Theatre News

Staunton, Scales, West & Go-Between triumph at Theatre Awards UK

| London's West End |

28 October 2012

The winners have been announced of this year’s Theatre Awards UK
(formerly the TMAs), the only awards which specifically address
theatre throughout England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland, as opposed to focusing on London and the
West End.

The prizes were handed out during an invitation-only lunchtime ceremony held today (28 October 2012) at the historic Guildhall.

This year the Awards were the latest to follow Whatsonstage.com’s lead
by including a first public vote, for the Best Touring Production
category. The vote, which was hosted by media partner The Stage, was won by English Touring Theatre’s presentation of the Shakespeare’s Globe production of Anne Boleyn, by Howard Brenton.

Elsewhere, Imelda Staunton beat off competition from her Sweeney Todd co-star Michael Ball to win Best Performance
in a Musical. However, Jonathan Kent‘s Chichester Festival Theatre
production lost out to The Go-Between in the Best Musical category.

As
previously reported, this year’s lifetime achievement award went to
husband-and-wife actors Timothy West and Prunella Scales, who were
presented with the award by their son Samuel West.

And
Graham Sutherland, head of lighting and sound at Glasgow Citizens,
and Northern Stage artistic director Erica Whyman – who leaves next
year to join the RSC as a full-time associate – shared the prize for
Theatre Employee of the Year. In an emotional speech, Whyman highlighted
the difficulties facing regional theatre in the wake of the cuts.

The full list of winners (in bold):

Best New Play

LUNGS by Duncan MacMillan, a Sheffield Theatres and Paines Plough co-production at the Crucible Studio, Sheffield

SOUTH DOWNS by David Hare a Chichester Festival Theatre production

IN THE NEXT ROOM by Sarah Ruhl a Theatre Royal Bath production in the Ustinov Studio

Best Performance in a Play

Leanne Best for THE MATCH BOX a Liverpool Everyman and Playhouse production

Henry Goodman for THE RESISTIBLE RISE OF ARTURO UI a Chichester Festival Theatre production

Tim Pigott-Smith for KING LEAR a West Yorkshire Playhouse production

Best Supporting Performance

Stephen
Boxer for WRITTEN ON THE HEART by David Edgar a Royal Shakespeare
Company production at the Swan Theatre, Stratford-Upon-Avon

Claire-Louise Caldwell for BEAUTIFUL THING a Royal Exchange Theatre, Manchester production

Aidan McArdle for DEMOCRACY a Sheffield Theatres production at the Crucible, Sheffield

Best Musical Production

COMPANY directed by Jonathan Munby a Sheffield Theatres production at the Crucible, Sheffield

THE
GO-BETWEEN directed by Roger Haines a West Yorkshire Playhouse, Royal
& Derngate, Northampton and Derby LIVE! production at West Yorkshire
Playhouse

SWEENEY TODD directed by Jonathan Kent a Chichester Festival Theatre production

Best Performance in a Musical

Michael Ball for SWEENEY TODD a Chichester Festival Theatre production

Daniel Evans for COMPANY a Sheffield Theatres production at the Crucible, Sheffield

Imelda Staunton for SWEENEY TODD a Chichester Festival Theatre production

Best Show for Children and Young People

ALICE IN WONDERLAND a New Vic Theatre production at the New Vic, Newcastle-under-Lyme

THE CURIOUS SCRAPBOOK OF JOSEPHINE BEAN by Shona Reppe on tour

SOMETHING VERY FAR AWAY a Unicorn Theatre production

Best Touring Production (voted by the public)

ANNE BOLEYN – English Touring Theatre’s presentation of the Shakespeare’s Globe production

THE KING AND I – Music and Lyrics with Curve Theatre, Leicester

REASONS TO BE CHEERFUL – Graeae and New Wolsey Theatre production

SWALLOWS
AND AMAZONS – The Children’s Touring Partnership in
association with the National Theatre presenting Bristol Old
Vic’s production

WE ARE THREE SISTERS – a Northern Broadside production

Best Director

Joe Harmston for THE FATHER by August Strindberg adapted by Laurie Slade, a Belgrade Theatre production

Dominic Hill for KRAPP’S LAST TAPE /FOOTFALLS by Samuel Beckett a Citizens Theatre production

Garry Hynes for DRUIDMURPHY – plays by Tom Murphy – produced by Druid Theatre Company, at Hampstead Theatre and Oxford Playhouse

Best Design

Gary
McCann for THE LITTLE PRINCE by Antoine De Saint-Exupéry,
music and lyrics by Nicholas Lloyd Webber and James D. Reid, Lyric
Theatre Belfast in association with Lamplighter Drama at the Lyric,
Belfast

Amanda Stoodley for MANCHESTER LINES a Library Theatre Company production

Neil Warmington for FURTHER THAN THE FURTHEST THING a Dundee Rep Ensemble production at Dundee Rep

Achievement in Opera

Glyndebourne Festival Opera for its production of LE NOZZE DI FIGARO

Oliver Mears for his inspiring leadership of Northern Ireland Opera

Christopher
Alden’s production of NORMA for Opera North, a co-production
with Theater Chemnitz, with Annemarie Kremer in the title role

Achievement in Dance

DV8 Physical Theatre for their courageous and innovative blend of dance and speech

Akram Khan for DESH – the epic scale of a very personal journey

Michael
Hulls for his brilliant contribution to lighting for dance: in
particular for this year’s DESH, TORSION and THE RODIN PROJECT

Theatre Employee/Manager of the Year

Ciaran McAuley – Lyric Theatre, Belfast