Press release 10 May 2018

• Royal Lyceum gains 12 nominations for four productions across 7 award categories
• George Costigan nominated for Best Male Performance
• Two Best Design nominations for Tom Piper – co-creator of Blood Swept Lands and Seas of Red – the stunning red poppies installation at the Tower of London
• The CATS will be presented at Perth Theatre on Sunday 10 June 2018

The Royal Lyceum Theatre Edinburgh has topped the shortlists for the 2018 CATS, which were released today, Thursday 10 May 2018. The theatre has received 12 nominations across four different productions with Rhinoceros – a Royal Lyceum, Edinburgh International Festival, DOT Theatre, Istanbul co-production – being most recognised production (nominated in 7 of the 10 categories).

Perth Theatre has 6 nominations including one for·Jessica Hardwick, first winner of the Billy McColl Award for Most Promising Newcomer in a Scottish Stage Production (2014), who is shortlisted in the Best Female Performance category for·Knives in Hens. Glasgow’s Citizens Theatre received 5 nominations across three different productions, including a Best Male Performance nomination for George Costigan for Long Day’s Journey into Night. 

“This year has been another bumper year for the Royal Lyceum theatre,” says CATS co-convenor, Mark Fisher. “The theatre, which also topped the shortlists last year, has received 12 nominations for four different productions across seven of the award categories.”

“Once again co-productions have been recognised across all award categories including Rhinoceros, an international collaboration with DOT Theatre, Istanbul, which is the most recognised production with 7 nominations,” he adds.

“We’re simply delighted with the range of work recognised in these shortlists,” says co-convener Joyce McMillan, “from powerful productions of the best-loved classics to shows like Nursery Crymes and Flight, which really push at the edges of our concept of theatre.”

“It’s also a huge pleasure to see Perth Theatre firing on all cylinders again, after its three-year rebuilding programme; and we are especially pleased to be holding the Awards Ceremony at Perth this year, to celebrate the tremendous work that’s been done to make that much-loved theatre into a brilliant 21st century resource for the Perth area, and for the whole of Scottish theatre,” she adds. 

In the Best New Play category Peter Arnott’s new version of Compton MacKenzie’s The Monarch of The Glen, Alan Bissett’s (More) Moira Monologues, Zinnie Harris’s Meet Me at Dawn, and Nursery Crymes, by street theatre specialists Mischief La-Bas, are shortlisted.

The CATS awards recognise creativity and excellence across the board. In the technical categories Tom Piper – co-creator of Blood Swept Lands and Seas of Red (the red poppies installation at the Tower of London) – receives two nominations in the Best Design category (Rhinoceros and Long Day’s Journey into Night), and acclaimed composer Gareth Williams is among the nominees for Best Music (The 306: Day).

Productions for children and young people continue to make a vibrant contribution to theatre making in Scotland. This year Red Bridge Arts have made the shortlist for two different productions, Night Light and Space Ape alongside The Citizens Theatre’s Cinderella and Mamoru Iriguchi’s Eaten.

For full list of nominations see Notes for Editors.

The 2018 CATS has been generously supported by: STV (Best Female Performance), Equity (Best Ensemble) Scottish Drama Training Network (Best Design), and BECTU (Best Technical) The List, BBC Scotland Radio Drama and the Macintosh Foundation

The 2018 CATS will be presented on the afternoon of Sunday 10 June at the refurbished Perth Theatre. Tickets priced £16.50; £11.50 students (inc. a glass of wine on arrival) available from Horsecross

In person at Mill Street Perth PH1 5HZ 

By telephone on 01738 621 031 

Online via https://www.horsecross.co.uk/

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Notes for Editors

180 productions eligible for the 2017 CATS, with 90 eligible for the New Play Award.

The CATS judging panel for 2018 comprised Mary Brennan (The Herald), Irene Brown (edinburghguide.com), Mark Brown (Sunday Herald·and The·Daily Telegraph), Paul F Cockburn (BroadwayBaby), Neil Cooper·(The Herald), Michael Cox (Across the Arts), Thom Dibdin (The Stage·and·AllEdinburghTheatre.com), Mark Fisher (The Guardian), Joyce McMillan (The Scotsman), David Pollock (The Independent), Allan Radcliffe (The Times)·and Joy Watters (Across the Arts).

For further information on the Critics’ Awards for Theatre in Scotland visit: 

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For further information contact: Lesley Booth, 0779 941 4474 / lesleyt@newcenturypr.com

Press release 18 May 2017

• 15 nominations across five productions for the Royal Lyceum Theatre Edinburgh
• Dundee Rep’s production of Death of a Salesman garners most nominations (shortlisted in six categories)
• Black Beauty’s five nominations include Best Production for Children and Young People, Best New Play and Best Production
• Singer-songwriter Karine Polwart gets a Best New Play nomination alongside David Greig, Kieran Hurley and the team behind Black Beauty
• 19 different productions garner nominations
• 2017 CATS will be presented on Sunday 11 June at the Festival Theatre, Edinburgh

David Greig’s first season as artistic director of Edinburgh’s Royal Lyceum dominates the shortlists for the 2017 Critics’ Awards for Theatre in Scotland (CATS), announced today, 18 May 2017. The Royal Lyceum received 15 nominations for five different productions across eight categories. Meanwhile, Dundee Rep’s production of Death of a Salesman was the most nominated production, being shortlisted in six different categories, including the supreme award, Best Production.

Underlining the calibre of work for children and young people being created in Scotland, Black Beauty, a Red Bridge and Traverse Theatre Company·co-production, has made the shortlist not only for the Best Production for Children and Young People Award, but in the Best Design, Best Director, Best New Play and Best Production categories.

