A whole host of London theatres are being recognised for their outstanding seasons as The Stage Awards 2019 shortlist was released this morning.
The Young Vic Theatre, Almeida Theatre and Bush Theatre are all competing for the London Theatre of the Year award, following their critically heralded productions of The Jungle and The Inheritance (both Young Vic), Summer And Smoke (Almeida), and Misty (Bush), all of which later transferred to the West End.
Producer of the Year is once again a hotly-contested category, with Harry Potter And The Cursed Child, The Inheritance and Summer And Smoke’s Sonia Friedman vying with Fiery Angel (Circus 1903, Long Day’s Journey Into The Night, and the upcoming West End transfer of Home, I’m Darling) and Fuel for the award. Sonia Friedman Productions previously claimed the award in 2015, 2016 and 2017.
The newly-renovated Royal Opera House is nominated for the Theatre Building of the Year award (against Battersea Arts Centre and the Bristol Old Vic), while both the Lyric Hammersmith and the National Theatre will compete with Julie’s Bicycle/Arts Council England for the Sustainability Award.
And the National Theatre can also celebrate being nominated for the Innovation Award in collaboration with Spotlight for their launch of ProFile, a video casting database for D/deaf and disabled actors.
Alistair Smith, editor of The Stage and chair of the judging panel, said, “I am proud that The Stage Awards continue to celebrate the achievements of performing arts organisations from across the UK – including organisations from both Manchester and Wales. Many congratulations to all the organisations shortlisted.”
The winners will be announced on 25 January 2019 at a ceremony at the Bridge Theatre.
The full shortlist can be found on The Stage website.