Janie Dee wins the Best Performance in a Musical Award for Hello, Dolly! at the Curve Leicester. Picture: Vivienne Vincent
Sheffield Theatres triumphed at the UK Theatre Awards, presented by the Theatrical Management Association and held at the Guildhall, London. Four awards came from five nominations, two of which were musical theatre related.
Tim Firth’s musical comedy This is My Family, staged by Sheffield Theatres’ artistic director Daniel Evans, was named the Best Musical Theatre Production, while Sian Phillips won in the Best Supporting Performance category for her role in the same show. Evans’ production of My Fair Lady for Sheffield Theatres was also nominated for Best Musical Production.
Sheffield Theatres’ other successes were Simon Beaufoy’s The Full Monty (also directed at the Lyceum by Evans and transferring to London’s Noel Coward Theatre for a 16-week season in February 2014) which was named as the Best Touring Production and Mike Bartlett’s Bull winning Best New Play.
Evans said: “I am thrilled and overwhelmed by our success at the UK Theatre Awards this year. It is wonderful to have received so many nominations. To win in every category is a testament to the hard work of the whole team at Sheffield Theatres. These awards represent a triumph for our commitment to staging new work and I’m so proud that we can share this success with three brilliant writers – Tim Firth, Mike Bartlett and Simon Beaufoy – and every cast member and creative team member over the last year!”
Actress Janie Dee came out top for her Best Performance in a Musical as Dolly Levi in Curve Leicester’s production of Hello, Dolly! There were also performances from both Dee and Frances Ruffelle (the latter was nominated for her portrayal of Piaf at the Curve). The two productions were directed by Curve artistic director Paul Kerryson.
Kerryson commented: “We’re thrilled that Janie has won the UK Theatre Award and that her wonderful performance here at Curve has been recognised by the wider theatre industry. We also send our congratulations to Frances Ruffelle for her nomination. Hello, Dolly! and Piaf were both hugely successful productions for Curve and for Leicester, and continue to build our national profile for producing acclaimed musical productions.”
Both the Crucible, Sheffield and Curve Leicester will be staging musicals at Christmas, Oliver! (Crucible) and Chicago (Curve).
A new award for UK’s Most Welcoming Theatre had been introduced to run alongside the Theatrical Management Association’s campaign My Theatre Matters!, in association with Equity and The Stage newspaper, which focuses on the importance of local theatres. The award went to intimate 60-seater Bike Shed Theatre in Exeter.
The Stage Award for Outstanding Contribution to British Theatre was presented to actor Simon Callow.
Compere for the evening was actor Michael Xavier, seen performing opposite Dee last Christmas in Hello, Dolly! and in the much-praised recent staging of The Sound of Music at Regent’s Park Open Air Theatre.
The UK Theatre Awards are the only nationwide awards to honour outstanding achievement in regional theatre throughout England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland.
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