“This year has once again seen tremendous creativity across the board,” says Joyce McMillan, co-convenor of the CATS. “We’re delighted that 19 different productions have made the shortlists, from theatres and companies all across Scotland; they represent a huge range of theatre, from the smallest scale to the largest, and from complex pieces of musical theatre to the most apparently simple solo shows.”

“The range of new work being produced is impressive,” she adds. “This year 84 new plays or devised works premiered in Scotland, and many of these shows stretch and challenge our CATS categories, working with other art forms from music and dance to visual installations, and challenging traditional relationships between theatre and audience.  The sense of creative energy is immense, and we hope that these shortlists help to reflect that exciting, fast-moving theatre scene.”

“Work for younger audiences has always been an important part of theatre in Scotland,” adds co-convenor Mark Fisher. “This year one of the four shortlisted shows nominated for Best Production for Children and Young People – Red Bridge and Traverse Theatre Company’s Black Beauty – is also making several other shortlists including Best New Play and the supreme award category, Best Production, highlighting once again the calibre of work being produced in this field.”

“This year also had a blurring of the lines between genres with performers and composers from both the folk and classical music traditions collaborating with theatremakers to create some truly inspiring work,” he adds.

The Best Male Performance award includes a first nomination for Robert Jack (Benedick, Much Ado About Nothing, Dundee Rep Ensemble), a second nomination for both Billy Mack (Willy Loman, Death of a Salesman, Dundee Rep Ensemble) and Gerry Mulgrew (Krapp, Krapp’s Last Tape, Tron Theatre, Glasgow and Paul Brotherston) and a third nomination for Brian Ferguson (Bernard 1, 2 and Michael Black, A Number, Royal Lyceum Theatre Edinburgh in partnership with Edinburgh International Science Festival). 

Meanwhile, in the Best Female Performance category, three of the actors are nominated for the first time: Lucy Briggs-Owen (Lydia Languish, The Rivals, Citizens Theatre, Bristol Old Vic and Liverpool Everyman & Playhouse), Nicole Cooper (Coriolanus, Coriolanus, Bard in the Botanics) and Louise McCarthy (Bernadette, Cuttin’ a Rug, Citizens Theatre). Gemma McElhinney makes the shortlists for the second time with three roles at Pitlochry Festival Theatre (Kelly Butcher, GamePlan; Rosie Seymore, FlatSpin; and Paige Petite RolePlay).

In the Best New Play category there is a first nomination for Andy Cannon, Andy Manley and Shona Reppe (for Black Beauty) and celebrated singer-songwriter Karine Polwart (for Wind Resistance). Meanwhile, Kieran Hurley is nominated for the third time (for Heads Up, Show and Tell) and David Greig receives his 12th nomination (for The Suppliant Women)

For full details of the nominations see Notes for Editors.

Award sponsors for 2017 are: BECTU, Equity, Scottish Drama Training Network, STV and Young Scot. General sponsors are the Mackintosh Foundation, BBC Scotland Radio Drama and The List.

The 2017 CATS will be presented at a glittering ceremony at the Festival Theatre, Edinburgh at 4pm on Sunday 11 June (doors open at 3.30pm). Tickets priced £15 (£10 Festival Theatre Friends) on sale now. For further information and to book visit: http://www.edtheatres.com/cats

For further information, images and interviews contact:

Lesley Booth, 0779 941 4474 lesleyt@newcenturypr.com

Notes for Editors

163 productions eligible for the 2017 CATS, with 84 eligible for the New Play Award and 33 for the Best Production for Children and Young People Award.

The CATS judging panel for 2017 was made up of: Mary Brennan (The Herald), Irene Brown (edinburghguide.com), Mark Brown (The Sunday Herald and the Daily Telegraph),·Anna Burnside (Daily Record), Paul F Cockburn (Broadway Baby), Neil Cooper (The Herald),·Michael Cox (Across the Arts),·Thom Dibdin (The Stage and AllEdinburghTheatre.com),·Mark Fisher (The Guardian),·Joyce McMillan (The Scotsman),·David Pollock (The Independent), Allan Radcliffe (The Times), Amy Taylor (The Public Reviews and TVBomb), Gareth K Vile (The List) and Joy Watters (Across the Arts).

Press release 16 May 2016

• Lanark, This Restless House and Waiting for Godot lead the nominations.
• 20 different productions recognised in 2016 shortlists.
• 179 new shows produced in Scotland in the last twelve months.
• Award ceremony to take place at the Royal Lyceum Theatre, Edinburgh on Sunday 12 June.

FROM Angela Darcy to Zinnie Harris, the A–Z of theatre produced in Scotland over the last year has been recognised in the shortlists for the 14th annual Critics’ Awards for Theatre in Scotland (CATS) which were released today. Heading the list are two productions from Glasgow’s Citizens Theatre – Lanark: A Life in Three Acts and This Restless House – both of which are nominated in five categories. Meanwhile in Edinburgh, the Royal Lyceum Theatre’s production of. Waiting for Godot, which starred Brian Cox and Bill Paterson, gets four nominations.

The Citizens Theatre co-production with the Edinburgh International Festival of Lanark: A Life in Three Acts, based on the seminal novel by Alasdair Gray, receives five nominations including Best Production. It also results in a third Best Male Performance nomination for actor Sandy Grierson. Also receiving five nominations is the Citz co-production with the National Theatre of Scotland of Zinnie Harris’s This Restless House (based on the Oresteia). It is recognised in categories including Best Director (Dominic Hill) and Best Production, and results in a first Best Female Performance nomination for Pauline Knowles.

The Royal Lyceum’s production of Waiting for Godot, meanwhile, is nominated in four categories including Best Director (Mark Thomson), Best Production and Best Ensemble, recognising the joint contribution of actors Brian Cox, Bill Paterson, John Bett and Benny Young.

