Today, UK Theatre announces the nominees for this year’s UK Theatre Awards, the only nationwide awards to honour and celebrate outstanding achievements in theatre throughout England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland by UK Theatre members.
With nominees from across the length and breadth of the UK, this year’s shortlist showcases the creativity, originality and resilience of theatre. Leading the nominations with five nominations across categories including Best Performance in a Play, Best Play Revival and Director is Leeds Playhouse.
Meanwhile, The Crucible Theatre, Sheffield has received two nominations in the Best Director category, for Rock/Paper/Scissors (Elin Schofield, Robert Hastie, Anthony Lau) and Typical Girls (Róisín McBrinn), with four female directors nominated for this award.
Elsewhere, actors Giles Terera and Henry Goodman go head to head in the Best Performance in a Play category, for The Meaning of Zong and Murder on the Orient Express respectively, with Eithne Browne (Maggie May) and Leah St Luce (Black Love) also offering strong competition in the category.
The exceptional work created by each of this year’s nominees demonstrates that there is no better time to support local theatre.
Following a two-year hiatus due to the pandemic, the winners will be announced on Sunday 23rd October, during a lunchtime ceremony at London’s Guildhall. The event will be hosted by star of the stage, Courtney Bowman (Everyone’s Talking About Jamie, Six, Legally Blonde).
UK Theatre Joint Presidents, Stephanie Sirr and Jon Gilchrist said,
“Following an incredibly challenging few years due to the pandemic, theatres across the UK have had to work harder than ever to continue to provide for their local communities: to keep their doors open and to keep making the inspiring work they present. Theatres provide so much more than just entertainment. In towns across the UK they are often a central hub; a space for people to feel welcome and included. That’s why it’s more important than ever that we come together on the 23rd October to recognise and celebrate everything that they do.
This year’s nominations reflect a multifaceted variety of voices, highlighting the diversity and quality of shows presented across the UK. It is brilliant to see so much upcoming talent among the nominees as well as all four nations being represented.”
Nominations are split into new ‘On Stage’ and ‘Off Stage’ categories, as part of a refresh of the Awards in 2019 instated to reflect the contemporary priorities of the UK’s theatre industry. As part of this, UK Theatre members now have more involvement in the nomination process, can put forward shows and individuals for nomination and can submit an application for an Off Stage award.
Nominations for the UK’s Most Welcoming Theatre were announced last month with Dundee Rep and Scottish Dance Theatre, Leeds Playhouse and New Wolsey Theatre in Ipswich making the shortlist. The winner will be revealed on the 23rd October as part of the ceremony.
The recipient of this year’s Outstanding Contribution to British Theatre Award has been revealed as Sarah Holmes, former CEO of the New Wolsey Theatre, Ipswich. Sarah was selected by the board for constantly championing access and inclusion, spear-heading the post of Agent for Change and applying challenging criteria to her own programming policy with a “nothing about us, without us” policy around inclusion. Sarah’s tenure saw the New Wolsey become a founding partner on Black-led theatre initiative Eclipse, and D/deaf and disabled collective Ramps on the Moon, which has now been running for over 7 years.
