newcastle Theatre Company), Good Mourning (Tantrum Youth Arts), Ideation (Knock And Run Theatre), Low Level Panic (HER Productions), Take Me to Neverland (Bearfoot Theatre), and The Seagull (All's One Theatre Company).
"The City of Newcastle Drama Awards has been a remarkable platform for recognising and celebrating the immense talent within our city for the past 45 years," said Marty Adnum, managing director of Out of the Square Media, which marked 10 years of CONDA sponsorship in 2023.
"We are honoured to have been a part of this journey for the past 10 years and look forward to continuing our support for the arts in Newcastle."
Tickets to the awards ceremony are available through Civic Theatre.
