Evening Standard Theatre Awards shortlist includes Andrew Garfield, Amber Riley and Andrew Scott

The shortlist for this year's Evening Standard Theatre Awards has been announced, ahead of the ceremony at Theatre Royal, Drury Lane on 3 December.

The annual awards, now in their 63rd year, will be co-hosted by the newspaper’s owner, Evgeny Lebedev alongside Dame Anna Wintour, Cate Blanchett, Lin-Manuel Miranda and Phoebe Waller-Bridge.

The National Theatre, Royal Court, and Almeida lead the way with seven nominations each. Jez Butterworth's The Ferryman is the most recognised individual production with four nominations, including Best Actress for Laura Donnelly and Best Director for Sam Mendes.

This year's judging panel includes WhatsOnStage's Sarah Crompton, the Evening Standard‘s Henry Hitchings, the Guardian's Mark Lawson, the Daily Mail's Baz Bamigboye and Matt Wolf for the International New York Times.

On the announcement, Lebedev said: "In turbulent and uncertain times which will no doubt inspire a wave of great new plays soon enough, the global preeminence of the London stage is a rare and precious constant."

The full shortlist is as follows:

Best Actor
Bertie Carvel, Ink, (Almeida and Duke of York's)
Andrew Garfield, Angels in America (National Theatre)
Andrew Scott, Hamlet (Almeida and Harold Pinter Theatre)

Natasha Richardson Award for Best Actress
Laura Donnelly, The Ferryman (Royal Court and Gielgud)
Victoria Hamilton, Albion (Almeida)
Glenda Jackson, King Lear (Old Vic)

Best Musical Performance
Janie Dee, Follies (National Theatre)
Robert Fairchild, An American in Paris (Dominion)
Amber Riley, Dreamgirls (Savoy)

Best Play
The Children by Lucy Kirkwood (Royal Court)
The Ferryman by Jez Butterworth (Royal Court and Gielgud)
Ink by James Graham (Almeida and Duke of York’s)
Oslo by JT Rogers (National Theatre and Harold Pinter Theatre)

Milton Shulman Award for Best Director
Dominic Cooke, Follies (National Theatre)
Robert Icke, Hamlet (Almeida and Harold Pinter)
Sam Mendes, The Ferryman (Royal Court and Gielgud)

Best Design
Jon Bausor, Bat Out of Hell – The Musical (Coliseum)
Bunny Christie, Heisenberg: The Uncertainty Principle (Wyndham's), The Red Barn (National Theatre), Ink (Almeida and Duke of York's)
Soutra Gilmour, Twelfth Night (National Theatre)

Charles Wintour Award for Most Promising Playwright
Branden Jacobs-Jenkin, An Octoroon (Orange Tree)
Al Smith, Harrogate (High Tide Festival and Royal Court)
Katherine Soper, Wish List (Royal Exchange Manchester and Royal Court)

Emerging Talent Award
Sheila Atim, Girl from the North Country (Old Vic)
Tom Glynn-Carney, The Ferryman (Royal Court and Gielgud)
Luke Thallon, Albion (Almeida)

Best Musical
An American in Paris, Dominion
Bat out of Hell – The Musical, Coliseum
Dreamgirls, Savoy
Follies, National Theatre
School of Rock, New London Theatre
The Secret Diary of Adrian Mole Aged 13 ¾ The Musical, Menier Chocolate Factory
She Loves Me, Menier Chocolate Factory