Helen Cassidy was a major winner on the night.

All the glamour of the state's theatre scene was on show at the annual Matilda Awards held at the Queensland Performing Arts Centre last month.

More than 170 industry professionals and supporters attended the awards night, which recognised the outstanding performers of Queensland's theatre sector, on 31 March.

Arts Minister Rod Welford presented the five major Matilda Awards sponsored by the State Government: Best New Australian Work, Best Main Stage Production, Best Director, Best Actor and Best Actress.

Highlights of the evening included Helen Cassidy taking the awards for both Best Actress and Best Supporting Actress, and The Kursk by Sasha Janowicz winning the best New Australian Play award.

Previous Matilda winners include playwright David Brown; the director of the National Institute of Dramatic Arts (NIDA) Aubrey Mellor; renowned director David Berthold; and actor/director Jean Marc Russ.

For the first time, the Matildas judging panel included respected industry professionals, as well as arts critics, and theatre workers living outside Queensland could be nominated for work undertaken locally.

The major winners of the 2008 Matilda Awards were:

• Best New Australian Work: The Kursk by Sasha Janowicz, produced by Metro Arts Independents
• Best Main Stage Production: A tie between The Narcissist from La Boite Theatre Company and The Glass Menagerie from the Queensland Theatre Company
• Best Director: Michael Futcher for The Kursk, produced by Metro Arts Independents
• Best Actor: Barry Otto in Queensland Theatre Company's Heroes
• Best Actress: Helen Cassidy in Queensland Theatre Company's The Glass Menagerie

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