“CityNews” was hard-pressed to find any Canberrans among the many nominations in the 41 categories for the 12th Annual Helpmann Awards, announced in Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane earlier in the week, but there were two – Patrick Brammall for Best Male Actor in a Supporting Role in a Play and Lorina Gore for Best Female Performer in a Supporting Role in an Opera.

The top end of town is very evident, with nominations for Kevin Spacey in “Richard III”, Cate Blanchett in “Gross Und Klein” and Opera Australia’s La Traviata-Handa Opera on Sydney Harbour.

The awards, to be held on September 24 at Sydney Opera House, have normally focused on the two biggest cities in the country, but this year’s nomination list reveals a respectable line-up from Brisbane, Perth, Adelaide and, with the advent of MONA, the Museum of Old and New Art, Hobart.

Realistically, this leaves smaller and regional centres out in the cold when it comes to awards, confirming the impression of theatre as essentially a metropolitan activity, though community-oriented company Big hART is included.

All the same, nominations like those from Brammall and Gore, who got their start in Canberra,  confirm that Australian theatre draws on the wide popularity of the art form at the regional and community level.

During the announcement ceremony, the NSW Minister for Tourism, Major Events and the Arts, George Souris, described the Helpmanns as “the premiere awards event for the live performance industry,” adding, “the staging of them in Sydney re-affirms the NSW Government’s commitment to the arts and further strengthens Sydney’s position as the live performance capital of Australia.”

Though most of the awards are still to be judged, Mr Souris did announce that Katharine Brisbane would be the co-recipient of the 2012 JC Williamson Award, along with the late musician Jimmy Little, named earlier in the year.

Brisbane, who originally came to the east from Perth, has been a formidable theatre reviewer, an arts advocate and, with her late husband Philip Parsons, the founder of Currency Press, the publisher of Australian plays and performing arts history.

Kathryn Sadler, chair of the Brian Stacey Memorial Trust, announced that Daniel Carter is this year’s winner of the $8000 prize Brian Stacey Award for Emerging Australian Conductors, established in memory of music director Stacy, who died in a traffic accident just before he was to conduct “Sunset Boulevard”.

From now until September 24, all eyes will be on the remaining nominations, which can be viewed at www.helpmannawards.com.au

Actor Simon Burke will host the gala evening, which will feature large company pieces from “A Chorus Line” and “South Pacific,” a tribute to Jimmy Little from Dan Sultan and the “Black Swan” pas de deux from “SwanLake” by The Australian Ballet.

The awards will be broadcast on Tuesday, September 25, at 8.30pm on channel 132 on Foxtel. Tickets at 02 9250 7777 or www.sydneyoperahouse.com