UK Theatre Awards 2022 full list award show nominations

The awards have been on a two-year break because of Covid, and the 2022 winners will be announced on 23 October 2022 at a lunchtime ceremony at London’s Guildhall, hosted by West End leading actress Courtney Bowman (Everyone’s Talking About Jamie, Six The Musical, Legally Blonde).

Organised by UK Theatre, the UK Theatre Awards are the only nationwide awards to celebrate outstanding achievements in theatre throughout England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland by UK Theatre members.

Leading the nominations with five nods across categories including Best Performance in a Play, Best Play Revival and Director is Leeds Playhouse. The Crucible Theatre, Sheffield scored two nominations in the Best Director category, for Rock/Paper/Scissors and Typical Girls.

The Best Performance in a Play category sees Giles Terera nominated for The Meaning of Zong, plusHenry Goodman for Murder on the Orient Express, Eithne Browne for Maggie May and Leah St Luce for Black Love.

Best Performance in a Musical has Charlie Stemp, who is currently starring in Mary Poppins in the West End, nominated for Crazy for You, alongside Divina de Campo for Hedwig and the Angry Inch, plus Nicole & Kyla Fox, Emme & Eden Patrick, Sienna & Savannah Robinson for Identical.

Into The Woods, the recent Theatre Royal Bath revival by Terry Gilliam, scored nods for Best Supporting Performance (in a musical or play) for Nicola Hughes, and Best Design for Jon Bausor and Video Design by Will.

UK Theatre Joint Presidents, Stephanie Sirr and Jon Gilchrist said: “Following an incredibly challenging few years due to the pandemic, theatres across the UK have had to work harder than ever to continue to provide for their local communities: to keep their doors open and to keep making the inspiring work they present. Theatres provide so much more than just entertainment. In towns across the UK they are often a central hub; a space for people to feel welcome and included. That’s why it’s more important than ever that we come together on the 23rd October to recognise and celebrate everything that they do. This year’s nominations reflect a multifaceted variety of voices, highlighting the diversity and quality of shows presented across the UK. It is brilliant to see so much upcoming talent among the nominees as well as all four nations being represented.”

New for 2022 is that categories are split into ‘On Stage’ and ‘Off Stage’ to reflect the contemporary priorities of the UK’s theatre industry. Also UK Theatre members now have more involvement in the nomination process, and can put forward shows and individuals for nomination.

Nominations for the UK’s Most Welcoming Theatre were announced last month with Dundee Rep and Scottish Dance Theatre, Leeds Playhouse and New Wolsey Theatre in Ipswich making the shortlist. The winner will be revealed on the 23rd October as part of the ceremony.

The recipient of this year’s Outstanding Contribution to British Theatre Award has been revealed as Sarah Holmes, former CEO of the New Wolsey Theatre, Ipswich. Sarah was selected by the board for constantly championing access and inclusion, spear-heading the post of Agent for Change and applying challenging criteria to her own programming policy with a “nothing about us, without us” policy around inclusion. Sarah’s tenure saw the New Wolsey become a founding partner on Black-led theatre initiative Eclipse, and D/deaf and disabled collective Ramps on the Moon, which has now been running for over 7 years.

UK Theatre Awards 2022 – Nominations

UK Theatre Awards – On Stage Theatre Categories

Best Design

Dracula: The Untold Story – Leeds Playhouse – Design by Laura Hopkins, Projection
and Video Design by Simon Wainwright
Into The Woods – Theatre Royal Bath – Design by Jon Bausor, Video Design by Will
Duke, Costume Design by Antony McDonald
Life is a Dream – Edinburgh Lyceum – Design by Georgia McGuinness

Best Director

Jessica Daniels – The Mozart Question – A Barn Theatre production in association with
Bob & Marianne for Anthology Theatre and The Everyman Theatre Cheltenham
Robert Hastie, Anthony Lau, Elin Schofield – Rock/Paper/Scissors – The Crucible, Studio
and Lyceum Theatre, Sheffield
Natalie Ibu – The White Card – A Birmingham Rep, Leeds Playhouse, Northern Stage &
Soho Theatre co-production in association with HOME Manchester
Róisín McBrinn – Typical Girls – The Crucible Theatre, Sheffield

Best Musical Production

Billy Elliot – Leicester Curve
Now is Good – Storyhouse, Chester
Whistle Down the Wind – The Watermill Theatre

Best New Play

Cherry Jezebel – Liverpool Everyman
How to Bury a Dead Mule – Lyric Theatre, Belfast
Mugabe, My Dad & Me – A co-production by ETT, Brixton House & York Theatre
Royal in association with Alison Holder

Best Performance in a Musical

Charlie Stemp – Crazy for You – Chichester Festival Theatre
Divina de Campo – Hedwig and the Angry Inch – A Leeds Playhouse and HOME
co-production
Nicole & Kyla Fox, Emme & Eden Patrick, Sienna & Savannah Robinson – Identical – A
Nottingham Playhouse and Kenny Wax Ltd co-production

Best Performance in a Play

Eithne Browne – Maggie May – Leeds Playhouse
Henry Goodman – Murder on the Orient Express – Chichester Festival Theatre
Leah St Luce – Black Love – A Paines Plough and Belgrade Theatre Coventry
production, in association with tiata fahodzi
Giles Terera – The Meaning of Zong – A Bristol Old Vic Production

Best Play Revival

Jitney – A Headlong, Leeds Playhouse and Old Vic co-production
The Mountaintop – A Royal Exchange Theatre Production
Translations – An Abbey Theatre and Lyric Theatre Belfast Co-Production

Best Show for Children and Young People

Beauty and the Beast – A New Vic Production
Fantastically Great Women Who Changed the World – Kenny Wax Family Entertainment
in association with MAST Mayflower Studios
Petula – A National Theatre Wales, Theatr Genedlaethol Cymru and August012
co-production

Best Supporting Performance (in a musical or play)

Nicola Hughes – Into The Woods – A Theatre Royal Bath Production
Robert Jackson – Brief Encounter – A Stephen Joseph Theatre, Octagon Theatre and
Theatre By The Lake co-production
Nishla Smith – Kes – An Octagon Theatre and Theatre By The Lake co-production

UK Theatre – Achievement in Opera

Scottish Opera for Candide
Glyndebourne for the Poulenc Double Bill
Richard Mantle for the last year at Opera North, which epitomizes the work Richard has
achieved over his tenure
Music Theatre Wales and Britten Pears Arts production of Violet at Buxton International
Festival at Buxton Opera

UK Theatre – Achievement in Dance

William Tuckett’s Then or Now for Ballet Black, exquisitely melding poetry, dance, light
and sound into an intimate work that gently touches big themes of our times
The dancers of Rambert for their ability to inhabit any choreographer’s vision, as a
company of unique, versatile, incredibly skilled performers
Dan Daw for The Dan Daw Show, a kinky, joyful, unapologetic and vulnerable
celebration of oneself and one’s body

UK Theatre Awards – Offstage Categories

Digital Innovation

Chichester Festival Theatre
English Touring Theatre
Sadlers Wells

Excellence in Arts Education

Lyric Theatre Belfast
Storyhouse
Ambassador Theatre Group

Excellence in Inclusivity

English Touring Theatre
Graeae Theatre Company
Scottish Opera

Excellence in Touring

Graeae Theatre Company
Northern Ballet
Scottish Opera

Workforce Award

Ambassador Theatre Group
The Marlowe
Mercury Theatre

Outstanding Contribution to British Theatre

Sarah Holmes – Former CEO, New Wolsey Theatre, Ipswich