Sarah Snook Wins a Tony for Australian-Born Production of The Picture of Dorian Gray

Two Australian creatives have picked up awards at the 78th Tony Awards, held last night in New York.

The team behind Sydney Theatre Company’s The Picture of Dorian Gray was nominated for six awards – one for performance and five technical awards. It was the most nominations awarded to a solo show in the history of the Tony Awards.

On Broadway’s night of nights, Adelaide-born Sarah Snook won for Best Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role in a Play. Marg Horwell won for Best Costume Design of a Play. Snook and Horwell both won Lawrence Olivier Awards in those same categories for the play’s West End run in London.

Snook – who plays all 26 characters in the ambitious “cine-theatre” play – made her Broadway debut in the role.

In her acceptance speech, she said, “This means so much for a little Australian girl to be here on Broadway … [Thank you to] everybody on stage. It is billed as a one-person show, but I don’t feel alone on any night that I do this show. There are so many people on stage making it work, and so many people behind the stage making it work – in particular, a huge thank you to [adapter and director] Kip Williams who is incredible to create this.”

Michael Cassel, who produced the Broadway run, said in a statement, “Sarah Snook’s Tony Award win is a deeply deserved honour… It is also a proud moment for our entire creative team, whose vision and talent have also been recognised tonight. From its beginnings in Sydney to standing ovations on the West End and Broadway, the journey of this show has been nothing short of phenomenal. This accolade is not only a testament to the brilliance of everyone involved, but also to the courage of Sydney Theatre Company and Kip Williams, whose creative genius, ambition and innovation made this groundbreaking piece of theatre possible. I am so proud to be a part of Australian theatre being shared on the global stage.”

The Tonys were hosted last night by Wicked star and Tony Award winner Cynthia Erivo. Last month it was announced that Erivo was teaming up with Williams, Cassel and the Sydney Theatre Company creative team to bring Kip Williams’s Dracula to the West End. Like Snook, Erivo will play all 23 characters in that production.

Tickets are available for the Broadway production of The Picture of Dorian Gray.

@doriangrayplay