Friday the 13th March will prove lucky for some when winners of the Manchester Theatre Awards are revealed at the city’s Royal Northern College of Music. The awards honour the best in Manchester Theatre featuring nominations in 20 categories, chosen by a panel of 11 of the region’s leading theatre critics. Manchester’s Royal Exchange and Bolton’s Octagon Theatre dominate with nods for Best Actor and Best Actress, as well as Best Supporting Actor and Actress. Among the famous names shortlisted for awards are Robert Lindsay, who starred in the premiere performance of the musical Dirty Rotten Scoundrels at Manchester Opera House before it went on to acclaim in the West End, and Sir Anthony Sher, who appeared in the Royal Shakespeare Company’s Henry IV Parts I and II at The Lowry in Salford. Other awards cover nominations for best musical, dance and opera performances and there are six nominations in the coveted Best Production category – all of them homegrown in Manchester. Several of this year’s theatre award nominations also feature productions that have been tailored for performance away from traditional theatre stages and have been presented in everything from the city’s Edwardian baths . . . to a pram shop in Oldham town centre. All the nominees are invited as well as a sprinkling of celebrity guests who will present the coveted glass trophies. Audience tickets are also available but hurry, they are limited and running out fast. Book via www.rncm.ac.uk Nominations for the MTA awards include: Best Actor Rob Edwards - Duet for One and Separation, at the Octagon Theatre, Bolton Michael Hugo - Around the World in 80 Days, at the Royal Exchange Harry McEntire - Billy Liar, at the Royal Exchange Dan Parr - Britannia Waves the Rules, at the Royal Exchange Michael Shelford - Early One Morning, at the Octagon Theatre, Bolton Best Actress Clare Foster - Duet for One and Separation, at the Octagon Theatre, Bolton Natalie Grady - Hobson's Choice, at the Octagon Theatre, Bolton Suranne Jones - Orlando, at the Royal Exchange Maxine Peake - Hamlet, at the Royal Exchange Lauren Samuels - Love Story, at the Octagon Theatre, Bolton Best Actor in a Supporting Role David Birrell - Journey's End, at the Octagon Theatre, Bolton Colin Connor - Early One Morning, at the Octagon Theatre, Bolton Daragh O'Malley - Cat on a Hot Tin Roof, at the Royal Exchange Michael Shelford - Hobson's Choice, at the Octagon Theatre, Bolton Nuno Silva - Little Shop of Horrors, at the Royal Exchange Best Actress in a Supporting Role Claire Benedict - Hamlet, at the Royal Exchange Gillian Bevan - Hamlet, at the Royal Exchange Molly Gromadzki - Orlando, at the Royal Exchange Katie Moore - Billy Liar, at the Royal Exchange Best Actor in a Visiting Production Joshua Jenkins - The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time, at The Lowry Robert Lindsay - Dirty Rotten Scoundrels, at the Opera House Cassidy Little - The Two Worlds of Charlie F, at the Opera House Steven Miller - Shakespeare's Othello, at The Lowry Antony Sher - Henry IV Parts I and II, at The Lowry Al Weaver - The Pride, at the Opera House Best Actress in a Visiting Production Jane Asher - Moon Tiger, at The Lowry Emily Butterfield - An August Bank Holiday Lark, at Oldham Coliseum Lisa Dwan - Not I, Footfalls and Rockaby, at The Lowry Katherine Kingsley - Dirty Rotten Scoundrels, at the Opera House Emma Williams - Annie Get Your Gun, at the Opera House Best Production Angel Meadow, at Edinburgh Castle, Ancoats Around the World in 80 Days, at the Royal Exchange Close the Coalhouse Door, at Oldham Coliseum Journey's End, at the Octagon Theatre, Bolton Romeo and Juliet, at Victoria Baths Separation, at the Octagon Theatre, Bolton Best Musical 20th Century Boy, at the Opera House Dirty Rotten Scoundrels, at the Opera House Jersey Boys, at the Palace Theatre Little Shop of Horrors, at the Royal Exchange Love Story, at the Octagon Theatre, Bolton