The Stage has announced the shortlist for its annual awards, which includes two new categories – Digital Project of the Year sponsored by ETC and Community Project of the Year sponsored by Evolution Productions – to reflect the way British theatre is responding to a changing world.
One of this year’s most ambitious theatrical endeavours, Good Chance Theatre’s Little Amal in The Walk, which highlighted the plight of refugees who risk arduous journeys for the chance at a better life, has been nominated for Community Project of the Year. Over a four-month period, the three-and-a-half-metre puppet of a Syrian child travelled more than 5,000 miles from Turkey across Europe to the UK and, stopped for more than 120 events in 65 cities, towns and villages. The project featured creative input from Stephen Daldry and David Lan, with overall artistic direction by Good Chance Theatre’s Amir Nizar Zuabi, and Handspring Puppet Company which made the puppet.
They are up against some of the most innovative community responses during the coronavirus pandemic including English National Opera’s Breathe project, Horsecross Arts’ Gig on a Truck, UK Disability Arts Alliance’s #WeShallNotBeRemoved campaign and LUNG, The Lowry and Gaddum’s work with young carers, as well as Company Three’s When This is Over which was created to coincide with the United Nation’s recent climate conference COP26.
National Theatre’s Romeo and Juliet, which saw the NT temporarily transform the Lyttelton theatre into a film studio, has been shortlisted for Digital Project of the Year. This reimagined production of Romeo and Juliet, starring Jessie Buckley, Josh O’Connor, Adrian Lester and Tamsin Greig, was an inventive cross-arts collaboration and has now been seen by more than 300,000 people since it premiered on Sky Arts and PBS in April. Also, up for the award are Metcalfe Gordon Productions’ hugely inventive filmed theatre production of Romeo and Juliet, which was shot entirely on green screen, and The Show Must Go Online, which championed early-career and underrepresented directors, and attracted around 250,000 views from over 60 countries.
The Theatre Building of the Year award, sponsored by Concord Theatricals, sees Hall for Cornwall in Truro, Reading Rep and Theatre Royal Drury Lane, London competing for the title.
The nominees for the Innovation Award, sponsored by Charcoalblue, are Donmar Warehouse’s multi-cast production of Constellations, Unlock – a free anti-racist toolkit by Inc Arts and the Theatre Green Book, led by Association of British Theatre Technicians, the Theatres Trust, engineering consultants Buro Happold and theatre architect Paddy Dillon to improve to theatre’s environmental sustainability.
The former Regional and London titles were combined for the first time to create a prestigious Theatre of the Year category, sponsored by Cabbells. UK theatres shortlisted for the accolade are Battersea Arts Centre, London; Donmar Warehouse, London; Lyric Theatre, Belfast; Marlowe Theatre, Canterbury; Pitlochry Festival Theatre and Royal and Derngate, Northampton.
The Fringe Theatre of the Year category sees Hope Mill Theatre, Manchester; New Diorama Theatre, London and Theatre 503, London competing for the award, with Ellie Keel Productions, Michael Harrison Productions and David Pugh Productions up for the Producer of the Year award.
Alistair Smith, editor of The Stage said: “It has been an extraordinary year for British theatre and, appropriately, it has resulted in an extraordinary shortlist of nominees.
“All our judging panel commented on how impressed they were by the submissions we received and we all came away buoyed by the sheer quality, scale and variety of the work that is being produced by companies and individuals at all scales and across the country.
“We were particularly impressed by the submissions for our new Community Project of the Year award, so much so that we have named an extended shortlist of nominees. Truthfully, it could have been twice as long again and still not fully encompassed all the great work that theatre is doing in this often-overlooked area.”
The Stage Awards in association with Tysers Insurance Brokers celebrate the very best achievements in UK theatre in the past 12 months. The awards recognise performing arts organisations and teams who have been making fantastic work and those helping to shape and rebuild the sector for the better.
Winners will be announced on January 31, 2022 at a ceremony at Theatre Royal Drury Lane, London.
Sponsors for this year’s event include Cabbells, Charcoalblue, Concord Theatricals, ETC, Evolution Productions and Kindred Partners, with support from Triple E, Autograph Sound, Blue-I Theatre Technology and White Light.
For more information about The Stage Awards visit thestage.co.uk/awards/the-stage-awards
Shortlist in full
Theatre of the Year
Sponsored by Cabbells
Battersea Arts Centre, London
Donmar Warehouse, London
Lyric Theatre, Belfast
Marlowe Theatre, Canterbury
Pitlochry Festival Theatre
Royal and Derngate, Northampton
Fringe Theatre of the Year
Hope Mill Theatre, Manchester
New Diorama Theatre, London
Theatre 503, London
Theatre Building of the Year
Sponsored by Concord Theatricals
Hall For Cornwall, Truro
Reading Rep
Theatre Royal Drury Lane, London
Producer of the Year
Ellie Keel Productions
Michael Harrison Productions
David Pugh Productions
Innovation Award
Sponsored by Charcoalblue
Donmar Warehouse’s multi-cast production of Constellations
Inc Arts Unlock
Theatre Green Book
Digital Project of the Year
Sponsored by ETC
Metcalfe Gordon Productions’ Romeo and Juliet
National Theatre’s Romeo and Juliet
The Show Must Go Online
Community Project of the Year
Sponsored by Evolution Productions
Company Three’s When This is Over
English National Opera’s Breathe project
Horsecross Arts’ Gig on a Truck
Good Chance Theatre’s Little Amal
#WeShallNotBeRemoved
LUNG, The Lowry & Gaddum’s work with young carers
An Unsung Hero award, sponsored by Kindred Partners, (for which there is no shortlist)
will also be announced at the ceremony.
