Theatre News

Staunton, Scales, West & Go-Between triumph at Theatre Awards UK

Editorial Staff
London's West End

The winners have been announced of this year’s Theatre Awards UK
(formerly the TMAs), the only awards which specifically address
theatre throughout England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland, as opposed to focusing on London and the
West End.

The prizes were handed out during an invitation-only lunchtime ceremony held today (28 October 2012) at the historic Guildhall.

This year the Awards were the latest to follow Whatsonstage.com’s lead
by including a first public vote, for the Best Touring Production
category. The vote, which was hosted by media partner The Stage, was won by English Touring Theatre’s presentation of the Shakespeare’s Globe production of Anne Boleyn, by Howard Brenton.

Elsewhere, Imelda Staunton beat off competition from her Sweeney Todd co-star Michael Ball to win Best Performance
in a Musical. However, Jonathan Kent‘s Chichester Festival Theatre
production lost out to The Go-Between in the Best Musical category.

As
previously reported, this year’s lifetime achievement award went to
husband-and-wife actors Timothy West and Prunella Scales, who were
presented with the award by their son Samuel West.

And
Graham Sutherland, head of lighting and sound at Glasgow Citizens,
and Northern Stage artistic director Erica Whyman – who leaves next
year to join the RSC as a full-time associate – shared the prize for
Theatre Employee of the Year. In an emotional speech, Whyman highlighted
the difficulties facing regional theatre in the wake of the cuts.

The full list of winners (in bold):

Best New Play

  • LUNGS by Duncan MacMillan, a Sheffield Theatres and Paines Plough co-production at the Crucible Studio, Sheffield
  • SOUTH DOWNS by David Hare a Chichester Festival Theatre production
  • IN THE NEXT ROOM by Sarah Ruhl a Theatre Royal Bath production in the Ustinov Studio

    • Best Performance in a Play

  • Leanne Best for THE MATCH BOX a Liverpool Everyman and Playhouse production
  • Henry Goodman for THE RESISTIBLE RISE OF ARTURO UI a Chichester Festival Theatre production
  • Tim Pigott-Smith for KING LEAR a West Yorkshire Playhouse production

    • Best Supporting Performance

  • Stephen
    Boxer for WRITTEN ON THE HEART by David Edgar a Royal Shakespeare
    Company production at the Swan Theatre, Stratford-Upon-Avon
  • Claire-Louise Caldwell for BEAUTIFUL THING a Royal Exchange Theatre, Manchester production
  • Aidan McArdle for DEMOCRACY a Sheffield Theatres production at the Crucible, Sheffield

    • Best Musical Production

  • COMPANY directed by Jonathan Munby a Sheffield Theatres production at the Crucible, Sheffield
  • THE
    GO-BETWEEN directed by Roger Haines a West Yorkshire Playhouse, Royal
    & Derngate, Northampton and Derby LIVE! production at West Yorkshire
    Playhouse
  • SWEENEY TODD directed by Jonathan Kent a Chichester Festival Theatre production

    • Best Performance in a Musical

  • Michael Ball for SWEENEY TODD a Chichester Festival Theatre production
  • Daniel Evans for COMPANY a Sheffield Theatres production at the Crucible, Sheffield
  • Imelda Staunton for SWEENEY TODD a Chichester Festival Theatre production

    • Best Show for Children and Young People

  • ALICE IN WONDERLAND a New Vic Theatre production at the New Vic, Newcastle-under-Lyme
  • THE CURIOUS SCRAPBOOK OF JOSEPHINE BEAN by Shona Reppe on tour
  • SOMETHING VERY FAR AWAY a Unicorn Theatre production

    • Best Touring Production (voted by the public)

  • ANNE BOLEYN – English Touring Theatre’s presentation of the Shakespeare’s Globe production
  • THE KING AND I – Music and Lyrics with Curve Theatre, Leicester
  • REASONS TO BE CHEERFUL – Graeae and New Wolsey Theatre production
  • SWALLOWS
    AND AMAZONS – The Children’s Touring Partnership in
    association with the National Theatre presenting Bristol Old
    Vic’s production
  • WE ARE THREE SISTERS – a Northern Broadside production

    • Best Director

  • Joe Harmston for THE FATHER by August Strindberg adapted by Laurie Slade, a Belgrade Theatre production
  • Dominic Hill for KRAPP’S LAST TAPE /FOOTFALLS by Samuel Beckett a Citizens Theatre production
  • Garry Hynes for DRUIDMURPHY – plays by Tom Murphy – produced by Druid Theatre Company, at Hampstead Theatre and Oxford Playhouse

    • Best Design

  • Gary
    McCann for THE LITTLE PRINCE by Antoine De Saint-Exupéry,
    music and lyrics by Nicholas Lloyd Webber and James D. Reid, Lyric
    Theatre Belfast in association with Lamplighter Drama at the Lyric,
    Belfast
  • Amanda Stoodley for MANCHESTER LINES a Library Theatre Company production
  • Neil Warmington for FURTHER THAN THE FURTHEST THING a Dundee Rep Ensemble production at Dundee Rep

    • Achievement in Opera

  • Glyndebourne Festival Opera for its production of LE NOZZE DI FIGARO
  • Oliver Mears for his inspiring leadership of Northern Ireland Opera
  • Christopher
    Alden’s production of NORMA for Opera North, a co-production
    with Theater Chemnitz, with Annemarie Kremer in the title role

    • Achievement in Dance

  • DV8 Physical Theatre for their courageous and innovative blend of dance and speech
  • Akram Khan for DESH – the epic scale of a very personal journey
  • Michael
    Hulls for his brilliant contribution to lighting for dance: in
    particular for this year’s DESH, TORSION and THE RODIN PROJECT

    • Theatre Employee/Manager of the Year

  • Ciaran McAuley – Lyric Theatre, Belfast
  • Janthi Mills – Belgrade Theatre
  • Graham Sutherland – Citizens Theatre
  • Erica Whyman – Northern Stage

    • Achievement in Marketing

  • The Marlowe Theatre
  • Shakespeare’s Globe
  • York Theatre Royal

    • Most Welcoming Theatre

  • Chipping Norton Theatre
  • Curve (Leicester Theatre Trust Ltd.)
  • New Wolsey Theatre

    • Promotion of Diversity

  • Graeae Theatre Company
  • Oldham Coliseum Theatre
  • Theatre Royal Stratford East

    • The Renee Stepham Award for Best Presentation of Touring Theatre

  • Graeae/New Wolsey Theatre
  • Hull Truck Theatre
  • Music and Lyrics Limited

    • Outstanding Contribution to Theatre

    Timothy West and Prunella Scales

    View all the twitter coverage from the Theatre Awards UK 2012 in the box below…