Never mind Tony, Oscar and Olivier ... let’s toast winning a Syd

The widely acclaimed Grief is the Thing with Feathers (Belvoir and Andrew Henry Presents) has scooped the title of best mainstage production at the 2025 Sydney Theatre Awards.

As well as taking out the top gong, the play took home four other awards, including best new Australian work and best stage design.

John Shand, the Herald’s chief theatre critic, said it was a richly deserved accolade for an outstanding production.

“Grief is the Thing with Feathers was not just the best mainstage production of the year – it’s the best mainstage production for some years,” he said.

Here’s looking at you, Syd: Brian Thomson with the trophy he designed for the Sydney Theatre Awards. Credit: Louie Douvis

Shand singled out performer Toby Schmitz for his “sheer theatricality” in playing the lead role.

Meanwhile, Kat Stewart took out the award for best lead performance in a mainstage production for her role as Martha in the Sydney Theatre Company’s production of Edward Albee’s classic Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf?

“She is a towering Martha,” he said. “It’s a really juicy role for any actor, but you have to make her abominable and yet be liked simultaneously. And that is in large part in the hands of the actor rather than the words of Edward Albee. She just killed it.”

Best independent production went to Sistren (Green Door Theatre Company/Griffin Theatre Company), while Damien Ryan took out best direction of a mainstage production for The Player Kings, Sport for Jove’s monumental re-telling of Shakespeare’s history plays.

Toby Schmitz’s performance in Grief Is the Thing with Feathers was inspired.Credit: Brett Boardman

Hayes Theatre’s Phar Lap: The Electro-Swing Musical was named best musical.

This is the 21st iteration of the Sydney prizes and, for the first time, each winner of the 29 categories will go home with an award to put on the mantelpiece rather than merely a framed certificate.

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Colloquially dubbed The Syds, the 24-centimetre statuettes are the work of veteran theatre designer Brian Thomson.

“This year, we thought we would upgrade,” Sydney Theatre Awards chair Ian Phipps said. “We approached Brian and he came up with the distinctly Sydney idea of a pylon from the Sydney Harbour Bridge.”

The 3D-printed awards were already engraved with the winners’ names before last night’s gala at the Seymour Centre, Chippendale, so unlike winners at, say, the Oscars, recipients were not required to hand back the trophy to have their name added.

“When we saw the trophy, I sat down and I said, ‘well, it’s not a Tony. It’s not an Olivier. Let’s call it the Syd’,” said Phipps. “And everybody agreed. So that’s our colloquial name for it.”

Having seen more than 50 productions over the course of the 2025, Shand said it was a vintage year for Sydney theatre.

“In terms of overall quality, it’s been a very good year,” he said.

The full list of winners

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