The Fleur du Cap winners were announced at a glittering ceremony at the Baxter Theatre last night.

The Mother City was abuzz as theatre-goers and the stars of the stage gathered to celebrate South Africa’s outstanding acting talent at the country’s most established theatre awards ceremony, the annual Fleur du Cap Theatre Awards, held at the Baxter Theatre in Rondebosch.

Known as the Oscars of Cape Town, the occasion is widely recognised as the city’s premier red carpet event and this year the organisers were thrilled to welcome Premier, Helen Zille and Mayor, Dan Plato as the guests of honour.

Entertaining the illustrious crowd in between the awarding of prizes was the vivacious Capetonian television personality and radio presenter, Elana Afrika, who was joined on stage by dynamic performers such as Amanda Strydom; Nomfusi; the South African Youth Choir; Jazzart Dance Theatre; the all-male singing quartet, Romanz; Jolette Odendaal; and Shaleen Surtie-Richards, who won her first Fleur du Cap Theatre Award 20 years ago and her second in 2009. Celebrity guests who handed over the awards included David Kramer; Soli Philander; Hannes van Wyk; Anna-Mart van der Merwe; Sandra Prinsloo; Fiona Coyne, and others.

Distell, one of the leading liquor companies in South Africa, has been funding the performing arts for more than four decades, and presents the annual Fleur du Cap Theatre Awards as part of the company’s corporate social investment programme. For the past 44 years these distinguished awards have been awarded to professional theatre productions staged in the Western Cape Region. They were established in 1965 when they were known as the Three Leaf Awards and in 1978 the prize was renamed after Fleur du Cap, one of Distell’s many well-known wine brands. The panel of judges is chaired by a non-voting chairman, Conrad Sidego and the team is made up largely of local critics; journalists; writers; and drama educators. The 14 Fleur du Cap judges, who viewed close to 80 productions in 2009, are Marianne Thamm; Robert Greig; Zane Henry; Brent Meersman; Len Ashton; Peter Tromp; Dr. Beverley Brommert; Jill Markram; Wayne Muller; Denise Bester; Wilhelm Snyman; Marina Griebenow; Mariana Malan; and Herman van der Westhuizen. Irma Albers, Arts and Culture Controller and the organiser of the Fleur du Cap Theatre Awards says, “Cape Town remains on the cutting edge of innovative theatre and continues to witness new talent on all fronts.”

The Fleur du Cap Theatre Awards are given in 18 categories and the winners each receive R15 000 prize money together with a medallion commemorating the honour.

Winning the Best Actor award for the second year in a row and the award for Best Performance in a One Person Show, was double nominee Jeremy Crutchley, honoured for his superb portrayal of Charlotte von Mahlsdorf in I Am My Own Wife, directed by Janice Honeyman, who won the Best Director prize for her work on the same play.

Sandra Prinsloo received the Best Actress award for Die Naaimasjien that was written by Rachelle Greeff who scooped the award for Best New SA Script for this excellent work. Erica Wessels was named Best Supporting Actress for her role as Amanda in Private Lives and Guy de Lancey, repeating his 2009 win in the same category, won the Best Supporting Actor award for his role as Melancholy Jacques in As You Like It.

Jonathan Roxmouth, also nominated twice this year, won the Best Performance in a Musical award for his role as Gaston in Beauty and the Beast, whilst Fiona du Plooy and the cast of Angels on Horseback were the recipients of the award for the Best Performance in a Revue or Cabaret.

Illka Louw enjoyed a double win for her fine work on The Tempest that won her both the Best Costume Design and Best Set Design awards. Triple nominee Janni Younge won for Best Prop and Puppetry Design for her masks in Pictures of You, for which FTH:K’s Rob Murray won the award for the Best Lighting Design.

Tara-Louise Notcutt won the Rosalie van der Gucht Prize for New Directors for her direction on …Miskien whilst Magnet Theatre, headed by Jenni Reznek and Mark Fleishman, won the Award for Innovation in Theatre. The Lifetime Achievement Award went to Maxine Arvan from the Baxter Theatre and the Best Student award was won by Hannah Borthwick from the University of Stellenbosch. Theatre fans voted online for their favourite 2009 production for the People’s Choice Award, and Decadence, starring Emily Child and Scott Sparrow, took the prize.

Guests took advantage of the long weekend to party into the small hours and toasted the winners with Fleur du Cap wines; canapes; and desserts created by DISH Food and Social. All proceeds from the sale of the tickets went towards the development of theatre in the Western Cape.

The next awards ceremony will be held at the Artscape Theatre in March 2011.