Sheffield dominates UK Theatre Awards, Full Monty and This Is My Family among winners

The awards – formerly known as the TMAs – are the only awards which specifically address theatre throughout the UK, as opposed to focusing on London and the West End.

This year's big winner was Sheffield Theatres, which picked up four awards including Best New Play for Mike Bartlett‘s Bull, Best Musical Production for Tim Firth's This Is My Family and Best Touring Production for The Full Monty, which transfers to the West End next year.

The acting categories, which are not split by gender, were dominated by women this year. Cush Jumbo won Best Performance in a Play for A Doll's House (Royal Exchange), Janie Dee got Best Performance in a Musical for Hello, Dolly (Leicester Curve) and Siân Phillips collected Best Supporting Performance for This Is My Family (Sheffield).

Elsewhere, rising star Blanche McIntyre won Best Director for Headlong's The Seagull, and Exeter's The Bike Shed was named Most Welcoming Theatre.

Winners were announced during a lunchtime ceremony at London’s Guildhall, hosted by actor Michael Xavier.

PHOTOS BY DAN WOOLLER FOR WHATSONSTAGE.COM

Full list of winners:

Best New Play
Bull by Mike Bartlett – a Sheffield Theatres production

Best Performance in a Play
Cush Jumbo for A Doll's House – a Royal Exchange Theatre, Manchester production

Best Supporting Performance
Siân Phillips for This Is My Family – a Sheffield Theatres production

Best Musical Production
This Is My Family directed by Daniel Evans – a Sheffield Theatres production

Best Performance in a Musical
Janie Dee for Hello, Dolly! – a Curve, Leicester production

Best Show for Children and Young People
The Borrowers – a Northern Stage, Newcastle production
Mister Holgado – a Unicorn Theatre production

Best Director
Blanche McIntyre for The Seagull – a Headlong and Nuffield, Southampton production in association with Derby Theatre

Best Design
Jonathan Fensom and Charles Balfour for The Accrington Pals – a Royal Exchange Theatre, Manchester production

Best Touring Production
The Full Monty – a Sheffield Theatres production, presented by David Pugh and Dafydd Rogers

Achievement in Dance
Independent dance artist Wendy Houstoun for 50 Acts

Achievement in Opera
Welsh National Opera for the productions of Lulu and Lohengrin, conducted by Lothar Koenigs

The Renee Stepham Award for Best Presentation of Touring Theatre
Scottish Opera

Achievement in Marketing
Northern Ballet

Theatre Employee/Manager of the Year
Brenda Walliss – Princess Theatre, Torquay

Promotion of Diversity
Contact Theatre Manchester

My Theatre Matters! UK’s Most Welcoming Theatre
The Bike Shed Theatre

The Stage Award for Outstanding Contribution to British Theatre
Simon Callow