In June 2019, Arena was nominated in the category of "Best Female Actor in a Musical" at the annual Helpmann Awards for her lead role performance as Eva Perón in "Evita", an Opera Australia production. Arena was nominated alongside Luisa Scrofani, Natalie Abbott, and Ursula Yovich. The award was won by Ursula Yovich for "Barbara and the Camp Dogs". The Helpmann Awards are accolades for live entertainment and performing arts in Australia, presented by industry group Live Performance Australia. Established in 2001, the annual awards recognise achievements in the disciplines of musical theatre, contemporary music, comedy, opera, classical music, theatre, dance and physical theatre.