top of page
CRITICS' AWARDS FOR THEATRE IN SCOTLAND
Winners & Nominees for the CATS Awards 2024
Celebrating Extraordinary Achievements
The 2024 CATS winners were announced at the Theatre Royal, Glasgow on Sunday 16 June. Special guest presenter was award-winning writer and broadcaster Damian Barr.
Here are the winners and nominees for the Critics’ Awards for Theatre in Scotland 2024.
Guest Presenter, Damian Barr
Outstanding Performance
Two Winners
Darren Brownlie
Meet Me at The Knob
A Play, a Pie and a Pint
Image © Tommy Ga Ken Wan
A Play, a Pie and a Pint
Image © Tommy Ga Ken Wan
Nicole Cooper
The Fool in Lear’s Fool
Bard in the Botanics
Image © Tommy Ga Ken Wan
Bard in the Botanics
Image © Tommy Ga Ken Wan
Blythe Duff
Mrs Jarrett in Escaped Alone
Tron Theatre
Image © Mihaela Bodlovic
Tron Theatre
Image © Mihaela Bodlovic
Paul McCole
Dion in The Sheriff of Kalamaki
A Play, A Pie and A Pint
Image © Tommy Ga Ken Wan
“Paul McCole has a lot to do as Dion in the Sheriff of Kalamaki. He is gallus and vulnerable at the same time, his Glaswegian charisma hiding quiet desperation. He squeezed a good deal of nuance and emotion into an hour-long performance.”
Anna Burnside of Across the Arts and Corr Blimey!
A Play, A Pie and A Pint
Image © Tommy Ga Ken Wan
“Paul McCole has a lot to do as Dion in the Sheriff of Kalamaki. He is gallus and vulnerable at the same time, his Glaswegian charisma hiding quiet desperation. He squeezed a good deal of nuance and emotion into an hour-long performance.”
Anna Burnside of Across the Arts and Corr Blimey!
Gary McNair
Various in Dear Billy
National Theatre of Scotland
Image © Sally Jubb
National Theatre of Scotland
Image © Sally Jubb
Gill Robertson
Various in Lightning Ridge
Catherine Wheels
Image © Brian Hartley
“Gill Robertson’s performance in Lightning Ridge was remarkable—a barnstorming piece of storytelling that had an equal balance of humour and empathy,” “Robertson not only told the story well but conjured a huge cast of characters—all brought to vivid life within the imagination of the audience through her wonderful use of words and physicality.”
Michael Cox of Across the Arts
Catherine Wheels
Image © Brian Hartley
“Gill Robertson’s performance in Lightning Ridge was remarkable—a barnstorming piece of storytelling that had an equal balance of humour and empathy,” “Robertson not only told the story well but conjured a huge cast of characters—all brought to vivid life within the imagination of the audience through her wonderful use of words and physicality.”
Michael Cox of Across the Arts
Alan Steele
Falstaff in Henry IV Parts I & II
Bard in the Botanics
Image © Tommy Ga Ken Wan
Bard in the Botanics
Image © Tommy Ga Ken Wan
Kirsty Stuart
Blanche in A Streetcar Named Desire
Pitlochry Festival Theatre
Image © Frazer Band
Pitlochry Festival Theatre
Image © Frazer Band
sponsored by
.png){kind=logo}
Best Ensemble
Escaped Alone
Tron Theatre
Image © Mihaela Bodlovic
“After a season in which high-quality ensemble pieces dominated stages, where flourishing talents met with Scotland’s established greats, the competition for Best Ensemble was fierce. But it was our industry' most resilient and admired performers who deservingly claim the award for their performances in the Scottish premiere of Caryl Churchill’s Escaped Alone at The Tron Theatre. Anyone of the four-strong cast captures the undeniable skill and prestige of our theatres: Irene MacDougall, Joanna Tope, Anne Kidd, and Outstanding Performance nominee Blythe Duff. Not a word is wasted from a cast who naturally work from one another to enhance their performances, synergising and building the slick and scrupulously crafted script into a mighty crescendo of intimate and global catastrophe which shows emerging talents just how it’s done.”