Joining Sandy Grierson in the Best Male Performance category are Cliff Burnett, Barrie Hunter and Paul Higgins (known to millions as Malcolm Tucker’s sidekick, Jamie McDonald, in The Thick of It and In the Loop). Meanwhile, Maureen Beattie receives her third CATS nomination for Best Female Performance alongside Pauline Knowles, Angela Darcy, and EastEnders actor Emmanuella Cole.

For full shortlists see Notes for Editors.

“This has been another vintage year for theatre in Scotland with no fewer than 20 productions recognised in the shortlists,” says Mark Fisher co-convenor of CATS.  “That so many different productions have made the shortlists demonstrates tangibly the breadth of creative talent in Scottish theatre today.”

“Theatre is a collaborative art-form, and once again we have seen some incredibly fruitful partnerships both within and outwith Scotland,” adds Joyce McMillan, CATS co-convenor. “For example, two co-commissions from the Edinburgh International Science Festival – Uncanny Valley and Lost at Sea – make the shortlist for Best Production for Children and Young People, and a co-production between Scotland and Norway, Drift by Vision Mechanics of Leith, is nominated in three categories.  And our most nominated production, Lanark, is a co-production between one of our greatest companies, the Citizens’, and the Edinburgh International Festival.”

“Once again, our nominations range in scale from short shows staged on a minimal budget to massive main stage productions featuring global stars; so we’ll be celebrating the sheer diversity of Scottish theatre, as well as its greatest achievements, when we get together at the Lyceum on 12 June.” 

Two new award sponsors were also confirmed today. BECTU is the new sponsor of the Best Technical Presentation Award and the Scottish Drama Training Network has come on board as sponsor of Best Male Performance. They join STV (Best Female Performance), Equity (Best Ensemble), Guitar Guitar (Best Music and Sound) and Young Scot (Best Production for Children and Young People) as award sponsors and the three CATS general supporters: The List, The Mackintosh Foundation and BBC Scotland Radio Drama.

“We are delighted to welcome new award sponsors BECTU and the Scottish Drama Training Network,” adds Mark Fisher. “The support of all our sponsors is greatly appreciated. It shows how much the contribution of the many creative people that go into making theatre is valued.”

The 2016 Critics’ Awards for Theatre in Scotland will be presented at a glittering ceremony on the afternoon of Sunday 12 June, 2016 at the Royal Lyceum Theatre, Edinburgh. Tickets priced £15/£10 (students) from http://lyceum.org.uk/whats-on/production/critics-awards-for-theatre-in-2016

Further information on the Critics’ Awards for Theatre in Scotland visit: www.criticsawards.theatrescotland.com and follow on Twitter @catsawards  #CATS16

For further information, images, interviews and press tickets for the ceremony contact:

Lesley Booth, 0779 941 4474 / lesleyt@newcenturypr.com

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Notes for Editors

• The Critics’ Awards for Theatre in Scotland (CATS) are organised annually and awarded by the theatre critics of Scotland to celebrate the best Scottish theatre achievements in the theatre year May–April. The first CATS were awarded for the year 2002–03 in five categories: best production, male performance, female performance, design and new play. Since then they have been awarded annually in early June for the original five categories and for five additional categories: director, technical presentation, production for children and young people, ensemble and music and sound.

• The CATS judging panel for 2016 was made up of: Mary Brennan (The Herald), Irene Brown (edinburghguide.com), Mark Brown (The Sunday Herald and the Daily Telegraph), Anna Burnside (Daily Record), Paul F Cockburn (Broadway Baby), Neil Cooper (The Herald), Michael Cox (Across the Arts), Thom Dibdin (The Stage and AllEdinburghTheatre.com), Mark Fisher (The Guardian), Joyce McMillan (The Scotsman), David Pollock (The Independent), Allan Radcliffe (The Times), Amy Taylor (The Public Reviews and TVBomb), Gareth K Vile (The List) and Joy Watters (Across the Arts).

• 179 productions were eligible for the 2916 CATS of which 100 which were eligible for the New Writing Award and 18 for the work for the Children and Young People Award.

Press release 14 May 2015

• Untitled Projects follows success of Paul Bright’s Confessions of a Justified Sinner in 2014 with four nominations for Slope
• Catherine Wheels secures four nominations for The Voice Thief, its 11th nominated show 
• Tramway-based Junction 25 Awarded CATS’ Whiskers
• Young Scot and Guitar Guitar join award sponsors
• 2015 Awards ceremony will be at the Tron Theatre on Sunday 14 June

Edinburgh’s Royal Lyceum Theatre heads the nominations in the 2015 Critics’ Awards for Theatre in Scotland which were announced today, 14 May 2015. The shortlist recognises six different Royal Lyceum productions, which appear in eight of the ten award categories. Meanwhile, Untitled Projects follows the success of Paul Bright’s Confessions of a Justified Sinner in the 2014 CATS with four nominations for Slope, a co-production with KILTR, Citizens Theatre and Traverse Theatre Company. 

The quality of work produced in Scotland by and for children and young people was also highlighted with Glasgow-based Junction 25 being awarded the special CATS’ Whiskers accolade for ten remarkable years of creativity. This is the second year in a row that the special award has been given to an organisation with young people at its heart, following Imaginate Festival last year. Meanwhile, Catherine Wheels’ tally of CATS-nominated shows has reached 11 with its four nods for The Voice Thief  in this year’s shortlists.

“As the Royal Lyceum enters its 50th year, it is particularly apt that the company has attracted such a wealth of nominations for its recent season in which it fired on all cylinders,” says CATS co-convenor Mark Fisher. “What’s also thrilling is the strength and variety of Scottish theatre performances across the board, ranging from lunchtime plays to mainstage classics, from experimental sound-based drama to promenade shows for children. It’s a real privilege for the CATS judges to be able to celebrate such bold and inventive work.”

