Canberra Area Theatre Award judge Paul Dion presents the CAT Award to Ricky Bloomfield. Photo: Supplied.
Ricky Bloomfield has only done a week’s workshop in drama, yet he has won a prestigious acting award.
The musician won the Jon English award for Best Actor in a Leading Role in a Musical at the 2025 Canberra Area Theatre (CAT) Awards.
“I have worn every hat in the music industry but I’m not an actor,” Mr Bloomfield said. “As a kid I did a few stage shows, but I didn’t act as such.”
He grew up in Tathra and started playing the guitar and writing and singing songs at the age of nine. He was playing in clubs and pubs when he was 10 and has been a professional musician since he was 16.
When he was 11 though he played the role of the young pickpocket the Artful Dodger in Spectrum Theatre Group’s (Spectrum) production of the musical Oliver! in 2001.
In a twist of fate, 24 years later Mr Bloomfield played the role of Fagin in Spectrum’s production of the same musical in May 2025 at Merimbula’s Twyford Theatre.
In the musical, adapted from the Charles Dickens classic Oliver Twist, Fagin is the teacher of the young gang of pickpockets.
“They are so tied together the parts of Fagin and the Artful Dodger,” Mr Bloomfield said. “They are so interlinked between fate and destiny, past and future, and protege and mentor.”
That protege/mentor relationship played out in another way.
Mr Bloomfield had also taught many of the young cast at the Merimbula School of Music. “It was life mirroring art,” he said.
Ricky Bloomfield on stage in the musical Oliver! Photo: Ethan Barnes.
Other than drama classes at school, Mr Bloomfield did a workshop for a week at the National Institute of Dramatic Art with Sam Worthington just before he was in Avatar. “Maybe that rubbed off in some capacity,” he joked.
It seems to have. While in rehearsals he found himself going into the acting world of trying to develop the character, acting how Fagin would have acted, with the facial expressions and body language to match.
“When I heard I was nominated I had a good feeling for some reason, but I was very grateful when I heard about the award,” Mr Bloomfield said.
“Without the cast and crew, I couldn’t have played the part or won the award or pulled off the performances.”
CAT judge Paul Dion presented the award to Mr Bloomfield in the Bega Valley because he was unable to attend the ceremony in Canberra on 31 January.
“It was an excellent and fresh portrayal of Fagin showing both singing and acting strengths,” Mr Dion said.
He said the aim of the CAT Awards had always been to recognise the enormous contribution made by non-professional groups to the artistic life of the region and to encourage individuals to participate in the performing arts.
Spectrum received three other nominations – Hudson Altmann who played Oliver and Hamish Kettle who played Charley, one of Fagin’s gang. The third nomination was for Robyn Whitby’s costumes in Steel Magnolia.
The Bay Theatre Players’ production of Ladies In Black was the other CAT Award winner in the Far South Coast, with Sam Aspinall and Candy Burgess winning the CAT Award for the best set design for a musical, variety or dance production.
CAT judges saw 95 shows during the 2025 season, 36 in the ACT and 59 in NSW from Sutherland, south to Merimbula, and out west to Albury, Dubbo and Parkes.
