The Stage has announced the first two winners of its 2022 The Stage Edinburgh Awards, honouring Samuel Barnett (pictured left) and Michael Dylan for their performances in two plays that both feature LGBTQ+ characters.
Actor Samuel Barnett has been named the first winner, for his performance in Feeling Afraid As If Something Terrible Is Going to Happen at the Roundabout at Summerhall in Edinburgh.
The dark comedy by Marcelo Dos Santos (Lionboy, Complicite) and directed by Matthew Xia (Blue/Orange, Young Vic) is about a 36-year-old gay comedian: a permanently single, professionally neurotic stand-up who finally meets Mr Right and then does everything wrong.
Dominic Cavendish in the Telegraph gave the show Five Stars, hailing it as “the next Fleabag”. Fergus Morgan for The Stage said that Barnett “holds the Roundabout audience in the palm of his hand” for the duration of the play.
The show runs until the 28 August 2022 in Edinburgh.
The second award to be handed out has gone to Michael Dylan, who won for his performance in Wilf at the Traverse Theatre in Edinburgh.
Written by James Ley (I Heart Maths, Spain), and directed by the Traverse Theatre’s artistic director Gareth Nicholls, the play runs at the Traverse until 28 August 2022.
Mark Fisher for the Guardian gave the play Four Stars, and said Wilf is a ” blast of feelgood cheer even though it is about a man who can’t resist shagging his Volkswagen Polo”! The Stage’s Natasha Tripney said that Michael Dylan “is a joy in James Ley’s Wilf“.
More The Stage Edinburgh Awards will be announced. The awards don’t follow a traditional pattern, celebrating acting performances, and not limited to any specific category.
