Cate Blanchett was among the Best Actress nominees but lost out to Eryn Jean Norvill, who won for her role in the Sydney Theatre Company production of Tennessee Williams' Suddenly Last Summer. Blanchett was nominated for her performance in STC's world-premiere stage adaptation of Anton Chekhov's The Present. Hugo Weaving ("The Hobbit") took home the Best Actor in a Leading Role award for his performance in Samuel Beckett's Endgame, also at STC.

All three productions were nominees for the Best Mainstage Production Award, which went to the Belvoir Company's staging of Ivanov. The winning play took home the most awards in the Mainstage categories of the evening, picking up Best Director for Eamon Flack, Best Supporting Actress for Blazey Best and Best Supporting Actor for John Howard.

A record 36 awards were presented, shared between 19 productions that were staged last year.

The winners are marked below in bold with an asterisk (*)

Best Mainstage Production
Endgame (Sydney Theatre Company)
Ivanov (Belvoir)*
The Present (Sydney Theatre Company)
Suddenly Last Summer (Sydney Theatre Company)
The Wizard of Oz (Belvoir) Best Direction
Eamon Flack (Ivanov)*
Andrew Upton (Endgame)
Kip Williams (Love and Information)
Kip Williams (Suddenly Last Summer)

Best Actress in a Leading Role
Paula Arundell (The Bleeding Tree)
Cate Blanchett (The Present)
Jacqueline McKenzie (Orlando)
Eryn Jean Norvill (Suddenly Last Summer)*

Best Actor in a Leading Role
Colin Friels (Mortido)
Ewen Leslie (Ivanov)
Josh McConville (Hamlet)
Hugo Weaving (Endgame)*

Best Actress in a Supporting Role
Blazey Best (Ivanov)*
Jacqueline McKenzie (The Present)
Susan Prior (The Present)
Helen Thomson (Ivanov)

Best Actor in a Supporting Role
Matthew Backer (The Tempest)
John Bell (Ivanov)
John Howard (Ivanov)*
Barry Otto (Seventeen)

Best Stage Design
Alice Babidge (Suddenly Last Summer)
Marg Horwell (La Traviata)
Renée Mulder (The Bleeding Tree)
Nick Schlieper (Endgame)*

Best Costume Design
Alice Babidge (Mother Courage and her Children)
Alice Babidge (Suddenly Last Summer)*
Alicia Clements (After Dinner)
Marg Horwell (La Traviata)

Best Lighting Design
Paul Jackson (Love and Information)*
Nick Schlieper (Endgame)
Nick Schlieper (King Lear)
Emma Valente (The Wizard of Oz)

Best Score or Sound Design
Stefan Gregory (Suddenly Last Summer)
Max Lyandvert (Endgame)
Max Lyandvert (The Wizard of Oz)
The Sweats (Love and Information)*

Best New Australian Work
The Bleeding Tree (Angus Cerini)*
Boys Will Be Boys (Melissa Bubnic)
Kill the Messenger (Nakkiah Lui)
Mortido (Angela Betzien)

Best Newcomer
Kerrie Anne Greenland (Les Miserables)
Charlotte Hazzard (War Crimes)
Lauren McKenna (Heathers)*
Stephen Madsen (Heathers)
Lasarus Ratuere (Kill the Messenger)

Judith Johnson Award for Best Performance by an Actress in a Musical
Hilary Cole (Dogfight)
Samantha Dodemaide (Violet)
Jaz Flowers (Heathers)
Amy Lehpamer (The Sound of Music)*

Judith Johnson Award for Best Performance by an Actor in a Musical
Simon Gleeson (Les Miserables)
Stephen Madsen (Rent)
Tony Sheldon (Man of La Mancha)
Hayden Tee (Les Miserables)*

For Best Performance by an Actress in a Supporting Role in a Musical
Marika Aubrey (Matilda)
Jacqueline Dark (The Sound of Music)
Elise McCann (Matilda)*
Lauren McKenna (Heathers)

For Best Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role in a Musical
Damien Bermingham (Violet)
Daniel Frederiksen (Matilda)
Stephen Madsen (Heathers)
James Millar (Matilda)*

Special Achievement Award
Molly Barwick, Sasha Rose, Georgia Taplin, Bella Thomas (Matilda)

For more information visit sydneytheatreawards.com.