The only UK awards chosen exclusively by expert theatre critics. Our latest annual awards takes place 25 March 2024 at
@sohoplaceLondon
, sponsored by
@nlpca
.
We're lucky enough to have some winner reaction videos filmed in-house for us from yesterday's awards. We'll be tweeting them out over the next hour
Massive thanks to Tom and Alex from
@WhatsOnStage
for providing videography and nonetheless making these free to all other media
If YOU were voting in the
#CriticsCircleAwards
, who would have your vote for BEST ACTOR and BEST ACTRESS? Let us know!
(Here’s one of our winners from last year - the lovely and talented
@billiepiper
🌟)
David Tennant took on the title role of Macbeth under the direction of Max Webster, who collects the award on his behalf this afternoon.
#CriticsCircleAwards
Sadly, Jessie Buckley can't be with us here at
#CriticsCircleAwards
So she's sent us this LOVELY video. A love letter to
#Cabaret
& to theatre
"A living breathing, experience between an audience and us... Theatre has always been my home, it's what I fell in love with" ❤️🎭
The second of our two
#CriticsCircleAwards
for Most Promising Newcomer is presented by Lizzie Loveridge...
... and it goes to Stuart Thompson, for
#SpringAwakening
!
Stuart played Moritz in Rupert Goold's revival at
@AlmeidaTheatre
🎭
Our third award today is for Best Director, presented by
@sam_marlowe
And the winner is someone who got audiences flocking to the West End again...
... Rebecca Frecknall, for Cabaret!
#KitKatClub
#CriticsCircleAwards
We're at the halfway point with these
#CriticsCircleAwards
and Sarah Hemming is up on stage to present Best Actor...
... which goes to Ben Daniels!
Ben is recognised for his role as the activist Ned Weeks in Larry Kramer's The Normal Heart,
@NationalTheatre
.
The first of our two
#CriticsCircleAwards
for Most Promising Playwright is presented by Matt Wolf
(standing in for our advertised colleague Aleks Sierz, who sadly has Covid) ...
... and it goes to Igor Memic, for Old Bridge, a
@PapatangoTC
production at
@bushtheatre
The first of our two
#CriticsCircleAwards
for Most Promising Newcomer is presented by David Benedict...
... and it goes to Samuel Creasey, for The Book of Dust : La Belle Sauvage.
Samuel played Malcolm in
@_bridgetheatre
's adaptation of the bestselling
@PhilipPullman
novel
Next up, our Best Designer award, presented by Matt Wolf
This winner didn't just design a stage set and costumes - he masterminded the transformation of The Playhouse into the underground
@kitkatclubLDN
Winning his 2nd
#CriticsCircleAwards
in a row, it's Tom Scutt for Cabaret!
Kudos to
@PapatangoTC
for spotting Igor's talent & awarding him the Papatango Prize for New Writing in 2020, resulting in this first staged production
@bushtheatre
.
Papatango has a stellar track record of nurturing the best in British writing
#CriticsCircleAwards
#OldBridge
Another big win for
@inheritanceplay
. Best new play!
@matttrueman
explains what made this show so special. And Sonia Friedman accepts with David Lan on behalf of Matthew Lopez.
The last of our lockdown awards goes to an individual, not a company
We at
#CriticsCircleAward
wanted to honour someone who made it her mission, from Day One of the Covid-19 pandemic, to invest in the survival of the theatre industry
Nica Burns of
@NimaxTheatres
, we thank you
“I hope that we can argue, not as enemies, but as allies in defending and protecting this extraordinary thing that only human beings can do.”
- This year’s Best Actor, Andrew Scott, on the importance of theatre critics, and funding the arts.
#CriticsCircleAwards
Well, how's that for a final twist?
After 3 awards for Rebecca Frecknall's production of
#Cabaret
, Rupert Goold's revival of
#SpringAwakening
beats it to Best Musical
Both shows are nominated for Best Musical Revival at next weekend's
#olivierawards
- so who'll triumph there?
