The Cabinet Office has published the list of more than 1,100 recipients of awards in this year’s The King’s birthday honours, for their outstanding contributions across all sectors and parts of the UK.
Theatre people recognised in this year’s honours include actors Kenneth Cranham (An Inspector Calls, The Father), Celia Imrie (Plague Over England, Acorn Antiques: The Musical), and performer and playwright Inua Ellams (The Barbershop Chronicles).
Other actors recognised include TV and film actor Vicky Mcclure (Line of Duty), and opera tenor Nicky Spence (Two Boys, Lulu).
Theatre practitioners in the honours list include director Oluwafemi Elufowoju Jr (The Little Prince, The Glass Menagerie), lighting designer Michael Hulls, and playwrights and artistic directors Natalia Kaliada and Nicolai Khalezin from the Belarus Free Theatre, Suzann Robinson from Peckham Theatre, and Yasmin Sidhwa from the Mandala Theatre Company.
Director of Opera North, Richard Mantle, was made a Knight Bachelor, and Peter Lawson, chair of Scottish Opera, was made a CBE.
Other high-profile arts honours went to writer Ben Okri, fashion editor Anna Wintour, film director Stephen Frears, and authors Ian McEwan and Martin Amis.
These are the first honours under King Charles III. Also see New Year Honours List 2023 theatre people honoured.
Selected Arts & Theatre Honours
Dr Richard John Mantle OBE DL – Knight Bachelor
Harrogate, North Yorkshire General Director, Opera North. For services to Opera
Kenneth Cranham – CBE
London, Greater London Actor. For services to Drama
Celia Diana Savile Imrie – CBE
London, Greater London Actress. For services to Drama
Peter John Lawson – CBE
Glasgow, City of Glasgow Chair, Scottish Opera. For services to the Arts in Scotland
Oluwafemi Elufowoju Jr – OBE
London, Greater London Director and Actor. For services to Drama
Michael Hulls – OBE
Hastings, East Sussex Lighting Designer. For services to Dance and to the Arts
Nicky Spence – OBE
London, Greater London Operatic Tenor. For services to Music
Sarah Greenhalgh (Sarah Smith) – MBE
Bristol, City of Bristol Chair, Tobacco Factory Theatres. For services to Theatre and to the community in Bristol and Cornwall
Nadine McKenzie Judge – MBE
Grangemouth, Stirling and Falkirk Choreographer and Honorary Patron, Big Bad Wolf Children’s Theatre Company. For services to Dance in Scotland
Natalia Kaliada – MBE
London, Greater London Co-Founding Artistic Director, Belarus Free Theatre. For services to Theatre
Nicolai Khalezin – MBE
London, Greater London Co-Founding Artistic Director, Belarus Free Theatre. For services to Theatre
Suzann Marie Robinson (Suzann Mclean) – MBE
London, Greater London Chief Executive Officer and Artistic Director, Theatre Peckham. For services to the Arts and to Marginalised Young People in London
Rosalyn Carol Chalmers – MBE
Watford, Hertfordshire For services to the Arts and to People with Sensory Impairments
Teresa Chaytor – MBE
Durham, County Durham Artistic Director, TIN Arts. For services to the Performing Arts for People with Learning Disabilities
Inua Muhammed Ellams – MBE
London, Greater London Poet, Playwright and Performer. For services to the Arts
Vicky Lee Mcclure – MBE
Nottingham, Nottinghamshire Actor. For services to Drama and to Charity
Simon Kenneth Hylands – BEM
Lurgan, County Armagh Founder, Building Bridges Community Arts Theatre, Lurgan. For services to the Arts and to the community in County Armagh
Yasmin Sidhwa – BEM
Oxford, Oxfordshire Founder and Director, Mandala Theatre Company. For services to Drama
