Stage Door Productions Charitable Trust has taken home three major awards at the recent Zony Awards, including the coveted Best Youth Production for its 2024 show, Little Women: The Broadway Musical.

“Wow, receiving this award for our production of Little Women is such an honour,” said Stage Door principal Trace Tidd.

“We loved telling the beautiful story of Little Women and felt really proud of our production. There are so many fabulous youth productions being done in the Zone Two region, though, so it really is an amazing thing to be singled out in this way.”

The Zony Awards celebrate excellence in amateur theatre across the wider Waikato, Bay of Plenty, and East Coast regions.

Tidd acknowledged the entire team behind the show.

“This award belongs to everyone who played a part in bringing Little Women to life. It takes an absolute village to stage a theatre production, and this award would not have been possible without all our amazing supporters, volunteers and our generous sponsors.  It recognises the passion, creativity and hard work put in by the entire cast, the producers, the crew and the creative team.”

Among the individual honours, Olivia Sandbrook won Best Supporting Female in a Youth Production for her moving portrayal of Marmee March.

Little Women also scooped the award for Best Set – for outstanding design work on the production – and Ali Scott and Shannon Smith took the honours on behalf of the team.

Olivia said she was thrilled by her win, but even more proud that Little Women received Best Youth Production. Being part of this show was “a lot of fun”, she said.

Scott described the Best Set award as a huge team effort.

“Other names could easily be added, from the overall vision of Trace to the set dressing team that made everything come to life,” she said.

Smith agreed: “How fabulous that the efforts of the set design team have been recognised.

“Besides Ali and I there was a wider team who worked in this space so huge props to them also.”

Stage Door received an impressive 11 nominations for Little Women in the 2024/25 Zony Awards.