Image © Mihaela Bodlovic
“After a season in which high-quality ensemble pieces dominated stages, where flourishing talents met with Scotland’s established greats, the competition for Best Ensemble was fierce. But it was our industry' most resilient and admired performers who deservingly claim the award for their performances in the Scottish premiere of Caryl Churchill’s Escaped Alone at The Tron Theatre. Anyone of the four-strong cast captures the undeniable skill and prestige of our theatres: Irene MacDougall, Joanna Tope, Anne Kidd, and Outstanding Performance nominee Blythe Duff. Not a word is wasted from a cast who naturally work from one another to enhance their performances, synergising and building the slick and scrupulously crafted script into a mighty crescendo of intimate and global catastrophe which shows emerging talents just how it’s done.”
Same Team: A Street Soccer Story
Traverse Theatre
Image © Tommy Ga Ken Wan
Image © Tommy Ga Ken Wan
Sunset Song
Dundee Rep & Royal Lyceum Edinburgh
Image © Mihaela Bodlovic
Image © Mihaela Bodlovic
The Girls of Slender Means
Royal Lyceum Edinburgh
Image © Mihaela Bodlovic
Image © Mihaela Bodlovic
sponsored by
Best Director
Bryony Shanahan
Same Team – A Street Soccer Story
Traverse Theatre
Image © Tommy Ga Ken Wan
Traverse Theatre
Image © Tommy Ga Ken Wan
Elizabeth Newman
A Streetcar Named Desire
Pitlochry Festval Theatre
Image © Fraser Band
Pitlochry Festval Theatre
Image © Fraser Band
Joanna Bowman
Escaped Alone
Tron Theatre
Image © Mihaela Bodlovic
“Joanna Bowman’s revival of Caryl Churchill’s 2016 tour-de-force powerfully caught the unnerving mix of back garden small talk and apocalyptic horror in this extraordinary one-act play. Bowman’s direction was taut, stripped back and unflashy, generously placing emphasis not only on the brilliance of the ensemble, but also the intricacies of the writing.`”
Allan Radcliffe of The Times
Tron Theatre
Image © Mihaela Bodlovic
“Joanna Bowman’s revival of Caryl Churchill’s 2016 tour-de-force powerfully caught the unnerving mix of back garden small talk and apocalyptic horror in this extraordinary one-act play. Bowman’s direction was taut, stripped back and unflashy, generously placing emphasis not only on the brilliance of the ensemble, but also the intricacies of the writing.`”
Allan Radcliffe of The Times
Joe Douglas
Dear Billy
National Theatre of Scotland
Image © Sally Jubb
National Theatre of Scotland
Image © Sally Jubb
Best Design
Emma Bailey and Mark Henderson
Emma Bailey (set & costume) and Mark Henderson (lighting).
Anna Karenina
Royal Lyceum
Image © Robbie McFadzean
"As well as being impressive on its own terms, the design of the Lyceum’sAnna Karenina helped to knit the whole production together. The set and costumes of Emma Bailey, and Mark Henderson’s lighting, proved that intelligent, sympathetic and creative design can be as central as any dialogue to the stage adaptation of a novel. Indeed, the design of this production took a central role in the storytelling.The versatile minimalist set, with its central ominous spiky spiral chandelier, imposed without ever being fussy or detracting from the action."
Hugh Simpson of All Edinburgh Theatre
Anna Karenina
Royal Lyceum
Image © Robbie McFadzean
"As well as being impressive on its own terms, the design of the Lyceum’sAnna Karenina helped to knit the whole production together. The set and costumes of Emma Bailey, and Mark Henderson’s lighting, proved that intelligent, sympathetic and creative design can be as central as any dialogue to the stage adaptation of a novel. Indeed, the design of this production took a central role in the storytelling.The versatile minimalist set, with its central ominous spiky spiral chandelier, imposed without ever being fussy or detracting from the action."
