The shortlist of nominees for the UK Theatre Awards were recently announced on 3 October, the annual awards ceremony that is run by UK-wide body the Theatrical Management Association. There are many productions yet to grace the UK’s stages which could contend for the short list and then the awards themselves.
Productions already in process in theatre up and down the country are also in the running, including National Theatre of Scotland’s stage adaptation of cult vampire movie Let The Right One In and Tom Wells’ Jumpers For Goalposts, which play at the Royal Court and Bush theatres this winter for Best Design and Best New Play respectively. Sheffield Theatre’s new production of The Full Monty, which opens at London’s Noël Coward theatre in the spring, is also up for a prize celebrating the best UK theatre has to offer, in the Best Touring Production category.
Shows that have already wowed London audiences, including My Perfect Mind (Young Vic), Glasgow Girls (Theatre Royal Stratford East), The Butterfly Lion, Mister Holgado (both Unicorn theatre), Rutherford & Son (St James theatre) Deca Dance and The Great Gatsby (both Sadler’s Wells), are also in the running to take home prizes.
The nominees for one final category are yet to be announced, with voting closing last week. The My Theatre Matters! UK’s Most Welcoming Theatre Award is being voted for by the public via the Classic FM website with audiences supporting their favourite theatre before the shortlist is announced. The winners will be announced at an exclusive lunchtime ceremony held at the Guildhall on Sunday 20 October.
It consequently appears to have been a year of great achievement for theatre throughout the UK, demonstrated by the range of nominations celebrating both on and off-stage skill.