Australian costume designer Marg Horwell has called her win at this year's Tony Awards "surreal" and says she never could have imagined picking up theatre's most prestigious prize.
Horwell picked up the Tony for Best Costume Design of a Play at Sunday night's ceremony in New York for her work on The Picture of Dorian Gray, the one-woman show starring Australian actress Sarah Snook.
Snook, who plays 26 characters in the production, also took home Best Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role in a Play.
After a whirlwind 24 hours, Horwell told ABC News Breakfast the cast and creative team behind the show have been basking in Tony Award glory.
"It's been an incredible night. We were out all-night celebrating," she said.
The Sydney Theatre Company's adaptation of Oscar Wilde's novel, directed by Kip Williams, had received six nominations at the 78th Tony Awards, the most-nominated solo show in the history of the ceremony.
"It's a huge celebration of Australian theatre in a town that has so much theatre and such an amazing theatre community," Horwell said.
"It's been a wonderful celebration of the show that has come from Australia and gone via London and then arrived in New York. We're so excited."
Creating a Tony Award winner
The show, which originally premiered in 2020 in Sydney, is no stranger to accolades, winning multiple prizes at London's Olivier Awards in 2024 for the West End production.
But Horwell recalls its humble inception, now, half a decade ago.
"We made this show coming out of the pandemic, and it was at a time that we were trying to make work that was slightly safer or smaller and this was a huge ambitious project that came out of that time.
"I'm so proud that we were, I don't know, naive enough or brave enough to be so bold," Horwell said.
Creating countless costumes for Sarah Snook, Horwell says the production is a type of theatre audiences don't often get to see.
"Quick changes or things that we normally try to hide in theatre are celebrated and centrestage in the show and it feels like you're getting to see a theatre secret."
When asked about her advice to young Australians who want to pursue a career in the theatre, Horwell is reflective about her humble beginnings.
"I saw as much as I possibly could and learnt as much as I possibly could by watching. My parents were great, took me to a lot of theatre when I was younger, and fringe theatre, small theatre in a small town.
"Child me, I don't think would ever have believed that I would be sitting in a hotel in New York now with a Tony Award.
"It's surreal. We're humbled."
