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CRITICS' AWARDS FOR THEATRE IN SCOTLAND
Press release 12 May 2011
Nominations for Scotland’s Glittering Celebration of Theatre Announced
THE National Theatre of Scotland and Edinburgh’s Royal Lyceum have emerged as the leaders in this year’s Critics’ Awards for Theatre in Scotland nominations, shortlisted in no less than six categories each. Dundee Repertory Theatre and The Traverse Theatre Company also have plenty to celebrate, following closely behind with an impressive five nominations apiece.
Roadkill and Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street lead the field in terms of individual productions - both are in the running for five awards - whilst Age of Arousal, The Three Musketeers and the Princess of Spain and The Strange Undoing of Prudencia Hart are all in the running to pick up four trophies.
The Best Female Performance category will be hard fought as Kate Dickie (Any Given Day), Blythe Duff (Good With People) and Gemma McElhinney (The Monster in the Hall) and Mercy Ojelade (Roadkill) compete for the coveted title. The competition for Best Male Performance is no less fierce as David Birrell (Sweeney Todd:The Demon Barber of Fleet Street), Alex Ferns (The Hard Man), Peter Forbes (Educating Agnes) and Ian Smith (My Hands Are Dancing But My Heart Is Cold) wait to find out who this year’s victor will be.
Glasgow highlights include three production award nominations for Vox Motus. Fellow CCA residents, Cryptic are 2011’s newcomers receiving their very first nomination for Best Technical Presentation (Orlando). The Citizens Theatre is also represented in the Best Production for Children and Young People category (Beauty and the Beast).
Looking East, whilst the Royal Lyceum and Traverse Theatre dominate, Musselburgh-based children’s theatre company Catherine Wheels is in line for four awards, including two for Best Production for Children and Young People for White and Caged.
Co-convenor Mark Fisher said: "It was a spectacular year for theatre in Scotland and, in category after category, the judges found themselves weighing one great show against another. The nominations range from Nothing To See Here, a community show in Aberdeen with a cast of 250, to My Hands Are Dancing But My Heart Is Cold, a one-man show performed to an audience of one. All manner of work lies in between – from popular musicals to site-specific drama, from lively comedy to sublime children's theatre – demonstrating the range and vibrancy of theatre in Scotland."
In an exciting addition to CATS’ well-respected group of sponsors, Equity, the UK trade union for professional performers and creative practitioners has entered into a three year relationship with the awards, sponsoring the Best Ensemble category.
Now in its ninth year, the CATS has become a highlight of the theatrical calendar in Scotland, celebrating the actors, directors playwrights and other artists who have made the most thrilling contributions to the industry. Any piece of professional theatre substantially produced in Scotland in the 12 months from May to April (the natural break in the theatre year) is eligible. This year’s ceremony will be held for a third time at the Festival Theatre in Edinburgh on Sunday 12 June at 3.00pm.
The event is open to members of the public and offers a unique opportunity for audiences to come together with the cream of the Scottish theatre community to celebrate the contribution that work produced in Scotland makes to the cultural life of the country.
Tickets cost £15 (including live entertainment, entry to the awards ceremony, a pre- and post- show glass of fizz and light refreshments) and can be purchased through the Festival Theatre box office. For further information on the CATS visit www.criticsawards.theatrescotland.com.
NOTES TO EDITORS:
CATS organisers would like to thank The Mackintosh Foundation, the charity set up by theatre producer Cameron Mackintosh to promote and develop theatrical, musical and dramatic arts, for its pledge of £3,000 over three years to support this unique event. In addition, technical services company Northern Light, insurance specialists W&P Longreach have each donated £500 a year until 2012 to support the individual awards for Best Technical Presentation, Best Male Performance and Best New Play, while media company STV has pledged £500 a year for five years to support the award for Best Female Performance. The list of sponsors is joined by Equity which is supporting the award for Best Ensemble. Equity has kindly pledged £500 to support the award for three years. The ceremony will be sponsored by catering company Appetite Direct and arts and entertainments publication The List
NOMINATIONS LIST
BEST MALE PERFORMANCE:
David Birrell as Sweeney Todd, Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street, Dundee Rep Theatre
Alex Ferns as Johnny Byrne, The Hard Man, Scottish Theatres Consortium
Peter Forbes as Arnolphe, Educating Agnes, Royal Lyceum Theatre Company
Ian Smith, My Hands Are Dancing But My Heart Is Cold, Ian Smith
BEST FEMALE PERFORMANCE, sponsored by STV:
Kate Dickie as Jackie, Any Given Day, Traverse Theatre Company
Blythe Duff as Helen, Good With People, A Play, a Pie and a Pint/Paines Plough
