40thANNIVERSARY OF AWARDS
The Green Room Awards Association have today announced the appointment of veteran actor and producer, Anton Berezin, as incoming President.
Berezin is well known for his roles in major music theatre productions such as Phantom of the Opera, Evita, Once, Wicked, Cats and The Producers and as co-founder of Life Like Touring and The Entertainment Store.
Berezin stated, “It’s an incredible honour to work with the Green Room Awards, Melbourne’s peak theatrical body and the heart of our community. I’ve been in this wonderful industry for over 30 years, and the Green Room Awards ceremony continues to be the highlight of our theatrical calendar.This fabulous night is Melbourne’s opportunity to recognise, celebrate and promote the tremendous depth of talent our community has to offer. I’m looking forward to working with the Executive Team and Panellists to make the Awards even more relevant, more accessible, more entertaining and more meaningful to artists, producers and our audience. The Green Room Awards have an essential role in play in nurturing and growing our local industry and I’m thrilled to play some small part in the association’s future.”
Establish in 1982, this year marks the 40th anniversary of the inaugural Green Room Awards in Melbourne. In addition to a revised format for the Awards Ceremony, and a new Audience and Stakeholder engagement plan, The Green Room Awards Association have planned a series of events for an announcement later this year.
“We are delighted to welcome Anton Berezin as President to lead the Green Room Awards Association in 2023 and beyond. Through Anton’s tenacity, the Association will continue to evolve as a significant organisation celebrating the arts and artists in the cultural capital. Following our return as a live event last year, we look forward to presenting the awards ceremony in May, which will again be live-streamed so that everyone can attend.“, says Vice President Dean Drieberg.
The 2023 Green Room Awards Ceremony will take place in late May 2023, with further announcements expected soon.
THE GREEN ROOM AWARDS
Recognise, Celebrate and Promote
The Green Room Awards are Melbourne’s premier, peer-presented, performing arts industry awards.
Each year, the awards recognise outstanding achievements in Cabaret, Contemporary & Experimental Performance, Dance, Independent Theatre, Music Theatre, Opera and Theatre Companies.
The awards acknowledge the contributions of the many, diverse artists and technicians who work on stage, backstage, in the grid and in the pit. An entirely voluntary organisation, members give their time to recognise, celebrate and promote the work of industry peers and contribute to a stronger, more vibrant, inclusive, innovative and prosperous industry for theatre makers and our audiences.
THE EXECUTIVE
Anton Berezin – President (he/him)
Anton Berezin is an Australian actor, singer, multi-instrumentalist, and producer. Berezin is best known for his roles in over 25 commercial musical theatre productions such as THE PHANTOM OF THE OPERA, THE BRIDGES OF MADISON COUNTY, EVITA, SWEENEY TODD, WICKED, THE PRODUCERS, CABARET, FIDDLER ON THE ROOF and CATS. His film and Television work credits include NEWTON’S LAW, THE DIVORCE, JACK IRISH: BLACK TIDE and MISS FISHER’S MURDER MYSTERIES. He has been a prolific producer of Musical Theatre and Family Theatre through Life Like Touring, a production house he established in 1998 with his wife, actress and writer, Theresa Borg.Berezin is an Ashkenazi Jew, born in Leningrad in the former Soviet Union and arrived in Melbourne in 1976, at the age of 3, as a refugee. Berezin speaks fluent Russian and learned his ancestral language, Yiddish, as an adult.
Dean Drieberg – Vice President (he/him)
Dean is the Resident Director of HAMILTON Australia. In 2022, he directed the Australian Premiere of Stew and Heidi Rodewald’s PASSING STRANGE for Antipodes Theatre Company, for whom he directed a development of Michele Gould’s 107 and a reading of Harrison David Rivers’THIS BITTER EARTH. In 2020, Dean worked alongside Jarrod Draper to create his sold-out solo shows for Darlinghurst Theatre Company. Dean is Co-Artistic Director of Stephen Sondheim repertory company Watch This, alongside Melanie Hillman. In 2019, he co-directed SUNDAY IN THE PARK WITH GEORGE with Sonya Suares for Watch This, receiving two Green Room Award nominations for Best Direction and Best Multimedia Design. He directed and designed BARE THE MUSICAL and the Australian Premiere of MEMPHIS THE MUSICAL for StageArt at Chapel Off Chapel. Dean studied at WAAPA and VCA and is an advocate for theatre that is inclusive of Indigenous, Bla(c)k and people of colour, artists with a disability and LGBTQIA+ artists.
Weng Yi Wong – Secretary(she/her)
Weng Yi (she/her) works in commercial law by day and divides the rest of her time between the performing arts industry and recreational equestrian sports. She holds a Bachelor of Arts and Law from Monash University and has additionally acquired an eclectic mix of qualifications, ranging from those in the equine industry and music industry to intellectual property law.
Weng Yi comes from a background in classical music, having spent many childhood hours involved in solo, orchestral and string ensemble performances. She has since pursued her passion for musical theatre in a professional capacity as Production Manager for the Be You Group’s BROADWAY UNPLUGGED bi-monthly concert series, [TITLE OF SHOW], and their upcoming 2023 production LUCKY STIFF. As a former Editor and literature major, Weng Yi is also interested in storytelling through written mediums, particularly by and for our diverse community.
Emily Harvey – Treasurer (she/her)
Emily is an arts manager, theatre practitioner, and designer. Emily has worked as a design associate on GOLDEN SQUARE (RISING), ANTIGONE X (Theatre Works), and TITUS (Bloomshed). She was part of the Australian touring team for PRAGUE QUADRENNIAL (PQAU, 2019) and worked on the costume realisation of MONICA BILL BARNES COMPANY GALLERY WORKOUT (NVG x The MET, 2018). She currently holds an executive position on VAMP, managing cultural and community enrichment events targeting audiences in regional Victoria, and has a Bachelor of Fine Arts (Production) from the Victorian College of the Arts. Outside of her involvement in the arts, Emily maintains a professional career in insurance, loss adjusting, and risk management since 2010.