“This last year has seen another rich and diverse programme of theatre across the country as the span of the nominated productions illustrates,” says Joyce McMillan, CATS co-convenor. “Theatre by and for children and young people continues to grow in quality and quantity with Catherine Wheels this year adding another four nominations to its tally. We are also delighted to present our special CATS’ Whiskers Award to Junction 25. Since it was set up ten years ago by Tashi Gore and Jess Thorpe, with the support of former Tramway producer Steve Slater, it has grown into one of the most critically acclaimed youth theatre companies in the UK. Junction’s work has the young people at the heart of its creative process. The result is a theatre which gives powerful insights into teenage experience, not only for other young people, but for adult audiences, too.”

“As well as a vintage year at the Royal Lyceum, we have seen another wonderful production from Untitled Projects,” she adds. “For over 20 years, director Stewart Laing has been at the forefront of Scottish theatre from early productions such as Happy Days at Tramway through The Salon Project to last year’s Paul Bright’s Confessions of a Justified Sinner. It is sad to think that Slope may well be Untitled Projects’ last production in Scotland. The company’s contribution to our cultural life will be greatly missed.”

The six Royal Lyceum Theatre productions recognised in the 2015 CATS are Bondagers, The Caucasian Chalk Circle, Faith Healer, Hedda Gabler, Kill Johnny Glendenning and The Venetian Twins, with three of them being shortlisted for the Best Production Award. Commenting on the success of the theatre’s productions, Artistic Director Mark Thomson said:

“The company and I are thrilled that so many of our productions have been celebrated by the CATS Awards this year and in my penultimate season here at the Lyceum. It’s a wonderfully rewarding finale to a year where everyone who works here, the artists and staff have journeyed with creativity and hard work on some amazing pieces so that the people of Edinburgh and beyond can have great nights out at the theatre.”

Elsewhere, actor Amy Manson picked up her third CATS nomination (Grusha: The Caucasian Chalk Circle, Royal Lyceum Theatre, Edinburgh) and there were second nominations for Brian Ferguson (Hamlet:  Hamlet, Citizens Theatre), Keith Fleming, (Buck: The Call of the Wild, A Play, a Pie and a Pint), Grant O’Rourke (Zanetto and Tonino:  The Venetian Twins, Royal Lyceum Theatre) and Meg Fraser (Susan: Woman in Mind, Dundee Rep).

78 new plays were produced in the year from May 2014–April 2015 with Edinburgh’s Traverse Theatre and Glasgow’s A Play, A Pie and A Pint continuing to commission and provide a vital platform for new work. The organisations jointly picked up two nominations in the best new play category in 2015, recognising the continuing contribution of the late David McLennan’s ground-breaking initiative to Scottish theatre.

For full list of nominations for the 2015 CATS go here.

It was also announced today that Young Scot had come on board as a sponsor of the Best Production for Children and Young People Award and Guitar Guitar as sponsors of the Best Music and Sound Award, joining STV (Best Female Performance), Equity (Best Ensemble) and Robertson Taylor W&P Longreach – Theatre Insurance Brokers (Best New Play). The awards are also supported by BBC Scotland Radio Drama, the Mackintosh Foundation and The List.

“We are delighted that Young Scot and Guitar Guitar have come on board this year as award sponsors and are grateful for the continuing support of all our event and category sponsors,” say Joyce McMillan and Mark Fisher. “Their contribution enables us to stage our annual celebration of Scottish theatre and the vital contribution that it makes to the cultural life of our nation.” 

The CATS Award ceremony returns to Glasgow’s Tron Theatre this year. It will be held on the afternoon of Sunday 14 June. Tickets, priced £15 available in person, by telephone on 0141 552 4267 and online via www.tron.co.uk

For further information the Critics’ Awards for Theatre in Scotland visit:

www.criticsawards.theatrescotland.com

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For further CATS information, images and interviews contact Lesley Booth 0779 941 4474 lesley@newcenturypr.com

Listing

Sunday 14 June 2015 at 3.30pm

The Tron Theatre

Critics’ Awards for Theatre in Scotland 2015

Join the cream of Scottish theatre as the annual award ceremony returns to the Tron. The ceremony is followed by the opportunity to mingle with the winners.

Tickets priced £15 from the box office, by telephone on 0141 552 4267 and online at http://www.tron.co.uk/event/critics-awards-for-theatre-in-scotland-2015 

Press release 9 May 2013

• Royal Lyceum and National Theatre of Scotland head the field with 8 nominations each
• The Citizens Theatre and Traverse Theatre each receive 6 nominations
• 2012 CATS celebrity host, Alan Cumming, is shortlisted for Best Male Performance 
• Dominic Hill becomes most recognised director securing his twelfth nomination
• 2013 CATS Awards will be presented on Sunday 9 June 2013 as part of the Traverse Theatre’s 50th anniversary celebration.

The shortlists for the 2013 Critics’ Awards for Theatre on Scotland were announced today, 9 May 2013. Now in their 11th year, the prestigious CATS recognise the vibrancy and quality of theatre produced in Scotland. The 2013 nominations range from large-scale productions to solo performances and encompass both theatre-based and site-specific work. No fewer than 27 different productions staged across Scotland from Shetland to the Borders have made the CATS shortlists this year underlining the calibre of the work being produced throughout the country. 

“This has been a terrific year for some of Scotland’s best-known theatre companies, with the Lyceum, the Citizens, the National Theatre of Scotland and the Traverse leading a very strong field,” says CATS co-convenor, Joyce McMillan. “There are signs that the trend towards co-productions between major companies is producing shows of outstanding scale and quality.”

