The Stage

NToS leads Scottish Critics Award nominations

Published Thursday 11 May 2006 at 18:00 by Alistair Smith

The National Theatre of Scotland has emerged as the front runner at this year’s Critics Award for Theatre in Scotland, picking up 11 nominations across seven out of ten categories.

Scotland’s producing houses - The Arches and the Citizens Theatre in Glasgow, The Dundee Rep, The Royal Lyceum and Perth Theatre - also performed well, picking up 17 nominations between them. Meanwhile, Roam - a co-production between the NToS and Grid Iron - was the work to pick up the most nominations, being chosen in five categories.

Unveiling the shortlist Robert Dawson Scott, CATS convenor, commented: “The first few months of the National Theatre of Scotland has proved to be both a popular and critical success. It is in line with its innovative model that all its nominations are the result of partnerships and co-productions with the existing talent pool. Once again we were struck by the quality of work being produced across the country, from Shetland to East Lothian and from large and small companies.”

The full list of nominees is:

Best New Play: Blackbird by David Harrower - Edinburgh International Festival; Goethe’s Faust, Parts 1 and 2, adapted by John Clifford - Royal Lyceum; The Importance of Being Alfred by Louise Welsh - A Play A Pie and A Pint; Wired by Davey Anderson - A Play a Pie and A Pint.

Best Show for Children: Cinderella - Dundee Rep; Dr Korczak’s Example - Dundee Rep; Home: East Lothian - National Theatre of Scotland in partnership with Brunton Theatre and East Lothian Council; Mancub - Vanishing Point

Best Actor: Liam Brennan as Odon von Horvath in Tales from Hollywood - Perth Theatre; Dugald Bruce-Lockhart as Mephistopheles in Faust, Parts 1 and 2 - Royal Lyceum; Andy Clark in The Devil’s Larder - Grid Iron; Tommy Mullins as Rob in Stacy - Hush Productions.

Best Actress: Carol Ann Crawford as Mill in Further than the Furthest Thing - Prime Productions; Cara Kelly as Molly Sweeney in Molly Sweeney - The Citizens; Jill Riddiford as Deborah in A Kind of Alaska - Arches; Cath Whitefield as Witch/Stepmother in Home: East Lothian - National Theatre of Scotland in partnership with Brunton Theatre and East Lothian Council.

Best Design: Tom Piper for Ubu the King - Dundee Rep/ Tron/BITE:’05/Barbican/Young Vic; Karen Tennent for Home: East Lothian - National Theatre of Scotland in partnership with Brunton Theatre and East Lothian Council; Clifton Doliver/Joan Hickson for Roam - Grid Iron/National Theatre of Scotland; Philip Witcomb for Cinderella - Dundee Rep.

Best Music: David Paul Jones, The Devil’s Larder - Grid Iron; Hugh Nankivell, Home: Shetland - National Theatre of Scotland in partnership with Shetland Islands Council; Robert Pettigrew, Nighthawks - A Play, A Pie and A Pint; Philip Pinsky, Roam - Grid Iron/National Theatre of Scotland.

Best Technical Presentation: Falling - Poorboy/National Theatre of Scotland; Faust, Parts 1 and 2 - Royal Lyceum; Kind Hearts and Coronets - Pitlochry Festival Theatre; Roam - Grid Iron/National Theatre of Scotland.

Best Ensemble: The Devil’s Larder - Grid Iron; Roam - Grid Iron/National Theatre of Scotland; Tales from Hollywood - Perth Theatre; Ubu the King - Dundee Rep/ Tron/BITE:05/Barbican/Young Vic.

Best Director: Ian Grieve - Tales from Hollywood, Perth Theatre; Ben Harrison - The Devil’s Larder, Grid Iron; Jemima Levick - A Christmas Carol, Royal Lyceum; Gregory Thompson - Molly Sweeney, The Citizens.

Best Production: Blackbird - Edinburgh International Festival; Faust, Parts 1 and 2 - Royal Lyceum; Home: East Lothian - National Theatre of Scotland in partnership with Brunton Theatre and East Lothian Council; Molly Sweeney - The Citizens; Roam - Grid Iron/National Theatre of Scotland.