Evening Standard Theatre Awards nominations announced including Nicole Scherzinger, Andrew Scott, Paul Mescal, Marisha Wallace and more

The shortlist for the 2023 Evening Standard Theatre Awards has been unveiled.

The National Theatre leads the venue tally with eight nominations, featuring two nods each in the Best Actor and Best Play categories. Following closely is Islington’s 325-seat Almeida Theatre, boasting six nominations. This includes recognition in the Best Play category for Sam Holcroft’s A Mirror, and the Best Director category for Rebecca Frecknall, whose production of A Streetcar Named Desire has already picked up a number of awards.

Big names competing include Nicole Scherzinger, Andrew Scott, Paul Mescal, Sophie Okonedo, Patsy Ferran, Anjana Vasan and Marisha Wallace.

The Bridge Theatre’s Guys and Dolls garnered nominations in five separate categories, including Best Musical, Best Director, Best Design, Best Musical Performance, and Emerging Talent. Andrew Richardson, making his professional stage debut in the leading role of Sky Masterson in the show, secured a nomination in the Emerging Talent category.

The winners will be revealed on 19 November at a ceremony in London.

The full list is as follows:

Best Design 

Bunny Christie, Guys and Dolls, Bridge Theatre

Robert Jones, Dancing at Lughnasa, National Theatre

Georgia Lowe, The Good Person of Szechwan, Lyric Hammersmith (in a co-production with ETT and Sheffield Theatres)

Tom Pye, My Neighbour Totoro, Royal Shakespeare Company/Barbican Theatre

Charles Wintour Award for Most Promising Playwright  

Matilda Feyiṣayọ Ibini, Sleepova, Bush Theatre

Kimber Lee, Untitled F*ck M*ss S**gon Play, Young Vic Theatre

Anoushka Lucas, Elephant, Bush Theatre

Isley Lynn, The Swell, Orange Tree Theatre

Emerging Talent 

Andrew Richardson, Guys and Dolls, Bridge Theatre

Taylor Russell, The Effect, National Theatre

Tatenda Shamiso, NO I.D, Royal Court

Jack Wolfe, Next to Normal, Donmar Warehouse

Milton Shulman Award for Best Director 

Rebecca Frecknall, A Streetcar Named Desire, Almeida Theatre

Rupert Goold, Dear England, National Theatre

Nicholas Hytner, Guys and Dolls, Bridge Theatre

Jamie Lloyd, Sunset Boulevard, Savoy Theatre

Best Musical 

Guys and Dolls, Bridge Theatre

Standing at the Sky’s Edge, National Theatre (National Theatre and Various Productions present the Sheffield Theatres production)

A Strange Loop, Barbican Theatre

Tammy Faye, Almeida Theatre

Best Musical Performance 

Kyle Ramar Freeman, A Strange Loop, Barbican Theatre

Nicole Scherzinger, Sunset Boulevard, Savoy Theatre

Charlie Stemp, Crazy For You, Gillian Lynne Theatre

Marisha Wallace, Guys and Dolls, Bridge Theatre

Best Actor 

Paapa Essiedu, The Effect, National Theatre

Mark Gatiss, The Motive and the Cue, National Theatre

Paul Mescal, A Streetcar Named Desire, Almeida Theatre

Andrew Scott, Vanya, Duke of York’s Theatre

Natasha Richardson Award for Best Actress in association with Mithridate  

Patsy Ferran, A Streetcar Named Desire, Almeida Theatre

Sophie Okonedo, Medea, @sohoplace

Rachael Stirling, Private Lives, Donmar Warehouse

Anjana Vasan, A Streetcar Named Desire, Almeida Theatre

Best Play 

Dear England, James Graham, National Theatre

A Mirror, Sam Holcroft, Almeida Theatre

The Motive and the Cue, Jack Thorne, National Theatre

Retrograde, Ryan Calais Cameron, Kiln Theatre