The final shortlist will be announced a week before the winners are announced at an evening ceremony, to be held at the newly reopened Savoy Hotel on Nov. 28.
The long list comprises:
Best Actor
Roger Allam for Henry IV Parts One and Two at Shakespeare's Globe
Bertie Carvel for Rope at the Almeida
Benedict Cumberbatch for After the Dance at the National's Lyttelton
Martin Freeman for Clybourne Park at the Royal Court
Alex Jennings for The Habit of Art at the National's Lytelton
Rory Kinnear for Measure for Measure at the Almeida and Hamlet at the National's Olivier
Adrian Lester for Cat on a Hot Tin Roof at the Novello Theatre
Alfred Molina for Red at the Donmar Wareouse
Jonathan Pryce for The Caretaker at Trafalgar Studios
Simon Russell Beale for London Assurance at the National's Olivier and Deathtrap at the Garrick
Adrian Scarborough for After the Dance at the National's Lyttelton
David Suchet for All My Sons at the Apollo
The Natasha Richardson Award for Best Actress
Gemma Arterton for The Little Dog Laughed at the Garrick
Nancy Caroll for After the Dance at the National's Lyttelton
Judi Dench for A Midsummer Night's Dream at the Rose Theare, Kingston
Tamsin Greig for The Little Dog Laughed at the Garrick
Jenny Jules for Ruined at the Almeida
Keira Knighley for The Misanthrope at the Comedy
Amanda Lawrence for Jiggery Pokery at BAC and Henry VIII at Shakespeare's Globe
Rosaleen Linehan for The Beauty Queen of Leenane at the Young Vic
Helen McCrory for The Late Midddle Classes at the Donmar Warehouse
Lesley Manville for Six Degrees of Separation at the Old Vic
Anna Maxwell Martin for Measure for Measure at the Almeida
Elena Roger for Passion at the Donmar Warehouse
Fiona Shaw for London Assurance at the National's Olivier
Sheridan Smith for Legally Blonde at the Savoy
Sophie Thompson for Clybourne Park at the Royal Court
Zoë Wanamaker for All My Sons at the Apollo
Best Play
Cock by Mike Bartlett at the Royal Court
The Big Fellah by Richard Bean at the Lyric Hammersmith
The Habit of Art by Alan Bennett at the National's Lyttelton
Beautiful Burnout by Bryony Lavery at York Hall
Clybourne Park by Bruce Norris at the Royal Court
Ruined by Lynne Nottage at the Almeida
Posh by Laura Wade at the Royal Court
Sucker Punch by Roy Williams The Ned Sherrin Award for Best Musical
Hair at the Gielgud Theatre
The Human Comedy at the Young Vic
Legally Blonde at the Savoy
Les Misérables (2010 production) at the Barbican Theatre
Passion at the Donmar Warehouse
Sweet Charity at the Menier Chocolate Factory/Theatre Royal, Haymarket
Best Director
Dominic Cooke for Clybourne Park at the Royal Court
Howard Davies for The White Guard at the National's Lyttelton and All My Sons at the Apollo
Rupert Goold for RSC production of Romeo and Juliet at Straford-upon-Avon and Earthquakes in London at the National's Cottesloe
Michael Grandage for Red at the Donmar Warheouse and Danton's Death at the National's Olivier
Jeremy Herrin for Spur of the Moment at the Royal Court
Joe Hill-Gibbins for The Beauty Queen of Leenane at the Young Vic
Nicholas Hytner for The Habit of Art at the National's Lyttelton, London Assurance at the National's Olivier and Hamlet at the National's Olivier
James MacDonald for Cock at the Royal Court
Roger Michell for Rope at the Almeida
Laurie Sansom for Beyond the Horizon and Spring Storm at the National's Cottesloe
Thea Sharrock for After the Dance at the National's Lyttelton
Lyndsey Turner for Posh at the Royal Court
Best Design
Lez Brotherston for The Rise and Fall of Little Voice at the Vaudeville, Measure for Measure at the Almeida, Women Beware Women at the National's Olivier and Design for Living at the Old Vic
Miriam Buether for Sucker Punch at the Royal Court and Earthquakes in London at the National's Cottesloe
Bunny Christie for The White Guard a the National's Lyttelton
Rob Howell for Private Lives at the Vaudeville and Deathtrap at the Noel Coward
Vicki Mortimer for The Cat in the Hat at the National's Cottesloe and Young Vic
Christopher Oram for Passion at the Donmar Warehouse and Red at the Donmar Warehouse
Mark Thompson for London Assurance at the National's Olivier
The Charles Wintour Award for Most Promising Playwright
James Graham for The Whisky Taster at the Bush and The Man at the Finborugh
DC Moore for The Empire at the Royal Court
Nick Payne for If There Is I Haven't Found It Yet at the Bush and Wanderlust at the Royal Court
Anya Reiss for Spur of the Moment at the Royal Court
Atiha Sen Gupta for What Fatima Did at Hampstead
Penelope Skinner for Eigengrau at the Bush Theatre
The Milton Shulman Award for Outstanding Newcomer
You Me Bum Bum Train, created by Kate Bond and Morgan Lloyd at the LEB Building, E2
Melanie Chisholm for her performance in Blood Brothers at the Phoenix Theatre
Laura Dos Santos for her performance in Educating Rita at the Menier Chocolate Factory and Trafalgar Studios
Simon Godwin for his direction of Wanderlust at the Royal Court
Daniel Kaluuya for his performance in Sucker Punch at the Royal Court
Isabella Laughland for her performance in Wanderlust at the Royal Court
Henry Lloyd-Hughes for his performances in Rope at the Almeida and Posh at the Royal Court
James Mcardle for his performance in Spur of the Moment at the Royal Court
James Musgrave for his performance in Wanderlust at the Royal Court
Nikesh Patel for his performance in Disconnect at the Royal Court
Shannon Tarbet for her performance in Spur of the Moment at the Royal Court
There are two further awards, for which nominations are not announced in advance: The Golden Seagull Award, presented on behalf of Moscow Art Theatre; and the Lebedev Special Award, for outstanding contribution to theatre.
The judging panel comprises Sarah Sands, deputy editor of the Evening Standard, and theatre critics Henry Hitchings (Evening Standard), Georgina Brown (Mail on Sunday), Susannah Clapp (Observer), Charles Spencer (Daily Telegraph) and Matt Wolf (International Herald Tribune). Evgeny Lebedev, chairman of the Evening Standard, chairs the jury.
