The winners will be announced at a ceremony at the Savoy Hotel Nov. 20. There are several interesting contests, including Frankenstein co-stars Benedict Cumberbatch and Jonny Lee Miller going to head-to-head with each other to be named Best Actor; playwright Richard Bean going head-to-head with himself for Best Play, with nominations for both One Man Two Guvnors and The Heretic; and husband-and-wife Kyle Soller and Phoebe Fox both competing for Outstanding Newcomer.
The judges are Sarah Sands, deputy editor of the Evening Standard, and a panel of theatre critics that comprises Henry Hitchings (Evening Standard), Georgina Brown (Mail on Sunday), Susannah Clapp (Observer), Charles Spencer (Daily Telegraph), Libby Purves (The Times) and Matt Wolf (International Herald Tribune).
In a press statement, Hitchings commented, "It's been a fantastic year for musicals, with memorable new writing making an impact in both the commercial and subsidised sectors, alongside a string of deft revivals. The National Theatre has had another strong year, and the general mood in London theatre has been reassuringly buoyant and robust, with starry openings balanced by a commitment to exploring topical issues. While it's not all good news, and the full impact of funding cuts has yet to be felt, Londoners have an incredible range of choice that would be the envy of theatregoers in any other city.”
Awards are presented in eight categories. The nominees follow:
Best Actor
Bertie Carvel for Matilda The Musical (RSC Stratford and West End's Cambridge Theatre).
Benedict Cumberbatch for Frankenstein (National's Olivier).
Charles Edwards for Much Ado About Nothing (Shakespeare's Globe).
Jonny Lee Miller for Frankenstein (National's Olivier). Best Actress
Kristin Scott Thomas for Betrayal (Comedy).
Sheridan Smith for Flare Path (Theatre Royal, Haymarket).
Samantha Spiro for Chicken Soup with Barley (Royal Court).
Best Play
Richard Bean's The Heretic (Royal Court).
Richard Bean's One Man, Two Guvnors (National's Lyttelton).
Gina Gionfriddo's Becky Shaw (Almeida).
Nina Raine's Tribes (Royal Court)
The Ned Sherrin Award for Best Musical
Betty Blue Eyes (Novello).
London Road (National's Cottesloe).
Matilda The Musical (RSC Stratford and Cambridge Theatre).
Best Director
Rob Ashford for Anna Christie (Donmar Warehouse).
Dominic Cooke for Chicken Soup with Barley (Royal Court).
Edward Hall for Richard III and The Comedy of Errors (Propeller at Hampstead Theatre).
Mike Leigh for Grief (National's Cottesloe).
Best Design
Bunny Christie for Men Should Weep (National's Lyttelton).
Lizzie Clachan for Wastwater (Royal Court).
Adam Cork for sound design for Anna Christie and Ling Lear (both Donmar Warehouse).
Mark Tildesley for Frankenstein (National's Olivier).
The Charles Wintour Award For Most Promising Playwright
EV Crowe for Kin (Royal Court).
Vivienne Franzmann for Mogadishu (Lyric Hammersmith).
Penelope Skinner for The Village Bike (Royal Court).
The Milton Shulman Award for Outstanding Newcomer
Phoebe Fox for her performances in As You Like It (Rose Kingston), The Acid Test (Royal Court) and There Is A War (National's Paintframe)
Malachi Kirby for his performance in Mogadishu (Lyric Hammersmith)
Kyle Soller for his performances in The Glass Menagerie (Young Vic), The Government Inspector (Young Vic) and The Faith Machine (Royal Court).
David Wilson Barnes for his performance in Becky Shaw (Almeida).
