Benji Riggs wins prestigious award for Book Nooks

For those who haven't already seen on the company's Facebook and Instagram accounts, I recently had the honour of acknowledgement for the company's most recent original production, Book Nooks - A Christmas Musical.

I was delighted to receive the Individual Award (community theatre) for my original musical, Book Nooks, by The Adelaide Critics Circle for their 2025 awards. This show holds a special place in my heart and I am humbled to have been recognised alongside a range of outstanding recipients and nominees.

Book Nooks stands tall in my memory as one of the most impactful pieces of theatre the company has produced to date - and this is a special accomplishment given our consistent drive to put out engaging and emotionally driven works, which, according to our audiences, we do well.

While searching for a way to meaningfully add to Christmas lore, the story of Book Nooks came to me quite suddenly. I had the idea of Grunkels being the candy makers of Christmas early on, I was struggling with what the heart of the story would be. However, on a familiar drive to visit my parents, I was considering the Christmases we would sometimes have when visiting my Grandpa in the UK - experiences that had been left to memory after his passing. It was this singular moment of recall that gave me the heart of the story - 11-year-old Jack's first Christmas without his grandpa.

At the same time, I took the writing of the music as somewhat a study of Sondheim, while doing my best not to ignore the other musical influences that had become part of my compositional voice. I had made this decision because Sondheim's use of melody and harmony so perfectly encapsulated the emotional ties to the human experience that existed within his work. It was this thorough understanding of humanity through music I wanted to further explore while writing Book Nooks. It was a wonderful creative journey that changed the way I write for the better, I think.

Thank you Adelaide Critics Circle for your recognition of my writing and compositional abilities, and thank you to everyone who contributed to the staging of this production!

While Book Nooks didn't have a season this year, I can't wait to share it with you all once again soon.

Benji