The shortlist comprises:
Best Actor
Roger Allam for Henry IV Parts One and Two at Shakespeare's Globe
Rory Kinnear for Measure for Measure at the Almeida and Hamlet at the National's Olivier
David Suchet for All My Sons at the Apollo
The Natasha Richardson Award for Best Actress
Nancy Caroll for After the Dance at the National's Lyttelton
Elena Roger for Passion at the Donmar Warehouse
Sheridan Smith for Legally Blonde at the Savoy
Sophie Thompson for Clybourne Park at the Royal Court
Best Play
Cock by Mike Bartlett at the Royal Court
Clybourne Park by Bruce Norris at the Royal Court
Sucker Punch by Roy Williams
The Ned Sherrin Award for Best Musical
Legally Blonde at the Savoy
Les Misérables (2010 production) at the Barbican Theatre
Passion at the Donmar Warehouse Best Director
Howard Davies for The White Guard at the National's Lyttelton and All My Sons at the Apollo
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
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
Best Design
Miriam Buether for Sucker Punch at the Royal Court and Earthquakes in London at the National's Cottesloe
Bunny Christie for The White Guard at the National's Lyttelton
Christopher Oram for Passion at the Donmar Warehouse and Red at the Donmar Warehouse
The Charles Wintour Award for Most Promising Playwright
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
The Milton Shulman Award for Outstanding Newcomer
Melanie Chisholm for her performance in Blood Brothers at the Phoenix Theatre
Daniel Kaluuya for his performance in Sucker Punch at the Royal Court
Isabella Laughland for her performance in Wanderlust at the Royal Court
Shannon Tarbet for her performance in Spur of the Moment at the Royal Court
You Me Bum Bum Train, created by Kate Bond and Morgan Lloyd, at the LEB Building, E2
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.
