The Stage

Donmar Warehouse triumphs at the Evening Standard Theatre Awards

Published Monday 24 November 2008 at 17:30 by Lalayn Baluch

London’s Donmar Warehouse has stormed the 54th Evening Standard Theatre Awards, picking up three top accolades.

Michael Grandage received the Sydney Edwards Award for Best Director for Othello and The Chalk Garden, which played at the Covent Garden venue earlier this year, and his Donmar West End production of Ivanov. The prize was presented to Grandage by Jude Law - who he will direct in Hamlet next year - at a ceremony held at the Royal Opera House earlier today (Monday).

Chiwetel Ejiofor was named Best Actor for his part in the title role of Grandage’s Othello, and Margaret Tyzack and Penelope Wilton were jointly crowned Best Actress for their appearances in The Chalk Garden.

Meanwhile, Kenneth Branagh announced that Hollywood actor Kevin Spacey had won this year’s Special Award for “bringing new life to the Old Vic”. Spacey was praised for his “magnificent” work at the theatre, particularly with young people, which Branagh said had restored the theatre back into the “heart of the community”.

The Editor’s Award went to the Royal Shakespeare Company for the Histories Cycle at the Roundhouse, Ella Smith received the Milton Shulman Award for Outstanding Newcomer for her appearance in Fat Pig, and John Fulljames’ production of Street Scene was named Best Musical.

Lee Hall, who won this year’s TMA Award for Best New Play, picked up the accolade for Best Play, and Neil Murray won Best Design for Brief Encounter.

Tarell Alvin McCraney received the Charles Wintour Award for Most Promising Playwright and a £10,000 cash prize in recognition of his plays In the Red and Brown Water and The Brothers Size, which played at the Young Vic. Bola Agbaje and Anupama Chandrasekhar were named runners up and were given £2,500 each.

This year’s Evening Standard Award judges were theatre critics Nicholas de Jongh, Benedict Nightingale, Susannah Clapp, Georgina Brown, Charles Spencer and the newspaper’s editor Veronica Wadley.