The list sees the current London productions of The Scottsboro Boys and Here Lies Love (running at the Garrick and National Theatre, respectively) in contention for Best Musical alongside the recent U.K. fringe premiere of Dogfight, all of which originated Off-Broadway, as well as one local entry, Sunny Afternoon, which recently transferred from Hampstead Theatre to the West End's Pinter Theatre.
The results will be announced in a ceremony to be held at the London Palladium Nov. 30, presented by Steve Coogan and Rob Brydon, both of whom are comedians, actors and writers. The event is being co-hosted by Evgeny Lebedev, the Evening Standard's owner, Christopher Bailey and Anna Wintour.
Among the actors in contention for awards are Tom Hiddleston for his performance in the title role of Coriolanus at the Donmar Warehouse, Mark Strong for his performance as Eddie Carbone in A View from the Bridge that was seen at the Young Vic and which he is soon to reprise in its West End transfer to Wyndham's Theatre, and Ben Miles for his performance as Thomas Cromwell in the RSC's double bill of Wolf Hall and Bring Up the Bodies that he is soon to reprise on Broadway. Jeremy Herrin, who directed the RSC shows, is also in contention for Best Director.
Three women playwrights are on the shortlist for Best Play, alongside one male: American writers Jennifer Haley and Lynn Nottage are nominated for their plays The Nether (seen at the Royal Court and transferring to the West End's Duke of York's from Jan. 30) and Intimate Apparel, respectively, alongside Rona Monro for her James Plays trilogy (seen at the National) and Mike Bartlett for King Charles III.
Additional awards, presented without shortlist and to be announced at the ceremony, include Lebedev Award, to a writer, performer, director or institution for a specific piece of work, contribution or lifetime achievement award. An Editor’s Award is presented to those who have not only made a contribution to theatre but have also helped boost its profile by making headline news. The Beyond Theatre award recognizes talent that has put theatre in a new environment, made some boundary-pushing development or injected theatricality into another genre. The full list of nominees follows:
Best Actor
Tom Hiddleston for Coriolanus (Donmar Warehouse)
Ben Miles for Wolf Hall & Bring Up the Bodies (RSC Swan & Aldwych)
Mark Strong for A View from the Bridge (Young Vic)
Natasha Richardson Award for Best Actress
Gillian Anderson for A Streetcar Named Desire (Young Vic)
Helen McCrory for Medea (National Theatre's Olivier)
Tanya Moodie for Intimate Apparel (Ustinov Bath & Park Theatre)
Billie Piper for Great Britain (National Theatre's Lyttelton)
Kristin Scott Thomas for Electra (Old Vic)
Nook Award for Best Play
Intimate Apparel by Lynn Nottage (Ustinov Bath & Park Theatre)
The James Plays by Rona Munro (Edinburgh Festival Theatre & National Theatre’s Olivier)
King Charles III by Mike Bartlett (Almeida & Wyndham's)
The Nether by Jennifer Haley (Royal Court)
Ned Sherrin Award for Best Musical
Dogfight (Southwark Playhouse)
Here Lies Love (National Theatre's Dorfman)
The Scottsboro Boys (Young Vic & Garrick)
Sunny Afternoon (Hampstead & Harold Pinter Theatre)
Milton Shulamn Award for Best Director
Stephen Daldry for Skylight (Wyndham's)
Yaël Farber for The Crucible (Old Vic)
Jeremy Herrin for Wolf Hall & Bring Up the Bodies (RSC Swan & Aldwych)
Ivo van Hove for A View from the Bridge (Young Vic)
Emerging Talent Award in Partnership with Burberry
Matthew Beard for his performance in Skylight (Wyndham's)
John Dagleish for his performance in Sunny Afternoon (Hampstead & Harold Pinter Theatre)
Robert Hastie for his direction of My Night With Reg (Donmar Warehouse)
Laura Jane Matthewson for her performance in Dogfight (Southwark Playhouse)
Best Design in Partnership with Heal's
Bunny Christie for Emil and the Detectives (National Theatre's Olivier)
Es Devlin for American Psycho (Almeida)
Mark Henderson for lighting design of Kate Bush's Before the Dawn (Eventim Apollo)
Ashley Martin-Davis for Wonderland (Hampstead)
Charles Wintour Award for Most Promising Playwright
Barney Norris for Visitors (Arcola)
Dan O’Brien for The Body of an American (Northampton Royal & Derngate & Gate Notting Hill)
Beth Steel for Wonderland (Hampstead)