 “It’s also a real pleasure, though, to be able to welcome many newcomers to the 2013 nominations list, including the Gilded Balloon in Edinburgh, Random Accomplice in Glasgow, the new Firebrand Theatre Company based in the Borders, and the brilliant dance artist and theatremaker Claire Cunningham.  With more than twenty companies represented on our nominations list – and work performed everywhere from Brae in Shetland to Hawick in the Borders – we are delighted to be able to reflect the astonishing diversity and range of Scotland’s theatre scene, and the growing importance of new work in our theatre life.”

“Almost half of our 2013 nominations involve brand new work created by Scottish-based theatre artists over the last year. That is a tremendous tribute to the vitality of Scotland’s theatre scene, and to its terrific future potential.”

“We are delighted that this year’s CATS Awards ceremony will be staged at the Traverse Theatre as part of its 50th anniversary celebration,” says CATS co-convenor, Mark Fisher. “The Traverse has been a trailblazer in commissioning and showcasing new work from Scottish playwrights over the half a century. It is no coincidence that three of the nominations for Best New Play in the 2013 CATS should be Traverse productions or co-productions.”

“We are also grateful to the ongoing support of our sponsors who help us to recognise publicly the breadth of work created by so many dedicated professionals here in Scotland.”

“In our 50th anniversary year, we are delighted to be playing host to this year’s CATS Awards, which honour the sheer quality and diversity of Scottish theatre,” says Orla O’Loughlin, Artistic Director of the Traverse Theatre. “The celebration of exciting theatrical voices has been key to the Traverse for fifty years, and in playing an integral part of this year’s event, we herald the next fifty years of supporting new and innovative theatrical talent.” 

Eight acclaimed actors in the frame for Best Performance Awards

The 2013 nominations see eight leading actors shortlisted. Maureen Beattie, (Narrator in The List), Blythe Duff (Fay Black in Iron) and Amy Manson (Nora Vaughan in A Doll’s House) all secure their second CATS nomination this year. They are joined by Eileen Walsh (Sandra in Quiz Show) as nominees in the Best Female Performance category. Meanwhile, Alan Cumming gets a nomination for the National Theatre of Scotland’s one-man Macbeth, now playing in New York, alongside Gerard Murphy (Krapp in Krapp’s Last Tape), Grant O’Rourke (Mike Daisey in The Agony and the Ecstasy of Steve Jobs) and Iain Robertson (Eddie in Takin’ Over the Asylum) for Best Male Performance.

Dominic Hill becomes CATS most recognised director

Dominic Hill becomes the most recognised director since the establishment of CATS securing a further two nominations this year. Hill is shortlisted in the Best Director category alongside Stewart Laing (The Maids), Rachel O’Riordan (The Seafarer) and Hamish Pirie (Quiz Show), and his production of Krapp’s Last Tape makes the shortlist for Best Production.

Theatre for children and young people continues to inspire

The shortlist for this year’s Best Show for Children and Young People Award once again demonstrates the importance that Scotland puts on inspiring new generations of theatre-goers. The NTS’s The Day I Swapped My Dad for Two Goldfish is shortlisted alongside, The Incredible Adventures of See Thru Sam (Random Accomplice), Sonata for a Man and a Boy (Greg Sinclair and macrobert) and The Ugly Duckling (a co-production between The Arches and Catherine Wheels).

Five nominees for Best Production

Such was the calibre of the work created in 2013 that the CATS judging panel has taken the rare step of including five productions on the short list for Best Production. Pitlochry Festival Theatre’s staging of

Irving Berlin’s White Christmas: The Musical is joined by the Citizens Theatre Company’s Krapp’s Last Tape/Footfalls, Stellar Quines’ The List, Traverse Theatre Company’s Quiz Show and Perth Theatre’s The Seafarer.

The 2013 Critics’ Awards for Theatre in Scotland were open to any professional theatre work produced in Scotland between May 1 2012 and 30 April 2013. Around 180 new productions that opened in the year were considered for the Awards, of which 106 were new plays/scripts and 36 productions created for children and young people. 27 different productions have made this year’s shortlists. For full short lists see Notes for Editors.

The 2013 CATS Awards will be presented at the Traverse in Edinburgh on the afternoon of Sunday 9 June. Tickets priced £15 (includes glass of fizz in the bar before the ceremony, the CATS Awards presentation – with celebrity host – and post ceremony party marking the Traverse Theatre’s 50th anniversary) available in person at the Box Office, by telephone on 0131 228 1404 and online at www.traverse.co.uk

For further information the Critics’ Awards for Theatre in Scotland visit:

www.criticsawards.theatrescotland.com

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For further CATS information, images and interviews contact:

Lesley Booth, New Century PR , 0779 941 4474 lesley@newcenturypr.com

Press release 10 May 2012

• AWARDS CEREMONY TO TAKE PLACE AT TRON THEATRE, GLASGOW, SUNDAY 10TH JUNE AT 3.00PM
• TICKETS ON SALE NOW: www.tron.co.uk
• NEW AWARD INTRODUCED TO MARK 10TH ANNIVERSARY: The CATS Whiskers
• FLAGSHIP BROADCASTER PROUD TO SUPPORT SCOTTISH TALENT

Today, Thursday 10th May, 2012, the Critics’ Awards for Theatre in Scotland (CATS), announced the nominations for the country’s celebration of theatre.

Of the 202 productions considered for nomination, 123 were eligible for Best New Play and 36 were created for children and young people.  A total of 23 shows have reached the final nominations stage and the winners will be announced at the CATS Awards ceremony on Sunday 10th June, 2012 at Glasgow’s Tron Theatre.

BEST NEW PLAY nominations, sponsored by W&P Longreach–Theatre Insurance Brokers include David Harrower, A Slow Air, Tron Theatre Company; Kieran Hurley, BEATS, Arches; Ronan O’Donnell, Angels, A Play, a Pie and a Pint; Andrew O’Hagan, Vicky Featherstone, John Tiffany, Paul Flynn, Deborah Orr and Ruth Wishart,  Enquirer, National Theatre of Scotland and London Review of Books.

