The Stage

Surprise omission at Scottish Critics’ Awards

Published Tuesday 25 May 2004 at 10:10

Dundee came out as both a winner and a loser as the shortlist for the second Critics’ Awards for Theatre in Scotland were announced this week.

Dundee Rep, under the new artistic directorship of James Brining, has been nominated a total of ten times, with one production, Scenes from an Execution, receiving nominations in seven of the ten categories of the awards.

The shock omission is Dundee-born Brian Cox, whose performance in the title role of Uncle Vanya at the Royal Lyceum Edinburgh, widely tipped as an overall winner, was not thought good enough even to get into the shortlist.

The CATS, run and judged by Scottish theatre critics, considered any professional production, produced in Scotland in the year to May, 2004. Disconcertingly, while well over a third of the 146 productions considered where new writing, the critics saw fit to make only three nominations, instead of four, in the Best New Play category.

In a boost for children’s theatre, however, Wee Stories’ Arthur, Story of a King, received nominations in three categories, including Best Director and the coveted Best Production. The winners will be announced at an awards ceremony at the Stirling Tollbooth on Sunday, June 6.

For Best Male Performance

• Fraser Ayres as Nigel in The People Next Door by Henry Adams - Traverse Theatre, Edinburgh production.

• John Bett as Urgentiono in Scenes From An Execution by Howard Barker - Dundee Rep Ensemble production.

• Paul Jesson as Willie Loman in Death of a Salesman by Arthur Miller - Royal Lyceum Theatre, Edinburgh production.

• Dougal Lee as John Tanner in Man And Superman by G. B. Shaw - Pitlochry Festival Theatre production.

For Best Female Performance -

• Selina Boyack as The Ice Climber in 8000 Metres by David Greig - Suspect Culture Theatre Company.

• Cait Davies as The Woman in Those Eyes, That Mouth - Grid Iron Theatre Company.

• Irene MacDougall as Rivera in Scenes From An Execution by Howard Barker - Dundee Rep production.

• Sophie Ward as Jane Wetherby in Nothing - Citizens Theatre, Glasgow production.

For Best Direction -

• Andy Cannon and Iain Johnstone for Arthur, the Story of a King - Wee Stories Theatre Company & The Scottish Touring Consortium.

• Dominic Hill for Scenes From An Execution - Dundee Rep Ensemble production.

• Hettie McDonald for Top Girls - Citizens Theatre Glasgow production.

• Mark Thomson for Six Black Candles - Royal Lyceum Theatre Edinburgh production.

For Best Ensemble -

• Dundee Rep Ensemble Cast for Scenes From An Execution.

• Royal Lyceum Theatre Cast for Six Black Candles.

• The Citizens Theatre Cast for Top Girls.

• The Arches Theatre Cast for Waiting for Godot.

For Best New Play -

• David Greig for San Diego - Tron Theatre/ Edinburgh International Festival Production.

• Andrea Hart for Nothing - Citizens Theatre Production.

• Henry Adam for The People Next Door - Traverse Theatre Production.

For Best Children’s Show -

• Arthur, The Story of a King - Wee Stories Company & The Scottish Touring Consortium.

• Monster - Visible Fictions Company.

• The Story of the Little Gentleman - Catherine Wheels Company.

• Snow Baby - Catherine Wheels Company/ Macrobert Centre.

For Best Design -

• Kenny Miller for Smoking with Lulu which he also directed - The Citizens Theatre Production.

• Tom Piper for Twelfth Night - Dundee Rep Ensemble Production.

• Ken Harrison (Set) and Mark Pritchard (Lights) for Double Indemnity - Pitlochry Festival Theatre Production.

• Neil Warmington (Set) and Simon Bennison (Lights) for Scenes from an Execution - Dundee Rep Ensemble Production.

For Best Music -

• Jon Beales for Flora the Red Menace - Dundee Rep Production.

• Paddy Cuneen for Twelfth Night - Dundee Rep Production.

• Anthea Haddow and Kenny MacLeod for Scenes from an Execution -Dundee Rep Production.

• David Paul Jones for Those Eyes, That Mouth - Grid Iron Theatre Company.

For Best Technical Presentation -

• Double Indemnity - Pitlochry Festival Theatre.

• Monster - Visible Fictions Company.

• Smoking With Lulu - Citizens Theatre Glasgow.

• Those Eyes, That Mouth - Grid Iron Theatre Company.

For The Best Theatre Production -

• Arthur, the story of a king - Wee Stories & The Scottish Touring Consortium. Directed by Andy Cannon and Iain Johnstone.

• Scenes From An Execution - Dundee Rep Ensemble Company. Directed by Dominic Hill.

• Top Girls - The Citizens Theatre, Glasgow. Directed by Hettie McDonald.

• Waiting For Godot - The Arches Theatre Company, Glasgow directed by Andy Arnold.