Each year, the UK Theatre Awards recognise the enormous skill of our theatre industry, with awards for acting as well as off-stage roles including design and direction. They also have an award each year for the UK’s Most Welcoming Theatre!
This year, the ceremony was held at London’s Guildhall, hosted by Courtney Bowman.
The recipient of this year’s Outstanding Contribution to British Theatre Award is Sarah Holmes, former CEO of the New Wolsey Theatre, Ipswich.
Sarah was selected by the board for constantly championing access and inclusion, spear-heading the post of Agent for Change and applying challenging criteria to her own programming policy with a “nothing about us, without us” policy around inclusion. Sarah’s tenure saw the New Wolsey become a founding partner on Black-led theatre initiative Eclipse, and D/deaf and disabled collective Ramps on the Moon, which has now been running for over 7 years.
The 2022 winners are:
On Stage
Best Design – Laura Hopkins (Design) & Simon Wainwright (Projection and Video Design Video Design) for Dracula: The Untold Story, A Leeds Playhouse and imitating the dog co-production
Best Director – Robert Hastie, Anthony Lau & Elin Schofield for Rock/Paper/Scissors, a Sheffield Theatres production
Best Musical Production – Billy Elliot The Musical, a Made at Curve Production
Best New Play – Mugabe, My Dad & Me, an ETT, Brixton House & York Theatre Royal in association with Alison Holder co-production
Best Performance in a Musical – Divina de Campo for Hedwig And The Angry Inch, A Leeds Playhouse and HOME co-production
Best Performance in a Play – Giles Terera for The Meaning Of Zong – a Bristol Old Vic Production
Best Play Revival – Translations, an Abbey Theatre and Lyric Theatre Belfast co-production
Best Show for Children & Young People – Fantastically Great Women Who Changed The World, a Kenny Wax Family Entertainment in association with MAST Mayflower Studios
Best Supporting Performance in a Musical or Play – Nishla Smith for Kes, an Octagon Theatre and Theatre By The Lake co-production
Achievement in Opera – Richard Mantle for the last year at Opera North, which epitomises the work Richard has achieved over his tenure
Achievement in Dance – The dancers of Rambert for their ability to inhabit any choreographer’s vision, as a company of unique, versatile, incredibly skilled performers
Off Stage
Digital Innovation – Chichester Festival Theatre
Excellence in Arts Education – Lyric Theatre Belfast
Excellence in Inclusivity – ETT
Excellence in Touring – Graeae Theatre Company
Workforce Awards – The Marlowe
UK’s Most Welcoming Theatre
Leeds Playhouse