Evening Standard Theatre Awards 2006

Monday 27th November 2006 - Savoy

Please see below for winners highlighted in red

JUDGES OF EVENING STANDARD THEATRE AWARDS COME OUT FIGHTING FOR THE FUTURE OF THE STRAIGHT PLAY
A SPECIAL EDITOR'S PRIZE GIVEN TO FROST/NIXON

There was a Hollywood touch at this year's Evening Standard Theatre Awards, with American actress Kathleen Turner winning the Best Actress prize for her Martha in 'Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?'

And the judging panel came out forcefully in support of the straight play, now reckoned an endangered species in the West End, at a time when the London stage is packed with a huge variety of new musicals. Reflecting this concern for the straight play's survival the judges supported the decision of the editor of the Evening Standard Veronica Wadley to give a Special Editor's Award for outstanding contribution to Theatre to Peter Morgan's 'Frost/Nixon,' which was short-listed in four categories.

In a hotly contested battle for the Best Play prize, though, Tom Stoppard's 'Rock 'n' Roll' was the winner and Rufus Sewell's performance in this play won him the Best Actor prize.

The Judges also chose to fly the flag for serious drama by giving the coveted Special Award to the Tricycle Theatre for its series of verbatim dramatisations of Committees of Public Inquiry.

With big, new musicals breaking out all over the West End the judges turned to the National Theatre's 'Caroline and Change,' which deals with racial prejudice in 1960s America, for its Best Musical Award.

And the National won another prize - that of best director- for Marianne Elliott's 'The Pillars of the Community.'

Tom Stoppard's award for 'Rock 'n' Roll' will be presented by Bill Wyman and Jerry Hall and David Lammy MP, the Minister for Culture at the DCMS, will present the Editor's Award for 'Frost/Nixon.'

The winners of the 52nd Evening Standard Theatre Awards are honoured at a lunchtime awards ceremony at London's Savoy Hotel, today Monday 27th November 2006.

Guests at this year's awards ceremony include Sinead Cusack, Jeremy Irons, Kristin Scott Thomas, Dominic West, Michael Sheen, Stephen Daldry, Kathy Burke, Jane Asher, Juliet Stevenson, Richard Wilson, Sir John Mortimer, Patrick Stewart, Brian Cox, Lesley Manville, Michael Frayn, Helen McCrory, Richard Griffiths, Dame Joan Plowright, Kim Cattrall and Alan Cumming.

Nicholas de Jongh, Evening Standard theatre critic, said:  "There is a running theme in this year's awards' list. It reflects the concern of both the judges and the Evening Standard itself that the straight plays are in danger of being squeezed out of the West End; that they enjoy a valuable, historic role there and their survival should not be left to the subsidised play houses like the National and The Royal Court.  I think the Editor's own award to 'Frost/Nixon' a fine banner-waving intervention in this cause - and all the judges supported her decision."

The winners for the 52nd Evening Standard Theatre Awards are:

Best Play
Rock 'n' Roll by Tom Stoppard (Royal Court, then Duke of York's Theatre)  
Frost/Nixon by Peter Morgan (Donmar, then Gielgud)
The Seafarer by Conor McPherson (Cottesloe, National Theatre)   

Best Actor  
Rufus Sewell in Rock 'n' Roll (Royal Court, then Duke of York's Theatre)
Bill Irwin in Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf? (Apollo Theatre)
Michael Sheen in Frost/Nixon (Donmar, then Gielgud)
Kevin Spacey in A Moon for the Misbegotten (The Old Vic)

Best Actress 
Kathleen Turner in Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf? (Apollo Theatre)
Sinead Cusack in Rock 'n' Roll (Royal Court, then Duke of York's Theatre)
Frances O'Connor in Tom and Viv (Almeida)

The Sydney Edwards Award for Best Director  
Marianne Elliott for Pillars of the Community (Lyttelton, National Theatre)
Michael Grandage for The Wild Duck & Frost/Nixon & Evita (Donmar; Donmar, then Gielgud; Adelphi)
Anthony Page for Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf? (Apollo Theatre)

Best Musical
Caroline, or Change (Lyttelton, National Theatre)
Evita, (Adelphi Theatre)
Spamalot (Palace Theatre)
Sunday in the Park with George (Menier Chocolate Factory, then Wyndhams)

The Milton Shulman Award for Outstanding Newcomer 
Andrew Garfield for Beautiful Thing; Burn/Chatroom/Citizenship and The Overwhelming (Sound Theatre; Cottesloe, National Theatre; Touring then Cottesloe, National Theatre)  
Chris New for Bent, (Trafalgar Studios)
'Punchdrunk' theatre company (Faust, 21 Wapping Lane)
Elena Roger in Evita (Adelphi)
   
Best Design
Timothy Bird (Projection design) & David Farley (Set and costume design) for Sunday in the Park with George (Menier Chocolate Factory then Wyndhams)
Borkur Jonsson for Metamorphosis (Lyric Hammersmith)
Christopher Oram for Evita & Frost/Nixon (Adelphi; Donmar, then Gielgud)

The Charles Wintour Award for Most Promising Playwright
Nina Raine for Rabbit (Old Red Lion Theatre, then Trafalgar Studios) 

Editor's Award
Peter Morgan for Frost/Nixon  (Donmar, then Gielgud)

Special Award
Tricycle Theatre for its pioneering work in political theatre