Hugh Simpson of All Edinburgh Theatre
Katy Rae Wilson and Michaella Fee
Katy Rae Wilson (Set Design) Michaella Fee (Lighting Design)
Ginger - Tortoise In A Nutshell in association with Platform and Lyth Arts Centre.
Image © Mihaela Bodlovic
Ginger - Tortoise In A Nutshell in association with Platform and Lyth Arts Centre.
Image © Mihaela Bodlovic
Alisa Kalyanova, Simon Wilkinson, Ellie Thompson and Mark Melville
Alisa Kalyanova (Set and Costume); Simon Wilkinson (Lighting); Ellie Thompson Video & Projection Design; Mark Melville (Sound Design)
Love the Sinner - Vanishing Point and Imogen Stirling
Image © Andy Ross
Love the Sinner - Vanishing Point and Imogen Stirling
Image © Andy Ross
Arran Howie and Simon Wilkinson
Arran Howie (Designer), Simon Wilkinson (Lighting & Video Designer)
Ragnarok - Tortoise in a Nutshell co-production with Figurteatret i Nordland and in association with MacRobert Arts Centre
Image © Mihaela Bodlovic
Ragnarok - Tortoise in a Nutshell co-production with Figurteatret i Nordland and in association with MacRobert Arts Centre
Image © Mihaela Bodlovic
sponsored by
Best Music & Sound
Andy McGregor, Fraser Milroy and Isla Cowan
Andy McGregor (music and lyrics), Fraser Milroy (sound design) and Isla Cowan (lyrics)
Battery Park
Sleeping Warrior, co-produced with Beacon Arts Centre
Image © Mihaela Bodlovic
Battery Park
Sleeping Warrior, co-produced with Beacon Arts Centre
Image © Mihaela Bodlovic
Fred Deakin and Davie Miller
Fred Deakin and Davie Miller
Club Life
Fred Deakin, Davie Miller and Sita Pieraccini
Image © Kat Gollock
Club Life
Fred Deakin, Davie Miller and Sita Pieraccini
Image © Kat Gollock
Jim Harbourne
Jim Harbourne (composer and sound designer)
Ragnarok
Tortoise in a Nutshell co-production with Figurteatret i Nordland and in association with Macrobert Arts Centre
Image © Mihaela Bodlovic
Ragnarok
Tortoise in a Nutshell co-production with Figurteatret i Nordland and in association with Macrobert Arts Centre
Image © Mihaela Bodlovic
Finn Anderson and Ritchie Young
Finn Anderson (composer) and Ritchie Young (sound design).
Sunset Song
Dundee Rep and Royal Lyceum, Edinburgh
Image © Mihaela Bodlovic
Sunset Song
Dundee Rep and Royal Lyceum, Edinburgh
Image © Mihaela Bodlovic
Best Technical Presentation
Ginger
Tortoise In A Nutshell in association with Platform and Lyth Arts Centre
Image © Mihaela Bodlovic
Image © Mihaela Bodlovic
Ghosthunter
Visible Fictions
Image © Mark Donnelly
Image © Mark Donnelly
Love the Sinner
Vanishing Point and Imogen Stirling
Image © Andy Ross
Image © Andy Ross
Ragnarok
Tortoise in a Nutshell co-production with Figurteatret i Nordland and in association with MacRobert Arts Centre
Image © Mihaela Bodlovic
“Ragnarok, a Tortoise in a Nutshell co-production with Figurteatret i Nordland and in association with MacRobert Arts Centre was next-level storytelling, employing tiny hand held cameras diving into the chasms between model houses to create a dystopian vision built on ancient Norse myth, foretelling the end of our world, projected live onto screens over the stage. The company deconstructed their puppetry to the point that everything was visible – yet they still made the appearance of mystical beasts seem as if by magic.”
