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.