2023 Shortlist

Best Production Nominee – Enough of Him – Photo: Sally Jubb

Outstanding Performance (2 Awards)

  • Adura Onashile, as Medea in Medea, (National Theatre of Scotland)
  • David Hayman, Eric in Cyprus Avenue, (Tron Theatre)
  • Emma McCaffrey as Annis Drummond in Castle Lennox, (Royal Lyceum Theatre and Lung Ha Theatre)
  • Matthew Pidgeon, as Sir John Wedderburn in Enough of Him, (National Theatre of Scotland and Pitlochry Festival Theatre)
  • Nicole Cooper, Lady Macbeth in Macbeth (an undoing), (Royal Lyceum Theatre Edinburgh)
  • Omar Austin, as Joseph Knight in Enough of Him, (National Theatre of Scotland and Pitlochry Festival Theatre)
  • Ramesh MeyyappanLove Beyond (Act of Remembrance), (Raw Material and Vanishing Point)
  • Sally Reid, Shirley Valentine, in Shirley Valentine, (Pitlochry Festival Theatre)

Best Ensemble

  • Castle Lennox,  (Royal Lyceum Theatre and Lung Ha Theatre)
  • Kidnapped, (National Theatre of Scotland)
  • Ode to Joy (how Gordon got to go to the nasty pig party), (Stories Untold / James Ley)
  • Red Riding Hood, (Citizens Theatre at Tramway)

Best Director

  • Andy ArnoldCyprus Avenue, (Tron Theatre)
  • Dominic HillAlföld, (A Play, A Pie and A Pint)
  • Michael BoydMedea, (National Theatre of Scotland)
  • Orla O’LoughlinEnough of Him, (National Theatre of Scotland and Pitlochry Festival Theatre)
Best Production Nominee – Kidnapped – Photo: Mihaela Bodlovic

Best Design

  • Anna Orton (set and costume designer), Ben Ormerod (lighting designer) Tim Reid (video designer) Zofia Chamienia (illustrator) Kidnapped, (National Theatre of Scotland)
  • Becky Minto (Set & Costume) Simon Wilkinson (Lighting Designer)Love Beyond (Act of Remembrance), (Raw Material and Vanishing Point)
  • Tom Piper (Set Design) Alex Berry (Costume Design /Associate Set Designer) and Lizzie Powell (Lighting Design)Macbeth (an undoing), (Royal Lyceum Theatre Edinburgh)
  • Fred Pommerehn (Original Set Designer) Ruben San Roman (Adaption Set Designer), Craig Fleming (Original Lighting Designer) Alberto Santos Bellido (Adaption Lighting Designer) Alison Brown Costume Designer. The Gift, (Capital Theatres and Barrowland Ballet (commissioned by Aberdeen Performing Arts, Capital Theatres and Eden Court))

Best Music and Sound

  • David Paul Jones Love Beyond (Act of Remembrance), (Raw Material and Vanishing Point)
  • Michael John McCarthy (composer and music supervisor), Clare Hibberd (sound designer), Isaac Savage(performing musical director) Kidnapped, (National Theatre of Scotland)
  • John Pfumojena (composer) and Pippa Murphy (sound designer) Enough of Him, (National Theatre of Scotland and Pitlochry Festival Theatre) 
  • Susan Bear (sound designer) with Simon ‘Simonotron’ Eilbeck (DJ) Ode to Joy (how Gordon got to go to the nasty pig party), (Stories Untold/James Ley)

Best Technical Presentation

  • Love Beyond (Act of Remembrance), (Raw Material and Vanishing Point)
  • Macbeth (an undoing), (Royal Lyceum Theatre Edinburgh)
  • Muster Station: Leith, (Grid Iron and Edinburgh International Festival)
  • The Fantastic Life of Minnie Rubinski, (Vision Mechanics)

Best Production for Children and Young People

  • Kissing Linford Christie, (Catherine Wheels)
  • Red Riding Hood, (Citizens Theatre at Tramway)
  • Storm Lantern, (Strange Town)
  • The Gift, (Capital Theatres and Barrowland Ballet (commissioned by Aberdeen Performing Arts, Capital Theatres and Eden Court))
Best Production Nominee – Macbeth (an undoing) – Photo: Stuart Armitt

Best New Play

  • Enough of Him by May Sumbwanyambe, (National Theatre of Scotland and Pitlochry Festival Theatre)
  • Love Beyond (Act of Remembrance) by Ramesh Meyyappan and the company, (Raw Material and Vanishing Point)
  • Ode to Joy (how Gordon got to go to the nasty pig party) by James Ley, (Stories Untold/James Ley)
  • Truth’s a Dog Must to Kennel by Tim Crouch, (Royal Lyceum Theatre, Edinburgh)

Best Production

  • Enough of Him, (National Theatre of Scotland and Pitlochry Festival Theatre)
  • Kidnapped, (National Theatre of Scotland)
  • Macbeth (an undoing), (Royal Lyceum Theatre Edinburgh)
  • Truth’s a Dog Must to Kennel, (Royal Lyceum Theatre, Edinburgh)
Best Production Nominee – Truth’s a Dog Must to Kennel – Photo: Amy Gibson

The CATS judging panel for the 2023 Awards comprised: Mary Brennan (The Herald), Mark Brown (Sunday National and the Daily Telegraph), Anna Burnside (Daily Record/Sunday Mail), Dominic Corr (Corr Blimey!), Michael Cox (Across the Arts), Thom Dibdin (AllEdinburghTheatre.com), Mark Fisher (The Guardian), Fergus Morgan (The Stage), Joyce McMillan (The Scotsman), Natalie O’Donoghue (Broadway World), David Pollock (freelance reviewer) and Allan Radcliffe (The Times)