Today, the nominees for this year’s UK Theatre Awards have been announced. The UK Theatre Awards are the only nationwide awards to honour and celebrate outstanding achievements in theatre throughout England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland by UK Theatre members.
With nominees across the UK, this year’s shortlist showcases the creativity, originality and resilience of theatre. Leading the nominations, both with acknowledgements across five categories, are Lyric Theatre Belfast and Sheffield Theatres. Lyric Theatre Belfast’s nominations include Best Design, Best Director, Best New Play, Best Play Revival and Best Show for Children and Young People, while Sheffield Theatres is represented in Best Musical Production, Best Play Revival, Best Performance in a Musical and Best Performance in a Play.
Meanwhile, three theatres receive three nods across various categories – Birmingham Rep, Northern Stage and Nottingham Playhouse. Birmingham Rep was home to productions with nominees in performing categories, including Best Supporting Performance and Best Performance in a Play, while Northern Stage is acknowledged in Best Director, Best Supporting Actor, Excellence in Touring categories, and Nottingham Playhouse in Excellence in Touring, Workforce Award and Most Welcoming Theatre. Separately, Shakespeare North, The Mill at Sonning and Leeds Playhouse have garnered two nominations apiece.
Elsewhere in performing categories, actors Siobhán McSweeney (Happy Days), Peter Forbes (On The Beach), Daniel Rigby (Accidental Death Of An Anarchist) and Wiliam Young (Of Mice & Men) are all nominated for Best Performance in a Play. This year, Best Performance in a Musical is dominated by female actors, with Joanna Ampil (Miss Saigon), Lena Hall (In Dreams) and Rebecca Thornhill (Gypsy) making up the list of nominees.
The exceptional work created by each of this year’s nominees demonstrates that there is no better time to support local theatre. The winners will be announced on 8 October, during a lunchtime ceremony at London’s Guildhall. The event’s host was announced on Monday as Zoe Birkett.
Hannah Essex, Co-CEO of UK Theatre, said,
“We are incredibly proud to celebrate theatre across our four nations and the inspiring work of our UK Theatre members. This year’s nominees are a reflection of the quality and diversity of talent, story-telling and community engagement that is needed now more than ever.
“We would like to thank all our sponsors for supporting the event and offer our congratulations to all those nominated. We look forward to celebrating your inspiring work at the ceremony on Sunday 8 October.”
Nominations for the UK’s Most Welcoming Theatre Award were announced last month, with Curve, National Youth Theatre, and Nottingham Playhouse making the shortlist. The winner will be revealed as part of the ceremony.
The recipient of this year’s Outstanding Contribution to British Theatre Award is yet to be announced ahead of the ceremony.
The UK Theatre Awards 2023 are sponsored by Birra Moretti, Harbottle and Lewis, Howard Park Wines, John Good Ltd, Marshfield Farm Ice Cream, Music Theatre International, Setting Line Production Management, Spektrix, Theatre Tokens, Trafalgar Theatres, Tysers in association with Ecclesiastical, Unusual Rigging and White Light.
Full list of nominations for the UK Theatre Awards 2023
On Stage Awards
Best Design
Conor Murphy for Propaganda: A New Musical, a Lyric Theatre Belfast and The Belfast Ensemble Production
Justin Nardella & Dan Steele for iShowmanism!, a Theatre Royal Bath production
Sadeysa Greenaway-Bailey & UTLZ for Tambo & Bones, a Theatre Royal Stratford East Actors Touring Company co-production
Best Director
Matthew Dunster & Jimmy Fairhurst for A Midsummer Night’s Dream, a Shakespeare North Playhouse, Not Too Tame and Northern Stage co-production
Omar Elerian for As You Like It, a Royal Shakespeare Company production
Garry Hynes for DruidO’Casey, a Druid Theatre production at Lyric Theatre Belfast
Best Musical Production Sponsored by Tysers in association with Ecclesiastical
The Book Thief, an Octagon Theatre Bolton production
Gypsy, a The Mill at Sonning production
Miss Saigon, a Sheffield Theatres production
Best New Play
Agreement, a Lyric Theatre Belfast production
Enough Of Him, a National Theatre of Scotland and Pitlochry Festival Theatre co-production
Untitled F*ck M*ss S**gon Play, a Royal Exchange Theatre, Factory International for Manchester International Festival, Young Vic Theatre and Headlong co-production
Best Play Revival Sponsored by Trafalgar Theatres
The Beauty Queen Of Leenane, a Prime Cut and Lyric Theatre Belfast co-production
The Comedy Of Errors (More Or Less), a Shakespeare North Playhouse and Stephen Joseph Theatre co-production
The Contingency Plan, a Sheffield Theatres production
Best Performance in a Play
Peter Forbes for On The Beach, a Sheffield Theatres production
Siobhán McSweeney for Happy Days, a Landmark Productions production at Birmingham Rep
Daniel Rigby for Accidental Death Of An Anarchist, a Sheffield Theatres and Lyric Hammersmith co-production
Wiliam Young for Of Mice & Men, a Birmingham Rep, Leeds Playhouse and Fiery Angel co-production
Best Performance in a Musical
Joanna Ampil for Miss Saigon, a Sheffield Theatres production
Lena Hall for In Dreams, a Leeds Playhouse production
Rebecca Thornhill for Gypsy, a The Mill at Sonning production
Best Show for Children and Young People
The Famous Five, a Theatr Clywd and Chichester Festival Theatre co-production
Mirrorball, a Replay Theatre Company production at Belfast Children’s Festival, Lyric Theatre Belfast
The SpongeBob Musical, a Selladoor Worldwide production
Best Supporting Performance (in a Musical or Play)
Bryony Corrigan for I, Daniel Blake, a Nothern Stage, Birmingham Rep, ETT, Oldham Coliseum and tiny dragon Productions production in association with Cardboard Citizens
Antony Eden for Family Album, a Stephen Joseph Theatre production
LJ Parkinson for Modest, a Middle Child and Milk Presents co-production
Achievement in Opera
Glyndebourne for Dialogues Des Carmélites
Opera North for Orpheus
Welsh National Opera for Blaze Of Glory!
Achievement in Dance
Jo Fong & George Orange for The Rest Of Our Lives
Rambert for Peaky Blinders: The Redemption Of Thomas Shelby
Scottish Ballet for Coppélia
Off Stage Awards
Excellence in Touring
ETT
Northern Stage
Nottingham Playhouse
Digital Innovation Sponsored by Spektrix
HOME X presented by the Barbican
Pilot Theatre
Tara Theatre
Excellence in Inclusivity
Capital Theatres
Midland Arts Centre
Queen’s Theatre Hornchurch
Excellence in Arts Education
Birmingham Hippodrome
Blackpool Grand Theatre
Hackney Empire
Workforce Award
Ambassador Theatre Group
Grand Opera House York
Nottingham Playhouse
UK’s Most Welcoming Theatre Sponsored by Theatre Tokens
Curve
National Youth Theatre
Nottingham Playhouse