The National Theatre of Scotland has emerged as the leader in this year’s Critics’ Awards for Theatre in Scotland nominations, shortlisted twelve times in no less than nine of the ten Awards categories.  Dundee Rep and the Citizens Theatre Company have plenty to celebrate both have five nominations.  Companies receiving nominations for the first time include Bard in the Botanics, Frozen Charlotte, Shona Reppe Puppets, Theatre Jezebel and Untitled Projects.

The BEST FEMALE PERFORMANCE category will be hard fought as Maureen Beattie (Sister Ursula, 27, National Theatre of Scotland and the Royal Lyceum Theatre), Sally Reid (Mona, Days of Wine and Roses, Theatre Jezebel and the Tron Theatre Company), Ann Louise Ross (Mill Laverello, Further than the Furthest Thing, Dundee Rep Theatre) and Susan Vidler (Young Woman, Knives in Hens, National Theatre of Scotland) compete for the coveted title.

The competition for BEST MALE PERFORMANCE is no less fierce as Stuart Bowman (Watching the Detective, A Play, a Pie and a Pint), Stephen Clyde (Bottom, A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Bard in the Botanics), Stephen Kennedy (Edward, Someone Who’ll Watch Over Me, Perth Theatre) and Michael Nardone (John Morrison, Men Should Weep, National Theatre of Scotland) wait to find out who this year’s victor will be.

Joyce McMillan, co-convener, CATS said: “This year’s CATS nominations celebrate a dazzling range of work, created by more than 20 companies across Scottish theatre.  The list emphasises the growing creative impact of the National Theatre of Scotland, both through its own distinctive work and in co-productions with other companies; it also celebrates the continuing high achievement of Dundee Rep, and a fine start to Dominic Hill’s directorship at the Citizens Theatre.  

“And through nominations for events like the National Theatre of Scotland’s Five Minute Theatre, Untitled’s Salon Project and Magnetic North’s Pass the Spoon, it also reflects the exciting ways in which theatre is changing, with artists exploring the myriad possibilities of online technology, and boldly venturing into the borderlands between theatre and installation, theatre and music, theatre and visual art.”

To mark the CATS 10th anniversary year, a new discretionary award known as The CATS WHISKERS, will be given in recognition of an outstanding contribution to theatre in Scotland that isn’t already reflected in the other awards.  The winner will be announced on Monday 4th June, 2012. 

CATS co-convenor, Mark Fisher said: “As this is the 10th edition of the CATS awards, we felt it was time to celebrate those contributions to theatre in Scotland that go beyond the scope of our existing awards. The CATS Whiskers Award is our way of giving an extra round of applause to the most remarkable achievements.”

In another exciting addition to CATS’ respected group of sponsors, BBC Scotland Radio Drama has entered into a three year relationship with the awards.  BBC Scotland Radio Drama, based in Glasgow, delivers over 60 hours of programme commissions every year to four BBC radio networks – Radio Scotland, Radio 4, Radio 4 Extra and Radio 3.

Bruce Young, Editor, Radio Drama, BBC Scotland said:  “BBC Scotland Radio Drama is delighted to support the Critics’ Awards for Theatre in Scotland.

“We’re both looking to identify and celebrate Scottish talent, and I hope this agreement with CATS will help us to share the best work of actors and writers in Scotland with the radio drama audience throughout the UK.”

Now in its tenth year, the CATS celebrate the actors, directors, playwrights and other artists who have made the most thrilling contributions to the industry.

Any piece of professional theatre substantially produced in Scotland in the twelve months from May to April (the natural break in the theatre year) is eligible. This year’s ceremony will be held for first time at the Tron Theatre, Glasgow on Sunday 10th June at 3.00pm.

Andy Arnold, Artistic Director, Tron Theatre said: “We’re delighted that the Tron has been chosen as the host venue for this year’s CATS Awards, not only for the opportunity to be part of such a glittering event in the cultural calendar; but also to see some of the finest creative talents in Scottish theatre today being recognised for their work.”

The event is open to members of the public and offers a unique opportunity for audiences to come together with the cream of the Scottish theatre community to celebrate the contribution that work produced in Scotland makes to the cultural life of the country.

Tickets cost £15 (including live entertainment, entry to the awards ceremony, a pre and post show glass of fizz and light refreshments) and can be purchased through the Tron Theatre, box office. For further information on the CATS visit: www.criticsawards.theatrescotland.com

Press release 12 May 2011

~THE National Theatre of Scotland and Edinburgh’s Royal Lyceum have emerged as the leaders in this year’s Critics’ Awards for Theatre in Scotland nominations, shortlisted in no less than six categories each. Dundee Repertory Theatre and The Traverse Theatre Company also have plenty to celebrate, following closely behind with an impressive five nominations apiece.

Roadkill and Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street lead the field in terms of individual productions – both are in the running for five awards – whilst Age of Arousal, The Three Musketeers and the Princess of Spain and The Strange Undoing of Prudencia Hart are all in the running to pick up four trophies.

The Best Female Performance category will be hard fought as Kate Dickie (Any Given Day), Blythe Duff (Good With People) and Gemma McElhinney (The Monster in the Hall) and Mercy Ojelade (Roadkill) compete for the coveted title. The competition for Best Male Performance is no less fierce as David Birrell (Sweeney Todd:The Demon Barber of Fleet Street), Alex Ferns (The Hard Man), Peter Forbes (Educating Agnes) and Ian Smith (My Hands Are Dancing But My Heart Is Cold) wait to find out who this year’s victor will be.

Glasgow highlights include three production award nominations for Vox Motus. Fellow CCA residents, Cryptic are 2011’s newcomers receiving their very first nomination for Best Technical Presentation (Orlando). The Citizens Theatre is also represented in the Best Production for Children and Young People category (Beauty and the Beast).

