The Evening Standard Awards shortlist has been announced today, with the Royal Court and National Theatre dominating the awards across the majority of categories.
The already highly decorated Royal Court will take home at least two accolades at this year’s awards. All three nominations for the Best Play Award go to the venue with Cock, Clybourne Park and Sucker Punch nominated, and similarly the Charles Wintour Award for Most Promising Playwright sees the venue’s recent prodigies DC Moore, Nick Payne and Anya Reiss – who wrote Spur Of The Moment when she was only 17 – competing exclusively against one another.
The theatre also boasts nominations for Best Actress (Sophie Thompson in Clybourne Park), Best Design (Miriam Buether for Sucker Punch) and has three nominees for The Milton Shulman Award For Outstanding Newcomer – Daniel Kaluuya (Sucker Punch), Isabella Laughland (Wanderlust) and Shannon Tarbet (Spur Of The Moment) – taking its nominations total to 11.
The National Theatre, which is nominated in The Natasha Richardson Award for Best Actress (Nancy Carroll in After The Dance) and Best Design category (Miriam Buether for Earthquakes In London), has monopolised the award for Best Director, with all four nominees recognised for their work at the South Bank venue. The theatre’s Artistic Director Nicholas Hytner is nominated for The Habit Of Art, Hamlet and London Assurance, Howard Davies for The White Guard, Laurie Sansom for Beyond The Horizon and Spring Storm and Thea Sharrock for After The Dance.
New musical Legally Blonde The Musical sees success as well with leading lady Sheridan Smith nominated for Best Actress and the show recognised in The Ned Sherrin Award for Best Musical. The show faces competition from Les Misérables at the Barbican theatre and the Donmar Warehouse’s Passion in the awards’ only musical category.
Among the other high profile actors to have survived the cull from last month’s long list are Roger Allam, Rory Kinnear, David Suchet, Elena Rogers and Melanie Chisholm. Those not so fortunate include Benedict Cumberbatch, Jonathan Pryce, Martin Freeman, Gemma Arterton, Judi Dench, Keira Knightley and Helen McCrory, all of which have not made the shortlist.
The Evening Standard Awards will take place on Sunday 28 November at The Savoy hotel and will be presented by Stephen Fry. They are the first awards of London theatre’s award season which culminates in the most prestigious and glamorous ceremony, the Laurence Olivier Awards, at the Theatre Royal Drury Lane on 13 March.
CM
Full Evening Standard Theatre Award Nominees Shortlist:
Best Actor
Roger Allam for Henry IV Parts One and Two (Shakespeare’s Globe)
Rory Kinnear for Measure For Measure (Almeida theatre) and Hamlet (National Theatre, Olivier)
David Suchet for All My Sons (Apollo theatre)
The Natasha Richardson Award for Best Actress
Nancy Carroll for After The Dance (National Theatre, Lyttelton)
Elena Roger for Passion (Donmar Warehouse)
Sheridan Smith for Legally Blonde The Musical (Savoy theatre)
Sophie Thompson for Clybourne Park (Royal Court)
Best Play
Cock by Mike Bartlett (Royal Court)
Clybourne Park by Bruce Norris (Royal Court)
Sucker Punch by Roy Williams (Royal Court)
The Ned Sherrin Award for Best Musical
Legally Blonde The Musical (Savoy theatre)
Les Misérables (2010) (Cameron Mackintosh production at the Barbican theatre)
Passion (Donmar Warehouse)
Best Director
Howard Davies for The White Guard (National Theatre, Lyttelton) and All My Sons (Apollo theatre)
Nicholas Hytner for The Habit Of Art (National Theatre, Lyttelton), London Assurance (National Theatre, Olivier) and Hamlet (National Theatre, Olivier)
Laurie Sansom for Beyond The Horizon and Spring Storm (both National Theatre, Cottesloe)
Thea Sharrock for After The Dance (National Theatre, Lyttelton)
Best Design
Miriam Buether for Sucker Punch (Royal Court) and Earthquakes In London (National Theatre, Cottesloe)
Bunny Christie for The White Guard (National Theatre, Lyttelton)
Christopher Oram for Passion and Red (both Donmar Warehouse)
The Charles Wintour Award for Most Promising Playwright
DC Moore for The Empire (Royal Court)
Nick Payne for If There Is I Haven’t Found It Yet (Bush theatre) and Wanderlust (Royal Court)
Anya Reiss for Spur Of The Moment (Royal Court)
The Milton Shulman Award for Outstanding Newcomer
You Me Bum Bum Train, created by Kate Bond and Morgan Lloyd (LEB Building, E2)
Melanie Chisholm, for her performance in Blood Brothers (Phoenix theatre)
Daniel Kaluuya, for his performance in Sucker Punch (Royal Court)
Isabella Laughland, for her performance in Wanderlust (Royal Court)
Shannon Tarbet, for her performance in Spur Of The Moment (Royal Court)