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
