Nominations Open in 2012 Whatsonstage.com Awards, New Site

The nominations phase in the 12th annual Whatsonstage.com Awards, the “theatregoers’ choice”, opens today, Tuesday 1 November 2011. The annual Awards have firmly established their place in the theatrical calendar with 46,000 people voting last year alone. Voting for both the nominations and eventual winners takes place online at our newly revamped awards microsite at www.whatsonstage.com/awards.
Throughout November, theatregoers can log on to nominate their favourite performances and productions for Awards consideration across all 26 categories. Amongst these are standards including Best Actor, Best Actress, Best New Play and Best New Musical as well as less conventional fields such as Best Ensemble Performance, Best Off-West End Production, Theatre Event of the Year and Best West End Show, which applies to all current West End productions, including long-running blockbusters.

The full Awards shortlists will be announced on Friday 2 December 2011 at a star-studded lunchtime ceremony at Cafe de Paris in the heart of the West End. (Check back later this month for more line-up details!)

After the Launch Party, the race is on to decide the eventual Whatsonstage.com Award winners, with voting opening on 2 December and continuing until the end of January. Results are announced and awards presented in front of a live audience of theatregoer voters at our Awards’ Concert on Sunday 19 February 2011 at the West End’s Prince of Wales Theatre.

All professional productions – from Fringe to the West End – opened in London between 1 December 2010 and 30 November 2011 are eligible for nomination. Click here to remind yourself of some of the eligible productions that opened during the Awards year.

CLICK HERE TO NOMINATE YOUR FAVOURITES!

Our charity

Both Awards events are held in aid of this year’s adopted charity, Stage One, which is committed to developing new producers and productions in order to sustain the future of quality commercial theatre in the UK.

Inspired by the adoption of Stage One, Whatsonstage.com has launched our “Year of the Producer”, comprising a 12-month editorial series of interviews, blogs and other features to give theatregoers a greater understanding of the crucial role of the producer and an insight into the people who put on the shows they love, and the pressures they face in doing so.

Other special events during the “Year of the Producer” include Stage One’s “West End Lots”, an exclusive theatre online auction, which will launch later this week to coincide with the Awards nominations phase. The auction will allow theatregoers to bid for truly spectacular theatrical experiences – including opportunities to meet the stars and visit their dressing rooms – and treasured memorabilia from theatrical history. All proceeds raised via the auction will go direct to the charity.

For more information on Stage One, visit www.stageone.uk.com.

Get involved, get invited

The Launch Party is an industry-only, by-invitation event. However, a limited number of members of the public can attend by becoming Individual Supporters. Private sponsorship packages – priced from £525 + VAT – include two invites to the Launch Party at Café de Paris as well as VIP tickets and post-show party passes to the Awards’ Concert at the Prince of Wales Theatre next February. For more information on Individual Supporter Packages, click here.

** WE ALSO HAVE A NUMBER OF CORPORATE SPONSORSHIP PACKAGES AVAILABLE. THESE ARE IDEAL FOR ORGANISATIONS WORKING IN OR WITH THE THEATRE INDUSTRY. FOR MORE INFORMATION, EMAIL US OR CALL 020 7317 9100 AND SPEAK TO RICHARD OR TERRI. **

Full details about how we draw up the invitation lists for both Awards events can be found on the Awards site here. If you work in the theatre industry and think you should be invited, you can fill in the form on that page. But, please note, because of limited space and resources, we cannot respond personally to all requests and the only way to guarantee access is by becoming a sponsor!

CLICK HERE TO NOMINATE YOUR FAVOURITES!