Guys and Dolls stars Marisha Wallace and Celinde Schoenmaker collect the Critics’ Circle Theatre Award for Best Musical on behalf of the production.
#CriticsCircleAwards
#CriticsCircleAwards
Our fourth 'Commendation for Exceptional Theatre Making During Lockdown' goes to
@OriginalTheatre
, who were on top of broadcast theatre long before the rest of us caught up.
It is presented by Lizzie Annis to
@alastairwhatley
, Artistic Director
Zadie Smith's prizes for novels & essays include the Orange Prize for Fiction, the James Tait Black Memorial Prize, the Wingate Literary Prize, the Whitebread... you get the picture
But to us at
#CriticsCircleAwards
, she is *promising*, as we hope this is the first of more plays
Next up at the
#CriticsCircleAwards
is the Trewin Award for Best Shakespearian Performance 🎭, presented by Simon Trewin &
@Sarahc_k
And the award goes to... Cush Jumbo, for her magnificent Hamlet 💀
Another
@youngvictheatre
production - that's two wins straight off the block!
Our second 'Commendation for Exceptional Theatre Making During Lockdown' goes to Jermyn Street Theatre, for a wide range of streaming work which included the acclaimed
#15Heroines
🎭
The award is presented by Kerry Fox to
@JSTheatre
Artistic Director, Tom Littler,
@littler_tom
.
@Hammedhamz
's win for Best Shakespearean performance is only the fifth comedic performance to have won this award at the
#CriticsCircleAwards
.
Hammed Animashaun could not be here today so his cast-mates accept on his behalf!
#CriticsCircleAwards
In recognition of TWO standout performances,
the recipient of the Best Actor Award is
@GilesTerera
for 'Othello' and 'Blues for an Alabama Sky'.👏
#CriticsCircleAwards
Samira Ahmed, critic and presenter for BBC 4’s Front Row presents DAVID TENNANT the Trewin Award for Best Shakespearean Performance. She is joined by last year’s winner, Arthur Hughes!
#CriticsCircleAwards
Our first award of the afternoon goes to...
The incredible
@tywilliam14
for Most Promising Playwright.
His play 'Red Pitch' tells the story of brotherhood set to a striking football backdrop.⚽
#CriticsCircleAwards
#CriticsCircleAwards
Our very first 'Commendation for Exceptional Theatre Making During Lockdown' goes to
@oldvictheatre
for their OLD VIC: IN CAMERA season.
It is presented by Shubham Saraf and picked up by Harriet Mackie, the Producer at the Old Vic.
Victoria Hamilton is (once again) named
#BestActress
. This – for Mike Bartlett’s
#Albion
@AlmeidaTheatre
- is her 4th critics’ win: after Suddenly Last Summer (2004), As You Like It (2000) &, for Newcomer, The Master Builder & Retreat (1995)
#CriticsCircleAwards
Now, one of the big moments of the night here at
#CriticsCircleAwards
!
It's time for the Best Actress award, presented by
@nickcurtis
of the Evening Standard.
And the winner is... Jessie Buckley, for Cabaret!
This makes Cabaret's third award of the night.
Next up at the
#CriticsCircleAwards
is the Trewin Award for Best Shakespearean Performance 🎭 which is awarded to...
@Arthur_Hughes1
and his marvellous turn in 'Richard III'
This year, 2 debut playwrights tied for our Most Promising Playwright award. The first was Igor Memic, recognised for
#OldBridge
, a co-production between
@bushtheatre
&
@PapatangoTC
.
In our humble opinion, Igor’s speech was the most important of the night.
Just watch it. Do.
We had half the cast and company of
@OklahomaWestEnd
onstage to pick up the Peter Hepple award for Best Musical for its earlier run
@youngvictheatre
.
Lisa Sadovy and Patrick Vaill talk about why this production “owes its life to critics”…