Nominations Announced for Theatre Awards UK 2011

The Theatrical Management Association (TMA) has announced the nominations for its Theatre Awards UK 2011. The re-launched annual Theatre and Theatre Management Awards are given to honour creative excellence and the outstanding work seen on stages throughout England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland.

Theatre Awards UK will be presented at a lunchtime ceremony at the Banqueting House, Whitehall, one of the five Historic Royal Palaces, on Sunday 30 October 2011. The unique and brilliantly inventive ventriloquist Paul Zerdin, described as ‘a ventriloquist for the South Park generation', will be compère for the afternoon. Zerdin is currently on a sold-out tour of his one-man show at theatres around the UK and he will be familiar with audiences at many of the TMA venues which are recognised by the awards. Presenters and other special guests will be announced shortly.

Julian Bird, Chief Executive of the TMA who will be producing the awards, commented:

"The nominations for the 2011 Theatre Awards UK demonstrate the strength and excellence of theatre, dance and opera throughout the UK. From new plays to innovative site specific theatre to some truly outstanding performances, all are represented in this year's shortlists. Also encouraging is the regional and geographical spread of nominated theatres, and we look forward to honouring someone's exceptional lifetime contribution to regional theatre throughout the UK."

For the first time ever, the awards will jointly celebrate performance and management success, which had previously been recognised at two separate events, and the winners of the five management awards will be announced on the day.

Rachel Tackley, President of TMA, said "The 2011 event is a timely reminder of the huge diversity and extraordinary quality of artistic talent that is found across the United Kingdom. Their work is proof of the continued value of public investment in the arts."

The nominations for the performance categories are in full below. For more details visit the TMA website www.tmauk.org

BEST PERFORMANCE IN A PLAY

Marianne Oldham for THE YEARS BETWEEN: a Royal & Derngate, Northampton production at the Royal & Derngate, Northampton

David Haig for THE MADNESS OF GEORGE III: a Peter Hall Company production at the Theatre Royal, Bath and on tour

Derek Jacobi for KING LEAR: A Donmar Warehouse production at the Grand Opera House, Belfast and on tour

BEST SUPPORTING PERFORMANCE

Kenneth Alan Taylor for THE PRICE: an Octagon Theatre Bolton, Stephen Joseph Theatre, Scarborough and Hull Truck Theatre production on tour

Clarke Peters for FIVE GUYS NAMED MOE: a Theatre Royal Stratford East production at the Theatre Royal, Stratford East

Claire Price for THE PRIDE: A Sheffield Theatres production at the Crucible, Sheffield

BEST NEW PLAY

LOVE, LOVE, LOVE: a Theatre Royal, Plymouth and Paines Plough production at the Theatre Royal, Plymouth and on tour

MOGADISHU: a Royal Exchange, Manchester production at the Royal Exchange, Manchester and on tour.

HERDING CATS: a Theatre Royal, Bath production in the Ustinov Studio

BEST SHOW FOR CHILDREN AND YOUNG PEOPLE.

WHITE: a Catherine Wheels production at the Theatre Royal, Bath

SWALLOWS AND AMAZONS: a Bristol Old Vic production at the Bristol Old Vic

THE MONSTER IN THE HALL at Citizens Theatre, Glasgow and on tour

BEST MUSICAL PRODUCTION

ME AND MY GIRL directed Anna Mackmin: a Sheffield Theatres production at the Crucible, Sheffield

MATILDA THE MUSICAL directed by Matthew Warchus: an RSC production at the Courtyard Theatre, Stratford-upon-Avon

SINGIN' IN THE RAIN directed by Jonathan Church: a Chichester Festival Theatre production at Chichester Festival Theatre

BEST TOURING PRODUCTION

THE TEMPEST directed by Declan Donnellan a Chekhov International Festival and Cheek by Jowl production, on tour

RICHARD III and THE COMEDY OF ERRORS directed by Edward Hall: both Propeller productions, on tour

THE BIG FELLAH directed by Max Stafford-Clark: an Out of Joint and Lyric Hammersmith production on tour

BEST DESIGN

Happy Days designed by Lizzie Clachan, lighting design by Natasha Chivers: A Sheffield Theatres production at Sheffield Studio

‘TIS PITY SHE'S A WHORE designed by Mike Britton, lighting design by Oliver Fenwick: a West Yorkshire Playhouse production at the West Yorkshire Playhouse

THE DUCHESS OF MALFI designed by Ruth Sutcliffe, lighting design by Philip Gladwell; a
Royal and Derngate, Northampton production at the Royal & Derngate, Northampton

BEST DIRECTOR

Erica Wyman for WHO'S AFRAID OF Virginia Woolf? A Sheffield Theatres and Northern Stage co-production at Sheffield Theatres and Northern Stage.

Muriel Romanes for AGE OF AROUSAL: a co-production between Stellar Quines and the Royal Lyceum Theatre, Edinburgh, on tour

Michael Sheen and Bill Mitchell for THE PASSION a National Theatre Wales/Wild Works co-production

BEST PERFORMANCE IN A MUSICAL

Tony Hasnath for THE JUNGLE BOOK: at Lyric Theatre, Belfast

Jemima Rooper for ME AND MY GIRL: A Sheffield Theatres production at the Crucible, Sheffield

Bertie Carvel for MATILDA at the Courtyard Theatre, Stratford-upon-Avon

OUTSTANDING ACHIEVEMENT IN DANCE

New Adventures for an outstanding revision of CINDERELLA

Luca Silvestrini's Protein Dance for LOL - an ingenious multi-media blending of choreography with text.

Hofesh Shechter's POLITICAL MOTHER - a powerful piece by a choreographer on a controversial theme.

OUTSTANDING ACHIEVEMENT IN OPERA

Opera North for the variety of its repertoire this season

MUSIC THEATRE WALES for its production of Mark-Anthony Turnage's Greek

GERALD FINLEY for his performance as Hans Sachs in Glyndebourne Festival's production of Die Meistersinger von Nürnberg