The UK Theatre Awards are sponsored by: Harbottle and Lewis, John Good Ltd, Nyman Libson Paul, Settingline Production Management, Spektrix, Theatre Tokens, Tysers in association with Ecclesiastical, Unusual Rigging, and White Light
UK Theatre Awards – On Stage
Theatre Categories
Best Design
Dracula: The Untold Story – Leeds Playhouse – Design by Laura Hopkins, Projection and Video Design by Simon Wainwright
Into The Woods – Theatre Royal Bath – Design by Jon Bausor, Video Design by Will Duke, Costume Design by Antony McDonald
Life is a Dream – Edinburgh Lyceum – Design by Georgia McGuinness
Best Director
Jessica Daniels – The Mozart Question – A Barn Theatre production in association with Bob & Marianne for Anthology Theatre and The Everyman Theatre Cheltenham
Robert Hastie, Anthony Lau, Elin Schofield – Rock/Paper/Scissors – The Crucible, Studio and Lyceum Theatre, Sheffield
Natalie Ibu – The White Card – A Birmingham Rep, Leeds Playhouse, Northern Stage & Soho Theatre co-production in association with HOME Manchester
Róisín McBrinn – Typical Girls – The Crucible Theatre, Sheffield
Best Musical Production
Billy Elliot – Leicester Curve
Now is Good – Storyhouse, Chester
Whistle Down the Wind – The Watermill Theatre
Best New Play
Cherry Jezebel – Liverpool Everyman
How to Bury a Dead Mule – Lyric Theatre, Belfast
Mugabe, My Dad & Me – A co-production by ETT, Brixton House & York Theatre
Royal in association with Alison Holder
Best Performance in a Musical
Charlie Stemp – Crazy for You – Chichester Festival Theatre
Divina de Campo – Hedwig and the Angry Inch – A Leeds Playhouse and HOME
co-production
Nicole & Kyla Fox, Emme & Eden Patrick, Sienna & Savannah Robinson – Identical – A
Nottingham Playhouse and Kenny Wax Ltd co-production
Best Performance in a Play
Eithne Browne – Maggie May – Leeds Playhouse
Henry Goodman – Murder on the Orient Express – Chichester Festival Theatre
Leah St Luce – Black Love – A Paines Plough and Belgrade Theatre Coventry
production, in association with tiata fahodzi
Giles Terera – The Meaning of Zong – A Bristol Old Vic Production
Best Play Revival
Jitney – A Headlong, Leeds Playhouse and Old Vic co-production
The Mountaintop – A Royal Exchange Theatre Production
Translations – An Abbey Theatre and Lyric Theatre Belfast Co-Production
Best Show for Children and Young People
Beauty and the Beast – A New Vic Production
Fantastically Great Women Who Changed the World – Kenny Wax Family Entertainment
in association with MAST Mayflower Studios
Petula – A National Theatre Wales, Theatr Genedlaethol Cymru and August012
co-production
Best Supporting Performance (in a musical or play)
Nicola Hughes – Into The Woods – A Theatre Royal Bath Production
Robert Jackson – Brief Encounter – A Stephen Joseph Theatre, Octagon Theatre and
Theatre By The Lake co-production
Nishla Smith – Kes – An Octagon Theatre and Theatre By The Lake co-production
UK Theatre – Achievement in Opera
Scottish Opera for Candide
Glyndebourne for the Poulenc Double Bill
Richard Mantle for the last year at Opera North, which epitomizes the work Richard has
achieved over his tenure
Music Theatre Wales and Britten Pears Arts production of Violet at Buxton International
Festival at Buxton Opera
UK Theatre – Achievement in Dance
William Tuckett’s Then or Now for Ballet Black, exquisitely melding poetry, dance, light and sound into an intimate work that gently touches big themes of our times
The dancers of Rambert for their ability to inhabit any choreographer’s vision, as a company of unique, versatile, incredibly skilled performers
Dan Daw for The Dan Daw Show, a kinky, joyful, unapologetic and vulnerable celebration of oneself and one’s body
UK Theatre Awards – Offstage Categories
Digital Innovation
Chichester Festival Theatre English Touring Theatre Sadlers Wells
Excellence in Arts Education
Lyric Theatre Belfast Storyhouse
Ambassador Theatre Group
Excellence in Inclusivity
English Touring Theatre Graeae Theatre Company Scottish Opera
Excellence in Touring
Graeae Theatre Company Northern Ballet
Scottish Opera
Workforce Award
Ambassador Theatre Group The Marlowe
Mercury Theatre
Outstanding Contribution to British Theatre
Sarah Holmes – Former CEO, New Wolsey Theatre, Ipswich
To find out more about the UK Theatre Awards, visit here…
Leave a Comment