South-east Queensland's most talented theatre professionals were acknowledged in April for their outstanding work over the past year.

Arts Minister Rod Welford presented the annual Matilda Awards for Excellence to the top five actors, designers and practitioners of 2006.

Arts Queensland provides $10,000 to fund the five Gold Matilda Awards for the top five practitioners of the previous year's theatre season.

These are the critics' awards for excellence, with each winner receiving prize money of $2000.

The Gold Matilda Award winners were:

• Margi Brown Ash – for her performance in the nest theatre company's ensemble production of The Knowing of Mary Poppins
• Brett Collery – for sound design, especially for Queensland Theatre Company’s Constance Drinkwater and the Final Days of Somerset by Stephen Carleton and, Away by Michael Gow
• Michael Gow - for direction of Queensland Theatre Company's productions of his play Away; Private Lives by Noel Coward; and Absurd Person Singular by Alan Ayckbourn
• Robert Kemp - for set design for Queensland Theatre Company, especially for Away by Michael Gow and Private Lives by Noel Coward
• Steven Tandy - for his performance in La Boite Theatre Company's Last Drinks by Shaun Charles

Arts Queensland has been involved with the Matilda Awards since its inception in 1987 when local theatre critics Alison Cotes and Sue Gough first proposed the idea. The Matilda Awards were established in 1988, and are judged annually by a panel of local drama critics.

Photo Caption:
Award presentation. Photo by Eric Scott.

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