For the first time in the Award's history, all nominations for Best New Play are by female playwrights. The nominees are: Half Breed by Tash Marshall, Narvik by Lizzie Nunnery and Wish List by Katherine Soper.
The nominees for Best Director are: Emma Jordan for Red, Gemma Bodinetz for the repertory season at Liverpool Everyman & Playhouse and Robert Hastie for Julius Caesar.
Productions nominated for Best Musical are Sheffield Theatres' production of Everybody's Talking About Jamie, Chichester Festival Theatre's Caroline, Or Change and Sweet Charity, a Royal Exchange Theatre production.
The full list of nominations is below and available online at UKTheatre.org.
The Awards will be presented on Sunday 15 October at a ceremony at London's Guildhall. Olivier Award-winning actress Sharon D Clarke will host this year's event. Sharon recently appeared in Caroline, Or Change, for which she is nominated for Best Performance in a Musical alongside Kaisa Hammarlund for Sweet Charity, John McCrea for Everybody's Talking About Jamie and Louis Maskell for The Grinning Man.
As well as awards for both performance and management, which are decided by expert panels, in 2013 the Clothworkers' Foundation launched its five year Theatre Award programme worth £750,000. A single award of up to £150,000 will be presented each year to a regional producing theatre in England as part of a broader £1.25 million programme to support the dramatic arts. A different region in England is selected each year; this year's recipient will be a venue in the East Midlands and West Midlands. The list of eligible theatres is available here.
"This year's nominations demonstrate the extraordinary breadth of work being written, directed and performed across the United Kingdom. The performing arts are one of the country's most dynamic and progressive industries, shaped by incredibly talented individuals and companies, on and off stage."
The public vote for The UK's Most Welcoming Theatre Award with Smooth Radio will close at 12 noon on Tuesday 19 September. For more information visit UkTheatre.org/vote.
UK Theatre Awards 2017 Nominations
Best New Play
HALF BREED by Tash Marshall, a Talawa Theatre Company and Soho Theatre co-production
SWEET CHARITY directed by Derek Bond, a Royal Exchange Theatre production
Best Touring Production
THE SUPPLIANT WOMEN directed by Ramin Gray, an Actors Touring Company and Royal Lyceum Theatre Edinburgh co-production
The Who's TOMMY directed by Kerry Michael, a New Wolsey Theatre Ipswich and Ramps on the Moon co-production
WHEN WE ARE MARRIED directed by Barrie Rutter, a Northern Broadsides production in partnership with York Theatre Royal
Best Show for Children and Young People
AROUND THE WORLD IN 80 DAYS, a New Vic Theatre production in partnership with Kenny Wax Family Entertainment and Simon Friend in association with Royal Exchange Theatre
Roald Dahl's FANTASTIC MR FOX, a Nuffield Southampton Theatres and Curve co-production in association with Lyric Hammersmith
THE SNOW QUEEN, a New Vic Theatre production
Best Director
Emma Jordan for RED, a Prime Cut Productions and Lyric Theatre co-production
Gemma Bodinetz for the repertory season at Liverpool Everyman & Playhouse