Gemma McElhinney as Duck, The Monster in the Hall, TAG
Mercy Ojelade as Mary, Roadkill, Ankur Productions/Pachamama Productions
BEST ENSEMBLE, sponsored by Equity:
Age of Arousal, Stellar Quines Theatre Company/Royal Lyceum Theatre Company
Nothing to See Here, National Theatre of Scotland/Aberdeen City Council
The Strange Undoing of Prudencia Hart, National Theatre of Scotland
The Three Musketeers and the Princess of Spain, Traverse Theatre Company/Belgrade Theatre, Coventry/English Touring Theatre
BEST DIRECTOR:
Cora Bissett, Roadkill, Ankur Productions/Pachamama Productions
James Brining, Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street, Dundee Rep Theatre
Muriel Romanes, Age of Arousal, Stellar Quines Theatre Company/Royal Lyceum Theatre Company
Mark Thomson, The Importance of Being Earnest, Royal Lyceum Theatre Company
BEST DESIGN:
Janet Bird (set and costumes) and Jeanine Davies (lighting), Age of Arousal, Stellar Quines Theatre Company/Royal Lyceum Theatre Company
Candice Edmonds and Jamie Harrison (set), The Not-So-Fatal Death of Grandpa Fredo, Vox Motus
Shona Reppe (set and costumes) and Craig Fleming (lighting), White, Catherine Wheels Theatre Company
Colin Richmond (set) and Chris Davey (lighting), Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street, Dundee Rep Theatre
BEST USE OF MUSIC AND SOUND:
Hilary Brooks, Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street, Dundee Rep Theatre
Nikola Kodjabashia, The Three Musketeers and the Princess of Spain, Traverse Theatre Company/Belgrade Theatre, Coventry/English Touring Theatre
Alasdair Macrae, The Strange Undoing of Prudencia Hart, National Theatre of Scotland
Michael John McCarthy, The Not-So-Fatal Death of Grandpa Fredo, Vox Motus
BEST TECHNICAL PRESENTATION, sponsored by Northern Light:
The Not-So-Fatal Death of Grandpa Fredo, Vox Motus
Orlando, Cryptic
Roadkill, Ankur Productions/Pachamama Productions
White, Catherine Wheels Theatre Company
BEST PRODUCTION FOR CHILDREN AND YOUNG PEOPLE:
Beauty and the Beast, Citizens Theatre
Caged, Catherine Wheels Theatre Company
The Three Musketeers and the Princess of Spain, Traverse Theatre Company/Belgrade Theatre, Coventry/English Touring Theatre
White, Catherine Wheels Theatre Company
BEST NEW PLAY, sponsored by W&P Longreach:
David Greig, The Strange Undoing of Prudencia Hart, National Theatre of Scotland
Chris Hannan, The Three Musketeers and the Princess of Spain, Traverse Theatre Company/Belgrade Theatre, Coventry/English Touring Theatre
Conceived by Cora Bissett, text by Stef Smith, Roadkill, Ankur Productions/Pachamama Productions
Molly Taylor, Love Letters to the Public Transport System, National Theatre of Scotland
FOR BEST PRODUCTION:
Age of Arousal, Stellar Quines Theatre Company/Royal Lyceum Theatre Company
Roadkill, Ankur Productions/Pachamama Productions
The Strange Undoing of Prudencia Hart, National Theatre of Scotland
Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street, Dundee Rep Theatre
THE NOMINATIONS IN NUMBERS:
• 216 productions were considered
• 142 of those productions were new
• 30 of those productions were created for children and young people
• 19 shows are nominated
• 12 shows received one nomination
• Two shows received three nominations
• Three shows received four nominations
• Two shows received five nominations
• Glasgow’s theatres and production companies received 19 nominations
• Edinburgh’s theatres and production companies received 16 nominations
• Dundee Rep received five nominations
• Ian Smith’s My Hands Are Dancing But My Hands Are Cold was just seven minutes long, and was performed by a cast of one – to a single audience member
• At the other end of the scale, Nothing To See Here - nominated for Best Ensemble - boasted a cast of 250
• The Strange Undoing of Prudencia Hart, is playwright David Greig’s eighth nomination. He has previously been short listed for Yellow Moon, San Diego, Midsummer, Being Norwegian and Pyrenees. He won with Outlying Islands and Gobbo.
• Roadkill has already won seven awards, including a Scotsman Fringe First, a Herald Angel, the Amnesty Freedom of Expression Award, a Total Theatre Award and a Holden Street award. Mercy Ojelade received the Best Actress Award at The Stage Awards for Acting Excellence
The CATS judging panel for 2011 is made up of: Mary Brennan (The Herald), Mark Brown (The Sunday Herald and the Daily Telegraph), Neil Cooper (The Herald), Michael Cox (onstagescotland.co.uk), Robert Dawson Scott (The Times), Thom Dibdin (Edinburgh Evening News and The Stage), Mark Fisher (The Guardian), Joyce McMillan (The Scotsman), Gareth K Vile (The Skinny) and Joy Watters (The Courier).
Listings
Critics’ Awards for Theatre in Scotland
Sunday 12 June at 3.00pm
Festival Theatre, Edinburgh
13/29 Nicolson Street, Edinburgh, EH8 9FT
Tickets: £15 (includes a glass of fizz pre- and post-show)
Box Office: 0131 529 6000 / www.festivaltheatre.org.uk
For further information on the CATS visit www.criticsawards.theatrescotland.com.
For further press information or images please contact Rebecca Byers on 0131 622 8088 or rebecca.byers@eft.co.uk
Issued by the Festival Theatre, Edinburgh on behalf of the Critics’ Awards for Theatre in Scotland.
