Theatre News

Law, Corden, Arterton, Spacey Make Evening Standard Longlist

The longlist has been announced for this year’s Evening Standard Theatre Awards, which will be announced on 20 November 2011.

Among the names in the ring for the acting awards are James Corden, Gemma Arterton, Benedict Cumberbatch, Sheridan Smith, Jude Law, Kevin Spacey, Ralph Fiennes and Ruth Wilson.

Productions including Betty Blue Eyes (Novello), Crazy for You (Open Air Theatre) and Matilda the Musical (RSC Stratford & Cambridge Theatre) will vie to make the shortlist for Best Musical.

Directors Rob Ashford (Anna Christie), Danny Boyle (Frankenstein), Bijan Sheibani (The Kitchen) and Trevor Nunn (Flare Path) also make the longlist, which will be whittled down to shortlists by 7 November 2011. 

This year’s judging panel comprises Evening Standard deputy editor Sarah Sands, critics Henry Hitchings, Georgina Brown, Susannah Clapp, Charles Spencer, Libby Purves and Matt Wolf, with Evgeny Lebedev as chair.

As previously announced, this year the Evening Standard Awards will also feature the audience-voted Best Night Out Award. There will also be four additional awards announced on the night.

The full longlist is:

Best Actor
Bertie Carvel for Matilda The Musical (RSC Stratford & Cambridge Theatre)
Richard Clothier for Richard III (Hampstead)
James Corden for One Man, Two Guvnors (National’s Lyttelton)
Benedict Cumberbatch for Frankenstein (National’s Olivier)
Charles Edwards for Much Ado About Nothing (Shakespeare’s Globe)
Ralph Fiennes for The Tempest (Theatre Royal Haymarket)
Harry Hadden-Paton for Flare Path (Theatre Royal Haymarket)
Derek Jacobi for King Lear (Donmar)
Jude Law for Anna Christie (Donmar)
Jonny Lee Miller for Frankenstein (National’s Olivier)
Kevin Spacey for Richard III (Old Vic)
Dominic West for Butley (Duchess)

Best Actress
Kristin Scott Thomas for Betrayal (Comedy)
Gemma Arterton for The Master Builder (Almeida)
Tracie Bennett for End of the Rainbow (Trafalgar Studios)
Eve Best for Much Ado About Nothing (Shakespeare’s Globe)
Lisa Dillon for The Knot of the Heart (Almeida)
Hadyn Gwynne for Richard III (Old Vic)
Lesley Manville for Grief (National’s Cottesloe)
Sinead Matthews for Ecstasy (Hampstead)
Ruth Negga for The Playboy of the Western World (Old Vic)
Sheridan Smith for Flare Path (Theatre Royal Haymarket)
Samantha Spiro for Chicken Soup with Barley (Royal Court)
Imelda Staunton for A Delicate Balance (Almeida)
Michelle Terry for Tribes (Royal Court)
Tracey Ullman for My City (Almeida)
Ruth Wilson for Anna Christie (Donmar)

Best Director
Rob Ashford for Anna Christie (Donmar)
Lucy Bailey for The Beggar’s Opera (Open Air Theatre) & Kingdom of Earth (Print Room) & Fabrication (Print Room)
Danny Boyle for Frankenstein (National’s Olivier)
Dominic Cooke for Chicken Soup with Barley (Royal Court)
Declan Donnellan for Tempest (Cheek By Jowl at Barbican)
Simon Godwin for The Acid Test (Royal Court)
Michael Grandage for Luise Miller (Donmar)
Edward Hall for Richard III & The Comedy of Errors (Hampstead)
Sean Holmes for Saved (Lyric Hammersmith)
Mike Leigh for Grief (National’s Cottesloe)
Sam Mendes for Richard III (Old Vic)
Roger Michell for Tribes (Royal Court)
Rufus Norris for London Road (National’s Cottesloe)
Trevor Nunn for Flare Path (Theatre Royal Haymarket)
Bijan Sheibani for The Kitchen (National’s Olivier)
Max Stafford-Clark for Top Girls (Chichester’s Minerva & Trafalgar Studios)
Jessica Swale for The Belle’s Stratagem (Southwark Playhouse)
Matthew Warchus for Matilda The Musical (RSC Stratford & Cambridge Theatre)
Nicholas Hytner for One Man, Two Guvnors (National Theatre)

The Charles Wintour Award for Most Promising Playwright
Tom Basden for Joseph K (Gate)
Jesse Briton for Bound (Southwark Playhouse)
EV Crowe for Kin (Royal Court)
Vivienne Franzmann for Mogadishu (Lyric Hammersmith)
Ella Hickson for Precious Little Talent (Trafalgar Studios)
Morgan Lloyd Malcolm for Belongings (Hampstead & Trafalgar Studios)
Penelope Skinner for The Village Bike (Royal Court)

Best Design
Paul Barritt for The Animals and Children Took to the Streets (BAC)
Jon Bausor for Lord of the Flies (Open Air Theatre)
Giles Cadle for The Kitchen (National’s Olivier)
Bunny Christie for Men Should Weep (National’s Lyttelton)
Lizzie Clachan for Wastwater (Royal Court)
Adam Cork for Sound designer of Anna Christie & King Lear (Donmar)
William Dudley for Snake in the Grass (Print Room)
Mark Tildesley for Frankenstein (National’s Olivier)

The Milton Shulman Award for Outstanding Newcomer
1927 for its production of The Animals and Children Took to the Streets (BAC)
Robyn Addison for her performances in The Rivals (Theatre Royal Bath/ Theatre Royal Haymarket) & Mongrel Island (Soho)
Tom Byam Shaw for his performances in Les Parents Terribles (Donmar at Trafalgar Studios) and The Tempest (Theatre Royal Haymarket)
Joseph Drake for his performance in Kingdom of Earth (Print Room)
Johnny Flynn for his performance in The Heretic (Royal Court)
Phoebe Fox for her performances in As You Like It (Rose Kingston) and The Acid Test (Royal Court) & There Is A War (National’s Paintframe)
Malachi Kirby for his performance in Mogadishu (Lyric, Hammersmith)
Vanessa Kirby for her performance in The Acid Test (Royal Court)
David Mercatali for his direction of Tender Napalm (Southwark Playhouse)
Chris Rolls for his direction of Les Parents Terribles (Donmar at Trafalgar Studios)
Kyle Soller for his performances in The Glass Menagerie (Young Vic) & Government Inspector (Young Vic) & The Faith Machine (Royal Court)
Thom Southerland for his direction of Parade (Southwark Playhouse)
David Wilson Barnes for his performance in Becky Shaw (Almeida)

Best Play
The Heretic by Richard Bean (Royal Court)
One Man, Two Guvnors by Richard Bean (National’s Lyttelton)
Wittenberg by David Davalos (Gate)
The Knot of the Heart by David Eldridge (Almeida)
Becky Shaw by Gina Gionfriddo (Almeida)
Tribes by Nina Raine (Royal Court)
Remembrance Day by Aleksey Scherbak (Royal Court)

The Ned Sherrin Award for Best Musical
Betty Blue Eyes (Novello)
Crazy for You (Open Air Theatre)
Fela! (National’s Olivier)
London Road (National’s Cottesloe)
Matilda the Musical (RSC Stratford & Cambridge Theatre)
Parade (Southwark Playhouse)
Woody Sez (Arts)