Thom Dibdin of All Edinburgh Theatre
Image © Mihaela Bodlovic
“Ragnarok, a Tortoise in a Nutshell co-production with Figurteatret i Nordland and in association with MacRobert Arts Centre was next-level storytelling, employing tiny hand held cameras diving into the chasms between model houses to create a dystopian vision built on ancient Norse myth, foretelling the end of our world, projected live onto screens over the stage. The company deconstructed their puppetry to the point that everything was visible – yet they still made the appearance of mystical beasts seem as if by magic.”
Thom Dibdin of All Edinburgh Theatre
sponsored by
Best Production for Children and Young People
Ginger
Tortoise In A Nutshell in association with Platform and Lyth Arts Centre
Image © Mihaela Bodlovic
Image © Mihaela Bodlovic
Ghosthunter
Visible Fictions
Image © Mark Donnelly
Image © Mark Donnelly
Lightning Ridge
Catherine Wheels
Image © Brian Hartley
“Lightning Ridge sees Catherine Wheels re-visit Pobby and Dingan, Ben Rice’s novella for young people in what is a remarkably involved piece of storytelling about imagination, loss and the nature of community. Re-imagined as a solo piece, performer Gill Robertson conjures up life in the near-desert world of Australian outback opal mining town Lightening Ridge. She does so with every inch of the vividness that eight year-old protagonist Kellyanne conjures up her imaginary friends, Pobby and Dingan. This is a thoroughly considered piece of storytelling. There again, it needs to be - it carries a twist that grown-ups might see coming from quite a long way off, and be braced for, but for which young people will not necessarily pick up all the warning signs.”
Thom Dibdin of All Edinburgh Theatre
Image © Brian Hartley
“Lightning Ridge sees Catherine Wheels re-visit Pobby and Dingan, Ben Rice’s novella for young people in what is a remarkably involved piece of storytelling about imagination, loss and the nature of community. Re-imagined as a solo piece, performer Gill Robertson conjures up life in the near-desert world of Australian outback opal mining town Lightening Ridge. She does so with every inch of the vividness that eight year-old protagonist Kellyanne conjures up her imaginary friends, Pobby and Dingan. This is a thoroughly considered piece of storytelling. There again, it needs to be - it carries a twist that grown-ups might see coming from quite a long way off, and be braced for, but for which young people will not necessarily pick up all the warning signs.”
Thom Dibdin of All Edinburgh Theatre
Unicorn Christmas Party
Raw Material and Capital Theatres – commissioned by Capital Theatres, Aberdeen Performing Arts, and Eden Court Highlands
Image © Mihaela Bodlovic
Image © Mihaela Bodlovic
sponsored by
Best New Play
Douglas Maxwell
The Sheriff of Kalamaki
A Play, a Pie and a Pint
Image © Tommy Ga Ken
"In this brilliantly-wrought piece – set in the Greek island resort of Kalamaki, and written for A Play, A Pie and A Pint – Douglas Maxwell combines superb characterisation, deep pathos and dark humour to create a compelling, hilarious and sobering drama about socially marginalised Scots and the fag-end of the international tourism industry. In the process, he also creates a resonating play about brotherhood, fragile masculinity and, in devastating terms, the climate crisis. That he does so without the merest smidgen of polemic or editorialising is testament to the intelligence and humanity of his writing."
Mark Brown of the Sunday National / Daily Telegraph
A Play, a Pie and a Pint
Image © Tommy Ga Ken
"In this brilliantly-wrought piece – set in the Greek island resort of Kalamaki, and written for A Play, A Pie and A Pint – Douglas Maxwell combines superb characterisation, deep pathos and dark humour to create a compelling, hilarious and sobering drama about socially marginalised Scots and the fag-end of the international tourism industry. In the process, he also creates a resonating play about brotherhood, fragile masculinity and, in devastating terms, the climate crisis. That he does so without the merest smidgen of polemic or editorialising is testament to the intelligence and humanity of his writing."
