Sally McLean wins Best Performer in a Play at the 2024 BroadwayWorld Melbourne Awards

This was a lovely way to start the year! I got the news yesterday that I have been awarded Best Performer in a Play at the BroadwayWorld Melbourne Awards for my work in Only Child last year at Chapel off Chapel!

When the nominations were announced in October last year, I was just happy to listed among some amazing actors in this category, including those from Melbourne Theatre Company and the Malthouse. But to win? This is next level and I am so grateful.

Other Australian winners included Justine Clarke (Tangle, House Husbands) for her titular role in Julia at the Sydney Opera House, who took out the Broadway World Sydney Award in the same category, and the Australian premiere production of Hamilton at the Sydney Lyric Theatre, which took home nine awards across several musical theatre categories – which is an impressive achievement!

Back here at the Melbourne Awards, the team of the new musical Lady Macbeth Played Wing Defence, which was staged as part of the Melbourne Fringe Festival and is currently on a national tour, absolutely slammed it home with seven awards in total, followed by the professional remount of Sunset Boulevard, starring Sarah Brightman (the original Christine in Phantom of the Opera on the West End) at the Princess Theatre, which snagged five awards.

I am so grateful to all the industry peeps who nominated me and the Melbourne theatre-goers who voted for me. Thank you so much for enabling this lovely thing to happen. I am so thrilled and delighted. Finally, thank you to our fab cast of Only Child for being such an excellent ensemble to work with, our indomitable director, Tim Schwert and the powerhouse that is Leah Annetta, writer and producer.

Grateful. Thrilled, and more grateful again.