It has also been announced that Damian Lewis, star of TV's "Homeland" who began his career on the London stage, will act as master of ceremonies. Also added this year will be a category for Best Musical Performance, joining the eight existing categories: Best Play, Best Director, Best Actor, Best Design, Natasha Richardson Award for Best Actress, Ned Sherrin Award for Best Musical, Milton Shulman Award for Outstanding Newcomer and Charles Wintour Award for Most Promising Playwright.

In addition to nine longlisted awards, which are decided by a panel of theatre critics and London Evening Standard's editor, Sarah Sands, six other special awards will be presented on the night, without long or shortlists. These are the Emerging Talent Award in Partnership with Burberry, the Award for Comedy (new this year), the Lebedev Special Award, the Editor's Award, Beyond Theatre and the Moscow Art Theatre’s Golden Seagull.



In a press statement, Sands commented, "This year more than any other, with so many London hits going to Broadway and so many big names in lights in the West End, it is a source of great pride that the Evening Standard continues its long support of theatre with this year’s Awards."



The longlist comprises:

Best Actor
Chiwetel Ejiofor for A Season in the Congo at Young Vic
Henry Goodman for The Resistible Rise of Arturo Ui at Chichester and Duchess
Harry Hadden-Paton for The Pride at Trafalgar Studios
John Heffernan for Edward II at National' Olivier
Lenny Henry for Fences at Theatre Royal Bath and Duchess
Rory Kinnear for Othello at National's Olivier
Adrian Lester for Othello at National's Olivier
James McAvoy for Macbeth at Trafalgar Studios
Jonjo O’Neill for The Effect at National's Cottesloe
Clarke Peters for Race at Hampstead
Toby Stephens for Private Lives at Chichester and Gielgud
Tom Sturridge for No Quarter at Royal Court
Dominic West for The River at Royal Court's Jerwood Theatre Upstairs
Benedict Wong for Chimerica at Almeida and Harold Pinter Nastasha Richardson Award for Best Actress

Linda Bassett for Roots at Donmar Warehouse
Anna Calder-Marshall for The Herd at Bush
Anna Chancellor for Private Lives at Chichester and Gielgud
Judi Dench for Peter and Alice at Noel Coward
Lucy Ellinson for Grounded at Gate
Lesley Manville for Ghosts at Almeida
Helen Mirren for The Audience at Gielgud
Billie Piper for The Effect at National's Cottesloe
Michelle Terry for A Midsummer Night's Dream at Shakespeare’s Globe
Kristin Scott Thomas for Old Times at Harold Pinter
Harriet Walter for Julius Caesar at Donmar Warehouse
Lia Williams for Old Times at Harold Pinter

Best Play
The Audience by Peter Morgan at Gielgud
Chimerica by Lucy Kirkwood at Almeida and Harold Pinter
Cocktail Sticks by Alan Bennett at National's Lyttelton
The Dark Earth and the Light Sky by Nick Dear at Almeida
The Effect by Lucy Prebble at National's Cottesloe
Handbagged by Moira Buffini at Tricycle
The Night Alive by Conor McPherson at Donmar Warehouse
Peter and Alice by John Logan at Noel Coward
The River by Jez Butterworth at Royal Court's Jerwood Theatre Upstairs
Table by Tanya Ronder at National's Shed

Ned Sherrin Award for Best Musical
The Book of Mormon at the Prince of Wales
Charlie and the Chocolate Factory at the Theatre Royal Drury Lane
The Light Princess at the National (Lyttelton)
Merrily We Roll Along at Menier Chocolate Factory and Harold Pinter
Once at the Phoenix
The Sound of Music at the Open Air Theatre, Regent's Park
Titanic at the Southwark Playhouse

Best Director
Stephen Daldry for The Audience at Gielgud
Richard Eyre for Ghosts at Almeida
Rupert Goold for The Effect at National's Cottesloe
Michael Grandage for Privates on Parade at Noel Coward
Nicholas Hytner for Othello at National's Olivier
Jonathan Kent for Private Lives at Chichester and Gielgud
Jamie Lloyd for Trafalgar Transformed season at Trafalgar Studios
Phyllida Lloyd for Julius Caesar at Donmar Warehouse
James Macdonald for Roots at Donmar Warehouse
Rufus Norris for The Amen Corner at National's Olivier
Ian Rickson for Old Times at Harold Pinter
Josie Rourke for The Weir at Donmar Warehouse
Lyndsey Turner for Chimerica at Almeida and Harold Pinter

Best Design
Felix Barrett, Livi Vaughan and Beatrice Minns for The Drowned Man: A Hollywood Fable, Punchdrunk at Temple Studios, W2
Lizzie Clachan for Port at National's Lyttelton
Bob Crowley for People at National's Lyttelton and The Audience at Gielgud and Once at Phoenix
Es Devlin for Chimerica at Almeida and Pinter
Tim Hatley (design) & Peter Mumford (lighting) for Ghosts at Almeida
Christopher Oram for Michael Grandage Company season at Noel Coward
Rae Smith for The Light Princess at National's Lyttelton
Hildegard Bechtler for Roots at Donmar Warehouse

Charles Wintour Award for Most Promising Playwright
Rachel De-lahay for Routes at Royal Court
Rory Kinnear for The Herd at Bush
Nathaniel Martello-White for Blackta at Young Vic
Janice Okoh for Three Birds at Bush
Jessica Swale for Blue Stockings at Shakespeare’s Globe
Anna Wakulik for A Time to Reap at Royal Court
Phoebe Waller-Bridge for Fleabag at Soho

Milton Shulman Award for Outstanding Newcomer
Daniel Boyd for 4000 Miles at Print Room
Caoilfhionn Dunne for The Night Alive at Donmar Warehouse
Max Irons for Farragut North at Southwark Playhouse
Jennifer Kirby for Pride and Prejudice at the Open Air Theatre, Regent's Park
Seth Numrich for Sweet Bird of Youth at Old Vic
Kate O’Flynn for Port at National's Lyttelton
Luke Thompson for A Midsummer Night's Dream at Shakespeare’s Globe
Olivia Vinall for Othello at National's Olivier

Best Musical Performance
Rosalie Craig for The Light Princess at National's Lyttelton
Gavin Creel for The Book of Mormon at Prince of Wales
Zrinka Cvitešić for Once at Phoenix
Cynthia Erivo for The Color Purple at Menier Chocolate Factory
Douglas Hodge for Charlie and the Chocolate Factory at Theatre Royal Drury Lane
Cecilia Noble for The Amen Corner at National's Olivier
Jenna Russell for Merrily We Roll Along at Menier Chocolate Factory and Harold Pinter
Mark Umbers for Merrily We Roll Along at Menier Chocolate Factory & Harold Pinter
Charlotte Wakefield for The Sound of Music at Open Air Theatre, Regent’s Park