Mark Brown of the Sunday National / Daily Telegraph
Gary McNair
Dear Billy
National Theatre of Scotland
Image © Sally Jubb
National Theatre of Scotland
Image © Sally Jubb
Gabriel Quigley
The Girls of Slender Means
Royal Lyceum, Edinburgh
Image © Mihaela Bodlovic
Royal Lyceum, Edinburgh
Image © Mihaela Bodlovic
Imogen Stirling
Love the Sinner
Vanishing Point and Imogen Stirling
Image © Andy Ross
Vanishing Point and Imogen Stirling
Image © Andy Ross
sponsored by
Best Production
Dear Billy
National Theatre of Scotland
Image © Sally Jubb
Image © Sally Jubb
Escaped Alone
Tron Theatre Company
Image © Mihaela Bodlovic
“First seen at the Royal Court in London in 2016, Escaped Alone is a brief but perfect 21st-century masterpiece by Caryl Churchill, arguably Britain’s greatest living playwright, in which four women chat in an English summer garden, while their conversation - itself occasionally surprising in its underlying violence - is interrupted by flashes of horror, visions of an apocalyptic future revealed in monologue by one of the characters, Mrs.Jarrett. In Andy Arnold’s Tron tradition of presenting Scottish premieres of great recent plays from the UK and Ireland, this year’s Scottish premiere of Escaped Alone was a magnificent Tron production, featuring an outstanding cast of Irene Macdougall, Joanna Tope, and Anne Kidd, with Blythe Duff as Mrs. Jarrett; and with unforgettable design from Anna Orton and video designer Lewis den Hertog, lighting by Colin Grenfell and sound by Susan Bear. Joanna Bowman’s production emerged as perhaps the most essential 50 minutes of theatre in Scotland this year, from a mighty playwright who fearlessly spans both the tragic-comical detail of everyday life, and the abyss of chaos into which our failing civilisation could fall, from one moment to the next.”
Joyce McMillan of The Scotsman
Image © Mihaela Bodlovic
“First seen at the Royal Court in London in 2016, Escaped Alone is a brief but perfect 21st-century masterpiece by Caryl Churchill, arguably Britain’s greatest living playwright, in which four women chat in an English summer garden, while their conversation - itself occasionally surprising in its underlying violence - is interrupted by flashes of horror, visions of an apocalyptic future revealed in monologue by one of the characters, Mrs.Jarrett. In Andy Arnold’s Tron tradition of presenting Scottish premieres of great recent plays from the UK and Ireland, this year’s Scottish premiere of Escaped Alone was a magnificent Tron production, featuring an outstanding cast of Irene Macdougall, Joanna Tope, and Anne Kidd, with Blythe Duff as Mrs. Jarrett; and with unforgettable design from Anna Orton and video designer Lewis den Hertog, lighting by Colin Grenfell and sound by Susan Bear. Joanna Bowman’s production emerged as perhaps the most essential 50 minutes of theatre in Scotland this year, from a mighty playwright who fearlessly spans both the tragic-comical detail of everyday life, and the abyss of chaos into which our failing civilisation could fall, from one moment to the next.”
Joyce McMillan of The Scotsman
Lightning Ridge
Catherine Wheels
Image © Brian Hartley
Image © Brian Hartley
Ragnarok
Tortoise in a Nutshell co-production with Figurteatret i Nordland and in association with MacRobert Arts Centre
Image © Mihaela Bodlovic
Image © Mihaela Bodlovic
The Girls Of Slender Means
Royal Lyceum, Edinburgh
Image © Mihaela Bodlovic
Image © Mihaela Bodlovic
Sponsors
As well as the category sponsors listed above, the CATS Awards are also generously supported by:
The CATS judging panel for the 2024 Awards comprised: Mary Brennan (The Herald), Mark Brown (Sunday National and the Daily Telegraph), Anna Burnside (Daily Record/Across the Arts/Corr Blimey!), 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), Allan Radcliffe (The Times) and Hugh Simpson (AllEdinburghTheatre.com)
bottom of page