Best Director winner Jemima Levick, with Karen Dunbar
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Traverse & Dundee Rep Take Honours at CATS

On the same night as Broadway honoured its stars at the Tony Awards (See News, 14 June 2010), Scottish theatre royalty assembled in Edinburgh for the annual Critics’ Awards for Theatre in Scotland. Edinburgh’s Traverse Theatre and Dundee Repertory Theatre, two of Scotland’s leading building-based companies, emerged as the leaders at this year’s ceremony, with the venues taking home six out of the ten prizes between them.

The Traverse Theatre, which received ten nominations in this year’s shortlists, took Best New Play for the third year running and Best Production for Ursula Rani Sarma’s The Dark Things, while Sian Thomas received the award for Best Female Performance for her role in The Goat, or Who is Sylvia?.

Dundee Rep’s The Elephant Man was successful in three categories including Best Director for Jemima Levick, an award for which she has received two previous nominations. Kevin Lennon took Best Male Performance for his role as John Merrick in the same play, while Alex Lowde (set) and Colin Grenfell (lighting) were presented with the award for Best Design– marking the fourth year in a row that Dundee Rep has been successful in this category.

Nominated for the first time, all-inclusive theatre company [Lung Ha’s] won the Best Ensemble award for Huxley’s Lab, a co-production with Grid Iron which ran as part of the Edinburgh International Science Festival. The National Theatre of Scotland’s Mr Write was named Best Production for Children and Young People, a title that the company previously won in 2006 for Home: East Lothian. Best Technical Presentation went to Perth Theatre for Jane Eyre, while Alistair Macrae took the award for Best Use of Music and Sound for The Government Inspector, a co-production by Communicado Theatre Company and the Tron Theatre.

Now in its eighth year, the awards presentation took place on Sunday 13 June during a glittering ceremony hosted by Jonathan Mills, director of the Edinburgh International Festival, and much-loved actress and comedienne Karen Dunbar, at the Festival Theatre in Edinburgh.

Co-convenor, Mark Fisher, said: “With such a strong line-up of nominations, the CATS ceremony was sure to go with a swing and we were delighted with just what a lively occasion it was. The only shame is that everyone couldn't be a winner, because there was so much talent in the room. And we know that was just the tip of the iceberg in another great year for theatre in Scotland.”

Best Male Performance, sponsored by Guy Robertson Partnership: Kevin Lennon as John Merrick, The Elephant Man, Dundee Rep

Best Female Performance, sponsored by STV: Sian Thomas as Stevie, The Goat, or Who is Sylvia?, Traverse Theatre

Best Ensemble: Huxley's Lab, Grid Iron/Lung Ha's

Best Director: Jemima Levick, The Elephant Man, Dundee Rep

Best Design: Alex Lowde (set) and Colin Grenfell (lighting), The Elephant Man, Dundee Rep

Best Use of Music & Sound: Alasdair Macrae, The Government Inspector, Tron Theatre/Communicado

Best Technical Presentation, sponsored by Northern Light: Jane Eyre, Perth Theatre

Best Production for Children & Young People: Mr Write, National Theatre of Scotland

Best New Play, sponsored by W&P Longreach: Ursula Rani Sarma, The Dark Things, Traverse Theatre

Best Production: The Dark Things, Traverse Theatre

- by Joseph Pike

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