David Birrell in Dundee Rep's Sweeney Todd
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Scottish Critics' Awards Shortlist Announced

The shortlist for this year's Critics Awards for Theatre in Scotland (CATS) has been announced. The winners will be announced in a ceremony at Edinburgh's Festival Theatre Sunday 12 June 2011.

Now in its ninth year, CATS highlights the work of actors, directors playwrights and other artists who have made the most thrilling contributions to the Scottish theatre industry. Any piece of professional theatre substantially produced in Scotland is eligible for the awards.

Dundee Rep's Sweeney Todd, directed by James Brining, has been nominated in five categories with Edinburgh's Lyceum Theatre receiving six nods. Cora Bissett site-specific production Roadkill, which won a Fringe First at Edinburgh last year, is also nominated in five categories including Best Production. Bissett also picks up a Best Director nomination.

Linda Griffiths' Age of Arousal which the Lyceum's co-produced with Stellar Quines Theatre Company has been nominated for four awards, including Best Director for Stettar Quines artistic director Muriel Romanes.

The Lyceum also receives a Best Ensemble nomination for Mark Thomson's The Importance of Being Earnest whilst Peter Forbes is nominated for Best Male Performance for the theatre's production of Educating Agnes.

The National Theatre of Scotland has also had a strong year with Nothing to See Here, Love Letters to the Public Transport System and Alasdair Macrae's The Strange Undoing of Prudencia Hart all contributing to the company's total of six nominations. Macrae's production, which toured Scotland earlier this year, makes its way to Latitude Festival in July.

English Touring Theatre, the Belgrade Theatre, Coventry and the Traverse Theatre's co-production The Three Musketeers and the Princess of Spain written by Chris Hannan is nominated for four awards, with Kate Dickie nominated for Best Female Performance for the Traverse Theatre Company's production of Any Given Day.

The CATS judging panel was this year made up of critics Mary Brennan (The Herald), Mark Brown (Sunday Herald and Daily Telegraph), Neil Cooper (The Herald), Michael Cox (onstagescotland.co.uk), Robert Dawson Scott (The Times), Thom Dibdin (Edinburgh Evening News and The Stage), Mark Fisher (The Guardian), Joyce McMillan (The Scotsman), Gareth K Vile (The Skinny) and Joy Watters (The Courier).

A full list of nominees for the 2011 Awards can be found on the CATS website.

- by Andrew Girvan

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