~Looking East, whilst the Royal Lyceum and Traverse Theatre dominate, Musselburgh-based children’s theatre company Catherine Wheels is in line for four awards, including two for Best Production for Children and Young People for White and Caged.

Co-convenor Mark Fisher said: “It was a spectacular year for theatre in Scotland and, in category after category, the judges found themselves weighing one great show against another. The nominations range from Nothing To See Here, a community show in Aberdeen with a cast of 250, to My Hands Are Dancing But My Heart Is Cold, a one-man show performed to an audience of one. All manner of work lies in between – from popular musicals to site-specific drama, from lively comedy to sublime children’s theatre – demonstrating the range and vibrancy of theatre in Scotland.”

In an exciting addition to CATS’ well-respected group of sponsors, Equity, the UK trade union for professional performers and creative practitioners has entered into a three year relationship with the awards, sponsoring the Best Ensemble category.

Now in its ninth year, the CATS has become a highlight of the theatrical calendar in Scotland, celebrating the actors, directors playwrights and other artists who have made the most thrilling contributions to the industry. Any piece of professional theatre substantially produced in Scotland in the 12 months from May to April (the natural break in the theatre year) is eligible. This year’s ceremony will be held for a third time at the Festival Theatre in Edinburgh on Sunday 12 June at 3.00pm.

The event is open to members of the public and offers a unique opportunity for audiences to come together with the cream of the Scottish theatre community to celebrate the contribution that work produced in Scotland makes to the cultural life of the country.

Tickets cost £15 (including live entertainment, entry to the awards ceremony, a pre- and post- show glass of fizz and light refreshments) and can be purchased through the Festival Theatre box office. For further information on the CATS visit www.criticsawards.theatrescotland.com.

NOTES TO EDITORS:

CATS organisers would like to thank The Mackintosh Foundation, the charity set up by theatre producer Cameron Mackintosh to promote and develop theatrical, musical and dramatic arts, for its pledge of £3,000 over three years to support this unique event. In addition, technical services company Northern Light, insurance specialists W&P Longreach have each donated £500 a year until 2012 to support the individual awards for Best Technical Presentation, Best Male Performance and Best New Play, while media company STV has pledged £500 a year for five years to support the award for Best Female Performance. The list of sponsors is joined by Equity which is supporting the award for Best Ensemble. Equity has kindly pledged £500 to support the award for three years. The ceremony will be sponsored by catering company Appetite Direct and arts and entertainments publication The List

Press release 8 May 2014

• Dragon and Huff together receive eight nominations
• Contribution of Imaginate Festival celebrated in 
• CATS Whiskers Award
• Over 30 different companies recognised in the shortlists
• Ceremony at the Citizens Theatre on Sunday 8 June 2014

If there had ever been any doubts over the calibre of work for children and young people produced in Scotland, the 2014 CATS shortlists released today, Thursday 8 May 2014, would immediately dispel them. Two productions created specifically with a younger audience in mind – Dragon (Vox Motus, National Theatre of Scotland and the Tianjin People’s Art Theatre, China) and Huff  (Shona Reppe and Andy Manley, produced by Catherine Wheels Theatre Company) – have together received eight nominations across six categories including the highest accolade, Best Production. 

It was also announced that a CATS Whiskers, an occasional award that recognises an outstanding contribution to Scottish theatre, would be conferred on the Imaginate Festival which has been producing excellent work for young people for the last 25 years. 

“Engaging young people with theatre is the driving force of Imaginate, and what an amazing job they have been doing over the last 25 years,” says Joyce McMillan, CATS co-convenor.   “They are very worthy recipients of a CATS Whiskers.”

“However, Imaginate is not alone in a commitment to creating vibrant and innovative theatre for young people, as this year’s shortlists demonstrate. Dragon, a truly beautiful and thoughtful treatment of grief and loss, and Huff, which showed how human beings have the power to create a better world, demonstrated how work developed for a younger audience did not shy away from difficult topics and challenging themes, but addressed them head on with sensitivity and wonderful creativity.”

Scottish theatre goes from strength to strength

Over 30 different companies are recognised in the 2014 CATS, illustrating the breadth and depth of quality of productions created in Scotland during the last year. Ranging from the National Theatre of Scotland whose total of CATS nominations has now reached 83 to first time nominees – Datum Point, Grinagog, Iron-Oxide and Birds of Paradise – the 2014 shortlists feature no fewer than 32 different companies and co-producers.

“Scotland continues to be a place where theatrical creativity flourishes,” adds CATS co-convenor Mark Fisher. “The National Theatre of Scotland has once again produced and co-produced acclaimed pieces from Let the Right One In, which has just opened in London’s West End, to Dragon, in which it partnered Vox Motus and Tianjin People’s Art Theatre, China, and The Beautiful Cosmos of Ivor Cutler, with Vanishing Point, which has just finished a tour of Scotland. 2014 has also seen a flourishing of projects by smaller companies with Datum Point, Grinagog, Iron-Oxide all first time nominees.”

“Shetland” actor Rebecca Benson and last year’s winner, Blythe Duff, on shortlist for Best Female Performance

A strong Best Female Performance shortlist features Rebecca Benson, recently seen in BBC’s Shetland, for her role as Eli in Let the Right One In, which has recently opened in London’s West End; Elicia Daly for her role as Phyllis King in The Beautiful Cosmos of Ivor Cutler; Adura Onashile in HeLa and last year’s winner, Blythe Duff, for Ciara.

