Matilda & Girl Lead Theatre Awards UK Nominations

The awards, previously known as the TMA’s, are the only nationwide awards for excellence in regional theatre, honouring “outstanding work seen on stages throughout England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland”.

This year’s nominees include Derek Jacobi for his performance in King Lear, which toured nationally following its run at the Donmar Warehouse, and Clarke Peters for his Theatre Royal Stratford East revival of Five Guys Named Moe.

The Best Musical category features three heavyweights – Sheffield Theatres’ Me and My Girl, the RSC’s Matilda the Musical and CFT’s Singin’ in the Rain. Me and My Girl and Matilda also feature in the acting categories, with Jemima Rooper and Bertie Carvel nominated respectively.

For the first time the awards will jointly celebrate performance and management success, which had previously been recognised at two separate events. The winners across all categories will be announced at a lunchtime ceremony at the Banqueting House, Whitehall, on 30 October 2011, compèred by ventriloquist Paul Zerdin.

Julian Bird, chief executive of the TMA said: “The nominations for the 2011 Theatre Awards UK demonstrate the strength and excellence of theatre, dance and opera throughout the UK. From new plays to innovative site specific theatre to some truly outstanding performances, all are represented in this year’s shortlists.”

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The full list of nominees for the Theatre Awards UK 2011:

Best Performance in a Play

Marianne Oldham for The Years Between: a Royal & Derngate, Northampton production at the Royal & Derngate, Northampton

David Haig for The Madness of George III: a Peter Hall Company production at the Theatre Royal, Bath and on tour

Derek Jacobi for King Lear: a Donmar Warehouse production at the Grand Opera House, Belfast and on tour

Best Supporting Performance

Kenneth Alan Taylor for The Price: an Octagon Theatre Bolton, Stephen Joseph Theatre, Scarborough and Hull Truck Theatre production on tour

Clarke Peters for Five Guys Named Moe: a Theatre Royal Stratford East production at the Theatre Royal, Stratford East

Claire Price for The Pride: A Sheffield Theatres production at the Crucible, Sheffield

Best New Play

Love, Love, Love: a Theatre Royal, Plymouth and Paines Plough production at the Theatre Royal, Plymouth and on tour

Mogadishu: a Royal Exchange, Manchester production at the Royal Exchange, Manchester and on tour.

Herding Cats: a Theatre Royal, Bath production in the Ustinov Studio

Best Show for Children and Young People

White: a Catherine Wheels production at the Theatre Royal, Bath

Swallows and Amazons: a Bristol Old Vic production at the Bristol Old Vic

The Monsters in the Hall: a Citizens Theatre, Glasgow and on tour

Best Musical Production

Me and My Girl directed Anna Mackmin: a Sheffield Theatres production at the Crucible, Sheffield

Matilda the Musical directed by Matthew Warchus: an RSC production at the Courtyard Theatre, Stratford-upon-Avon

Singin’ In The Rain directed by Jonathan Church: a Chichester Festival Theatre production at Chichester Festival Theatre

Best Touring Production

The Tempest directed by Declan Donnellan a Chekhov International Festival and Cheek By Jowl production, on tour

Richard III and The Comedy of Errors directed by Edward Hall: both Propeller productions, on tour

The Big Fellah directed by Max Stafford-Clark: an Out of Joint and Lyric Hammersmith production on tour

Best Design

Happy Days designed by Lizzie Clachan, lighting design by Natasha Chivers: A Sheffield Theatres production at Sheffield Studio

‘Tis Pity She’s A Whore designed by Mike Britton, lighting design by Oliver Fenwick: a West Yorkshire Playhouse production at the West Yorkshire Playhouse

The Duchess of Malfi designed by Ruth Sutcliffe, lighting design by Philip Gladwell; a
Royal and Derngate, Northampton production at the Royal & Derngate, Northampton

Best Director

Erica Wyman for Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf? A Sheffield Theatres and Northern Stage co-production at Sheffield Theatres and Northern Stage

Muriel Romanes for Age of Arousal: a co-production between Stellar Quines and the Royal Lyceum Theatre, Edinburgh, on tour

Michael Sheen and Bill Mitchell for The Passion a National Theatre Wales/Wild Works co-production

Best Performance in a Muscial

Tony Hasnath for The Jungle Book: at Lyric Theatre, Belfast

Jemima Rooper for Me and My Girl: A Sheffield Theatres production at the Crucible, Sheffield

Bertie Carvel for Matilda at the Courtyard Theatre, Stratford-upon-Avon

Outstanding Achievement in Dance

New Adventures for an outstanding revision of Cinderella

Luca Silvestrini’s Protein Dance for LOL – an ingenious multi-media blending of choreography with text

Hofesh Shechter’s Political Mother – a powerful piece by a choreographer on a controversial theme

Outstanding Achievement in Opera

Opera North for the variety of its repertoire this season

Music Theatre Wales for its production of Mark-Anthony Turnage’s Greek

Gerald Finley for his performance as Hans Sachs in Glyndebourne Festival’s production of Die Meistersinger von Nürnberg