The Theatrical Management Association (TMA) announced the winners for its Theatre Awards UK 2012, at a lunchtime ceremony at the Guildhall, a magnificent medieval Grade 1 listed landmark situated in the City of London on 28 October 2012. The awards were hosted by Anneka Rice, and sparkling entertainment was provided by two of UK theatre’s much-loved performers, Clive Rowe and Jess Robinson. Ed Vaizey MP, Minister for Culture, Communications and Creative Industries presented one of the key awards.

Theatre Awards UK is the only nationwide awards scheme to honour creative excellence and the outstanding achievement seen on and off stage throughout England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland, and this geographic spread was demonstrated in the winners.

President of the Theatrical Management Association, Rachel Tackley, said: "Congratulations to all of our well-deserved Theatre Awards UK 2012 winners and nominees, who hail from a diverse range of theatres and production companies across the UK. The TMA is thrilled that thousands of theatre-goers flocked to vote in our first ever publicly chosen award for Best Touring Production with The Stage. Regional theatre is going from strength to strength, and we should recognise and celebrate that success."

Imelda Staunton, went head-to-head with co-star Michael Ball and Company’s Daniel Evans, to win Best Performance in a Musical for her role as Mrs Lovett in Chichester Festival Theatre’s Sweeney Todd, which later transferred to London’s West End.  Henry Goodman won Best Performance in a Play for The Resistible Rise of Arturo Ui, also a Chichester Festival Theatre production. Best Supporting Performance was won by Aidan McArdle for Democracy, a Sheffield Theatres production at the Crucible.

Best Musical Production was awarded to new musical The Go-Between by Richard Taylor (music) and David Wood (book), a West Yorkshire Playhouse, Royal & Derngate , Northampton and Derby LIVE! Production directed by Roger Haines. The category’s other nominees were Sheffield Theatre Company’s revival of Company and Chichester Festival Theatre’s Sweeney Todd.

In The Next Room by Sarah Ruhl, a Theatre Royal Bath production in the Ustinov Studio, won Best New Play. The play is a provocative, funny, touching and entertaining story about sex, intimacy and equality, which is based on historical fact.

Other awards being celebrated included:

Achievement in Dance  –  Akram Khan for DESH - the epic scale of a very personal journey

Achievement in Opera  – Christopher Alden’s production of NORMA for Opera North, a co-production with Theater Chemnitz, with Annemarie Kremer in the title role

Best Design –  Amanda Stoodley for Manchester Lines a Library Theatre Company production

Best Director – Garry Hynes for DruidMurphy – plays by Tom Murphy - produced by Druid Theatre Company, at Hampstead Theatre and Oxford Playhouse

Best Show for Children and Young People – The Curious Scrapbook of Josephine Bean by Shona Reppe on Tour

Renee Stepham Award for Best Presentation of Touring Theatre – Music and Lyrics Limited

As previously announced, Prunella Scales and Timothy West were presented with The Stage Award for Outstanding Contribution to British Theatre in recognition of their longstanding commitment to theatre outside London.

As well as awards for both performance and management achievement decided by expert panels, this year the Awards included their first public vote for audiences across the UK, an award run in conjunction with the Awards Media Partner, The Stage. The winner of the Best Touring Production was Anne Boleyn - English Touring Theatre's presentation of the Shakespeare's Globe production.

The Theatre Management Awards also recognise the professional excellence of theatres, companies or individuals among member organisations of the Theatrical Management Association:

Achievement in Marketing – The Marlowe Theatre, Canterbury

Most Welcoming Theatre – New Wolsey Theatre, Ipswich

Promotion of Diversity – Graeae Theatre Company, London

Theatre Employee/Manager of the Year – Graham Sutherland, Citizens Theatre, Glasgow

Theatre Employee/Manager of the Year – Erica Whyman, Northern Stage, Newcastle

Along with The Stage, five major organisations involved in theatre across the UK have provided the financial support to present and develop the Theatre Awards UK in 2012: Harbottle & Lewis, John Good Holbrook, Theatre Tokens, W&P Longreach and White Light.

Presenters of the Theatre Awards UK 2012 were: Hugh Comerford, Janie Dee, Don Gilet, Laura Michelle Kelly, Lance Corporal Maurillia Simpson, Scarlett Strallen, Gwen Taylor, Ed Vaizey MP, Don Warrington, Sam West and Michael Xavier.


2012 THEATRE AWARDS UK WINNERS:

BEST NEW PLAY

IN THE NEXT ROOM by Sarah Ruhl a Theatre Royal Bath production in the Ustinov Studio

BEST PERFORMANCE IN A PLAY

Henry Goodman for THE RESISTIBLE RISE OF ARTURO UI a Chichester Festival Theatre production

BEST SUPPORTING PERFORMANCE

Aidan McArdle for DEMOCRACY a Sheffield Theatres production at the Crucible, Sheffield

BEST MUSICAL PRODUCTION

THE GO-BETWEEN directed by Roger Haines a West Yorkshire Playhouse, Royal & Derngate, Northampton and Derby LIVE! production at West Yorkshire Playhouse

BEST PERFORMANCE IN A MUSICAL

Imelda Staunton for SWEENEY TODD a Chichester Festival Theatre production

BEST SHOW FOR CHILDREN AND YOUNG PEOPLE

THE CURIOUS SCRAPBOOK OF JOSEPHINE BEAN by Shona Reppe on tour

BEST TOURING PRODUCTION

ANNE BOLEYN - English Touring Theatre's presentation of the Shakespeare's Globe production

BEST DIRECTOR

Garry Hynes for DRUIDMURPHY - plays by Tom Murphy - produced by Druid Theatre Company, at Hampstead Theatre and Oxford Playhouse

BEST DESIGN

Amanda Stoodley for MANCHESTER LINES a Library Theatre Company production

ACHIEVEMENT IN OPERA

Christopher Alden’s production of NORMA for Opera North, a co-production with Theater Chemnitz, with Annemarie Kremer in the title role

ACHIEVEMENT IN DANCE

Akram Khan for DESH - the epic scale of a very personal journey

THEATRE EMPLOYEE/MANAGER OF THE YEAR

Graham Sutherland - Citizens Theatre

THEATRE EMPLOYEE/MANAGER OF THE YEAR

Erica Whyman - Northern Stage

ACHIEVEMENT IN MARKETING

The Marlowe Theatre

MOST WELCOMING THEATRE

New Wolsey Theatre

PROMOTION OF DIVERSITY

Graeae Theatre Company

THE RENEE STEPHAM AWARD FOR BEST PRESENTATION OF TOURING THEATRE

Music and Lyrics Limited

THE STAGE AWARD FOR OUTSTANDING CONTRIBUTION TO BRITISH THEATRE

Timothy West and Prunella Scales