2006 winner Sandy Grierson in frame for Best Male Performance Award

Sandy Grierson, winner of the 2006 Best Male Performance Award, makes the 2014 shortlist for his tremendous skill and affection in the portrayal of Ivor Cutler in The Beautiful Cosmos of Ivor Cutler alongside former Holby City star Adam Best’s “towering performance” as Raskolnikov; Jimmy Chisholm’s “terrific central performance” in The Collection and Scott Reid “in blistering form” in A Perfect Stroke

Strong showing for Crime and Punishment, The Beautiful Cosmos of Ivor Cutler and Paul Bright’s Confessions of a Justified Sinner

Five productions have received three or more nominations in this year’s awards.  Dominic Hill’s production of Crime and Punishment leads the pack with six, followed closely by Dragon with five, and Matthew Lenton’s The Beautiful Cosmos of Ivor Cutler and Stewart Laing’s Paul Bright’s Confessions of a Justified Sinner with four. Orla O’Loughlin’s Ciara and Shona Reppe and Andy Manley’s Huff both received three nominations.

The 2014 Critics’ Awards for Theatre in Scotland were open to any professional theatre work produced in Scotland between May 1 2013 and 30 April 2014. 190 new productions that opened in the year were considered for the awards, of which 127 were new plays/scripts and 39 productions created for children and young people.

For full shortlists see Notes for Editors

The 2014 CATS Awards will be presented at the Citizens Theatre in Glasgow on the afternoon of Sunday 8 June. Tickets priced £15/£10 (students) from the box office, by telephone on 0141 429 0022 and online at www.citz.co.uk 

For further information the Critics’ Awards for Theatre in Scotland visit:

www.criticsawards.theatrescotland.com

Ends

For further CATS information, images and interviews contact:

Lesley Booth, New Century PR, 0779 941 4474 lesley@newcenturypr.com

Listing

Sunday 8 June 2013 at 3.30pm

The Citizens Theatre

12th annual Critics’ Awards for Theatre in Scotland

Join with the cream of Scottish theatre for the annual glittering award ceremony followed the opportunity to mingle with the winners.

Tickets priced £15/£10 (students) from the box office, by telephone on 0141 429 0022 and online at www.citz.co.uk 

Notes for Editors

The CATS judging panel for 2014 was made up of: Mary Brennan (The Herald), Anna Burnside (freelance), Irene Brown (edinburghguide.com), Mark Brown (The Sunday Herald and the Daily Telegraph), Neil Cooper (The Herald), Michael Cox (Across the Arts), Thom Dibdin (The Stage and AllEdinburghTheatre.com), Mark Fisher (The Guardian), Joyce McMillan (The Scotsman), Allan Radcliffe (The Times), Amy Taylor (The Public Reviews and TVBomb), Gareth K Vile (The List) and Joy Watters (Across the Arts).

Press release 13 May 2010

EDINBURGH’S Traverse Theatre leads the field in this year’s Critics’ Awards for Theatre in Scotland with ten nominations across six out of a possible ten categories.

For the first time, the shortlist also includes a show rooted in the visual arts as much as in theatre with The Darktown Cakewalk, performed as part of the Glasgow International Festival of Visual Art, nominated for Best Ensemble and Best Use of Music and Sound. Another CATS first is the addition of an all-inclusive company with Lung Ha’s nominated in the Best Ensemble category for Huxley’s Lab, a collaboration with Grid Iron. 

Although theatre companies in Edinburgh and Glasgow have dominated the shortlist it has also been a good year for Dundee Repertory Theatre with six nominations, while Pitlochry Festival Theatre, Perth Theatre and Fife Arts Trust have each appeared in at least one category. 

Co-convenor Mark Fisher said: “It has been a bumper year for great theatre in Scotland and we were spoilt for choice when it came to making our selections. It means the 2010 shortlists represent a truly impressive range of talent, whether it is the most intimate one-person show or, as is the case with Huxley’s Lab, a production with a cast of 30. It’s sure to make for a lively ceremony on 13 June.”

As well as topping the awards list this year the Traverse Theatre also received the largest number of nominations for any one show, with The Dark Things appearing in six categories. Artistic director Dominic Hill appears twice on the shortlist for Best Director for The Goat, or Who is Sylvia? and The Dark Things, with both plays competing for Best Production. 

Dundee Repertory Theatre also has plenty to celebrate with A Christmas Carol and The Elephant Man each receiving three nominations, while the Tron Theatre in Glasgow appears in four different categories for The Government Inspector, a co-production with Communicado Theatre Company.

CATS newcomers this year include playwrights Alan Bissett for Turbo Folk (A Play, a Pie and a Pint) and Kieran Hurley for Hitch (The Arches), while Lung Ha’s Theatre Company, Theatre Modo, the Glasgow International Festival of Visual Art and Giant have also appeared on the shortlist for the first time. 

Now in its eighth year, the CATS has become a highlight of the theatrical calendar in Scotland, celebrating the actors, directors, playwrights and other artists who have made the most thrilling contributions to the industry over the past 12 months. This year the ceremony will be held for a second time at the Festival Theatre in Edinburgh on Sunday 13 June at 3pm. 

The event is open to members of the public and offers a unique opportunity for audiences to come together with the cream of the Scottish theatre community and celebrate the contribution that work produced in Scotland makes to the cultural life of the country. 

Tickets cost £15 (including live entertainment, entry to the awards ceremony, drinks and light refreshments) and can be purchased through the Festival Theatre box office. For further information on the CATS visit www.criticsawards.theatrescotland.com.

NOTES TO EDITORS:

CATS organisers would like to thank The Mackintosh Foundation, the charity set up by theatre producer Cameron Mackintosh to promote and develop theatrical, musical and dramatic arts, for its recent pledge of £3,000 over three years to support the prestigious event. In addition, technical services company Northern Light, advertising and design agency Guy Robertson Partnership and insurance specialists W&P Longreach have each donated £500 a year until 2012 to support the individual awards for Best Technical Presentation, Best Actor (Male) and Best New Play. The ceremony will be sponsored by catering company Appetite Direct and arts and entertainments publication The List.