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New Zealand theatre company Pop-up Globe has scooped up a staggering 28 nominations in the Broadway World Sydney theatre awards.

This represents 37% of the total nominations in applicable categories in the prestigious annual awards, which are run by global theatre giant BroadwayWorld.com -- the world's largest theatre site.

A Pop-up Globe, identical to the company's Auckland base, has been resident in Sydney since September 2018 and has sold over 100,000 tickets to the four productions which transferred from Auckland earlier this year.

The productions, A Midsummer Night's Dream, Macbeth, The Merchant of Venice and The Comedy of Errors, were all produced in Auckland and ran at Pop-up Globe Auckland last summer. They featured a blend of Kiwi and international actors, and attracted attendances of some 100,000 during their four-month run before transferring to Sydney, where they were greeted with critical acclaim from Australian press.

A Midsummer Night's Dream has proved a huge hit with Australian audiences, leading the field for Best Play, Best Director for Kiwi director Miles Gregory, Best Costume Design for designer Bob Capocci, and Best Supporting Actor for Aussie Chris Huntly-Turner at the awards.

New Zealand acting royalty Stephen Lovatt and Amanda Billing have both secured nominations for Best Actor and Best Actress in a Play for their performances as Lord and Lady Macbeth, up against competition including Hugo Weaver and Pamela Rabe.

All four Pop-up Globe productions were nominated for Best Costume Design, and Pop-up Globe's Movement Director Brigid Costello received three nominations in the Best Choreographer category.

"We're obviously delighted to have secured so many nominations in the Broadway World Sydney theatre awards, up against competition from local giants including Sydney Opera House and the Hayes Theatre," said Dr Miles Gregory, artistic director and founder of Pop-up Globe, and the leading nomination for Best Director for his work on A Midsummer Night's Dream.

"Pop-up Globe has always been proud to be born and headquartered in Auckland. We are proud to be ambassadors for the New Zealand arts community, and to fly the flag for New Zealand creativity both at home and abroad. It's particularly good for so many New Zealand actors and creatives to have been nominated, recognising the extraordinary talent that comes from the New Zealand arts industry and arts training."

The current season at Pop-up Globe Auckland features productions of Richard III and The Taming of the Shrew, which have received rave reviews from fans and critics alike since they opened last month. Asked whether these productions would also transfer internationally, artistic director Miles Gregory refused to be drawn.

"Our mission is to share with as many people as possible our passion for Shakespeare performed with gusto in the space for which it was written. We'd love to transfer our current work to other Pop-up Globes, and we're in planning for our future international seasons at the moment, working with our international partners Live Nation Australasia. Watch this space!"

Voting for the Broadway World Sydney theatre awards continues at https://www.broadwayworld.com/sydney/vote2018region.cfm, and closes on 31 December 2018. The winners will be announced in January 2019.

Full list of Pop-up Globe's nominations for the awards:

Broadway World Awards, Sydney 2018

Category Nominations
Best Actor in a Play Hugh Sexton
Best Actor in a Play Jade Daniels
Best Actor in a Play Max Loban
Best Actor in a Play Stephen Lovatt
Best Actress in a Play Amanda Billing
Best Actress in a Play Romy Hooper
Best Actress in a Play Sarah Griffen
Best Supporting Actor in a Play Chris Huntly-Turner
Best Supporting Actor in a Play Jason Te Kare
Best Supporting Actor in a Play Jonathan Martin
Best Supporting Actor in a Play Max Loban
Best Supporting Actor in a Play Nigel Langley
Best Supporting Actress in a Play Amanda Billing
Best Supporting Actress in a Play Julia Guthrey
Best Supporting Actress in a Play Mia Landgren
Best Supporting Actress in a Play Sarah Griffin
Best Supporting Actress in a Play Serena Cotton
Best Choreographer Brigid Costello
Best Choreographer Brigid Costello
Best Choreographer Brigid Costello
Best Director - Play Miles Gregory
Best Director - Play Tom Mallaburn
Best Costume Design - Play Bob Capocci
Best Costume Design - Play Bob Capocci
Best Costume Design - Play Chantelle Gerard
Best Costume Design - Play Chantelle Gerard
Best Play A Midsummer Night's Dream
Best Play Macbeth

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