Sope Dirisu and Tamara Lawrance among nominees for Ian Charleson Award

The nominees have been announced for the 2017 Ian Charleson Awards.

First awarded in 1991 in memory of the actor Ian Charleson who died at the age of 40, the awards – which offer cash prizes of £5,000, £2,000 and £500 – are given to actors under 30 in a classical role.

Nominees this year include Daniel Ezra and Tamara Lawrance for their performances as Sebastian and Viola in Twelfth Night at the National Theatre, and Sope Dirisu for playing the title role in Coriolanus with the RSC.

The winners will be announced at a ceremony held at the National Theatre on 18 May, and will join previous awardees including Paapa Essiedu, Cush Jumbo, Tom Burke and Rory Kinnear.

The nominations in full:

Ellie Bamber for Hilde in The Lady from the Sea, Donmar Warehouse
Daniel Ezra for Sebastian in Twelfth Night
, National Theatre
Tamara Lawrance for Viola in Twelfth Night,
 National Theatre
Rebecca Lee for Friar Laurence in Romeo and Juliet, 
Watermill, Newbury
James Corrigan for Mark Antony in Julius Caesar, Shakespeare 
Royal Shakespeare Company
Ned Derrington for Lysander in A Midsummer Night's Dream, 
Shakespeare's Globe
Sope Dirisu for Coriolanus in Coriolanus, Royal Shakespeare Company
Arthur Hughes for Lucius in Julius Caesar,
 Crucible, Sheffield
Douggie McMeekin for Snug in A Midsummer Night's Dream, 
Young Vic
Natalie Simpson for Duchess Rosaura in The Cardinal, 
Southwark Playhouse
Hannah Morrish for Lavinia in Titus Andronicus, Royal Shakespeare Company