UK Theatre Awards 2023 nominations announced

Nominations have been announced for this year’s UK Theatre Awards 2023.

Organised by trade association UK Theatre, the UK Theatre Awards are the only national awards to celebrate outstanding achievements in theatre.

Finalists for the UK’s Most Welcoming Theatre category were announced in July 2023, and are the Curve Leicester, the National Youth Theatre and Nottingham Playhouse.

In terms of best performance in a play, the nominees are Peter Forbes for On The Beach at Sheffield Theatres, Siobhán McSweeney for Happy Days at Birmingham Rep, Daniel Rigby for Accidental Death Of An Anarchist at Sheffield Theatres, the Lyric Hammersmith, and the Theatre Royal Haymarket in the West End, and William Young for Of Mice & Men at Birmingham Rep and Leeds Playhouse.

Best performance in a musical nominees include Joanna Ampil for Miss Saigon at Sheffield Theatres, Lena Hall for In Dreams at the Leeds Playhouse, and Rebecca Thornhill for Gypsy at a The Mill at Sonning.

The eligibility period for the 2023 UK Theatre Awards was 1 September 2022 to 14 August 2023.

In terms of judges, a number of panels are made up of regional theatre reviewers and industry professionals. For Theatre, the judges are: Angelo Ivring, Clare Brennan, Clive Davis, Diane Parkes, Dominic Cavendish, Jane Coyle and Mark Fisher; For Dance, they are: Andrew Hurst, Donald Hutera, Lyndsey Winship, and Sanjoy Roy; and For Opera, they are: Alexandra Coghlan, Claire Seymour, George Hall, and John Allison.

The Off Stage Panel judges are made up of UK Theatre board members and freelance theatre professionals: Andrew Miller; Milton Lopes; and Sita McIntosh; and the UK’s Most Welcoming Theatre is judged by Partner Members and freelance theatre professionals, namely: Bea Webster-Mockett, Natalie Amber, and Simon Geen.

Hosted by actor Zoe Birkett (The Witches, Moulin Rouge! The Musical), the winners will be announced at London’s Guildhall on 8 October 2023.

UK Theatre Awards 2023 – Nominations

Best Design

Conor Murphy for Propaganda: A New Musical, a Lyric Theatre Belfast and The Belfast Ensemble Production
Justin Nardella & Dan Steele for iShowmanism!, a Theatre Royal Bath production
Sadeysa Greenaway-Bailey & UTLZ for Tambo & Bones, a Theatre Royal Stratford East Actors Touring Company co-production

Best Director

Matthew Dunster & Jimmy Fairhurst for A Midsummer Night’s Dream, a Shakespeare North Playhouse, Not Too Tame and Northern Stage co-production
Omar Elerian for As You Like It, a Royal Shakespeare Company production
Garry Hynes for DruidO’Casey, a Druid Theatre production at Lyric Theatre Belfast

Best Musical Production Sponsored by Tysers in association with Ecclesiastical

The Book Thief, an Octagon Theatre Bolton production
Gypsy, a The Mill at Sonning production
Miss Saigon, a Sheffield Theatres production

Best New Play

Agreement, a Lyric Theatre Belfast production
Enough Of Him, a National Theatre of Scotland and Pitlochry Festival Theatre co-production
Untitled F*ck M*ss S**gon Play, a Royal Exchange Theatre, Factory International for Manchester International Festival, Young Vic Theatre and Headlong co-production

Best Play Revival Sponsored by Trafalgar Theatres

The Beauty Queen Of Leenane, a Prime Cut and Lyric Theatre Belfast co-production
The Comedy Of Errors (More Or Less), a Shakespeare North Playhouse and Stephen Joseph Theatre co-production
The Contingency Plan, a Sheffield Theatres production

Best Performance in a Play

Peter Forbes for On The Beach, a Sheffield Theatres production
Siobhán McSweeney for Happy Days, a Landmark Productions production at Birmingham Rep
Daniel Rigby for Accidental Death Of An Anarchist, a Sheffield Theatres and Lyric Hammersmith co-production
Wiliam Young for Of Mice & Men, a Birmingham Rep, Leeds Playhouse and Fiery Angel co-production

Best Performance in a Musical

Joanna Ampil for Miss Saigon, a Sheffield Theatres production
Lena Hall for In Dreams, a Leeds Playhouse production
Rebecca Thornhill for Gypsy, a The Mill at Sonning production

Best Show for Children and Young People

The Famous Five, a Theatr Clywd and Chichester Festival Theatre co-production
Mirrorball, a Replay Theatre Company production at Belfast Children’s Festival, Lyric Theatre Belfast
The SpongeBob Musical, a Selladoor Worldwide production

Best Supporting Performance (in a Musical or Play)

Bryony Corrigan for I, Daniel Blake, a Nothern Stage, Birmingham Rep, ETT, Oldham Coliseum and tiny dragon Productions production in association with Cardboard Citizens
Antony Eden for Family Album, a Stephen Joseph Theatre production
LJ Parkinson for Modest, a Middle Child and Milk Presents co-production

Achievement in Opera