London’s Royal Court dominates 2009 Evening Standard Awards
The Royal Court Theatre has dominated the shortlist for this year’s London Evening Standard Theatre Awards with 11 nominations.
Jessica Barden (Pea), Mark Rylance (Johnny "Rooster" Byron) and Mackenzie Crook (Ginger) in Jerusalem at the Royal Court which has been nominated for Best Play Photo: Tristram Kenton
By comparison, the National Theatre has received three nominations and the Donmar Warehouse only one - for Rachel Weisz’s performance in A Streetcar Named Desire. Meanwhile, both the Young Vic and Lyric Hammersmith have received three nominations apiece.
Simon Russell Beale, Mark Rylance, Ken Stott and Samuel West will compete in the Best Actor category, while Deanna Dunagan, Penny Downie, Juliet Stevenson and Rachel Weisz will contest the newly renamed Natasha Richardson Award for Best Actress.
Comedian Lenny Henry will vie with three less well known names - Naana Agyei-Ampadu, Ben Powley and Tom Sturridge for the Milton Shulman Award for Outstanding Newcomer. Henry this year made his Shakespearean debut in Othello.
London Evening Standard critic Henry Hitchings commented that it had been a notable year for performances by actors. He said: “It is not in any way to disparage female acting, but the best actor category is particularly strong. When we had the discussion about best actor, there were lots of good names in the mix.”
The nominations in full are:
Best Play
August: Osage County by Tracy Letts (Steppenwolf/National)
Enron by Lucy Prebble (Chichester/Royal Court)
Jerusalem by Jez Butterworth (Royal Court)
Punk Rock by Simon Stephens (Lyric Hammersmith)
Best Actor
Simon Russell Beale - The Winter’s Tale (Bridge Project/Old Vic)
Mark Rylance - Jerusalem (Royal Court)
Ken Stott - A View From The Bridge (Duke of York’s)
Samuel West - Enron (Royal Court)
The Natashsa Richardson Award for Best Actress
Deanna Dunagan - August: Osage County (National)
Penny Downie - Helen (Shakespeare’s Globe)
Juliet Stevenson - Duet for One (Almeida/Vaudeville)
Rachel Weisz - A Streetcar Named Desire (Donmar)
Best Director
Rupert Goold - Enron (Royal Court)
Jeremy Herrin - Tusk Tusk (Royal Court)
Ian Rickson - Jerusalem (Royal Court)
Anna D Shapiro - August: Osage County (National)
The Ned Sherrin Award for Best Musical
A Little Night Music (Menier Chocolate Factory/Garrick)
Been So Long (ETT/Young Vic)
Hello, Dolly! (Open Air, Regent’s Park)
Spring Awakening (Lyric Hammersmith/Novello)
Best Design
Jon Bausor - Kursk (Sound&Fury, Fuel/Young Vic)
Miriam Buether - Judgment Day (Almeida)
Mamoru Iriguchi - Mincemeat (Cardboard Citizens/Cordy House, Shoreditch)
Ultz -Jerusalem (Royal Court)
The Charles Wintour Award for Most Promising Playwright
Alia Bano - Shades (Royal Court)
Katori Hall - Mountaintop (Theatre 503 & Trafalgar Studios)
Alexi Kaye Campbell - The Pride (Royal Court)
The Milton Shulman Award for Outstanding Newcomer
Naana Agyei-Ampadu - Been So Long (Young Vic)
Lenny Henry - Othello (Trafalgar Studios)
Bel Powley - Tusk Tusk (Royal Court)
Tom Sturridge - Punk Rock (Lyric Hammersmith)
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