The Abbey Theatre were the big winners at this year's Irish Times Irish Theatre Awards, with a total of four prizes on the night, including Best New Play, Best Actor and Best Actress.
The black comedy Cypress Ave by David Ireland, produced on the Abbey's Peacock stage and co-produced with London's Royal Court, received the Best New Play award, with the Best Actor accolade going to its star, Stephen Rea. Another new work presented at The Peacock, Phillip McMahon's musical Town Is Dead, landed the Best Actress prize for veteran thespian Barbara Brennan, while winning an additional prize for the show's composer, Raymond Scannell, with Ben Delaney for Sound Design.
the writer of Best New Play winner Cypress Ave
The overall Best Production prize went to renowned choreographer Michael Keegan-Dolan, for his radical re-imagining of classic ballet Swan Lake/Loch na hEala, while Garry Hynes received the Best Director gong for Galway's Druid Theatre and their production of Samuel Beckett's Waiting For Godot, which also won the Best Supporting Actor prize for Rory Nolan.
The general public voted online for their favourite Irish theatre show of 2016, with the Audience Choice Prize going to These Rooms by Anu Productions and CoisCeim Theatre.
Siobhán Bourke and Jane Daly, co-directors of the Irish Theatre Institute, were presented with the Special Tribute Award; the award celebrates those in the Irish theatre community who have made a vibrant and outstanding contribution to the industry.
The list of winners and nominees at the Irish Theatre Awards over the past two decades add up to a veritable Who's Who of the Irish theatre world, with many up-and-comers going onto international success, among them Tom Vaughan Lawlor, Cillian Murphy and 2017 Oscar nominee Ruth Negga.
The event was hosted by actors Ruth McGill and Peter Daly, with the awards were presented to winners in 15 categories by Irish Times Arts Editor Laurence Mackin, drawn from over 150 productions viewed by the judges around the country during 2016.
The Irish Times Irish Theatre Awards 2016 - the winners in full:
Best Production
Swan Lake/Loch na hEala A Michael Keegan-Dolan, Sadler’s Wells Theatre London, Colours International Dance Festival, Theaterhaus Stuttgart, Dublin Theatre Festival, and Theatre de laVille, Luxembourg co-production.
Best Director
Garry Hynes For the Druid productions of Waiting for Godot, by Samuel Beckett and The Beauty Queen of Leenane, by Martin McDonagh.
Best new play
Cyprus Avenue By David Ireland, produced by the Abbey Theatre and Royal Court Theatre.
Best Actor
Stephen Rea For his role as Eric in the Abbey Theatre and Royal Court Theatre co-production of Cyprus Avenue, by David Ireland.
Best Actress
Barbara Brennan For her role as Ellen in the Abbey Theatre production of Town is Dead, by Phillip McMahon, music by Raymond Scannell.
outgoing Gate Theatre Artistic Director Michael Colgan
Best Supporting Actor
Rory Nolan For his role as Pozzo in the Druid production of Waiting for Godot, by Samuel Beckett.
Best Supporting Actress
Ali White For her roles in Rough Magic Theatre Company’s production of Northern Star, by Stewart Parker.
Best Set Design
Jamie Vartan For the Blue Raincoat Theatre Company production of Shackleton, the Landmark Productions and Galway International Arts Festival production of Arlington [a love story], by Enda Walsh and the Wide Open Opera production of The Barber of Seville, by Gioachino Rossini.
Best Lighting Design
Zia Bergin-Holly For the Pan Pan production of The Importance of Nothing, after Oscar Wilde adapted by the ensemble.
Best Sound Design
Ben Delaney, Raymond Scannell For the Abbey Theatre production of Town Is Dead, by Phillip McMahon, with musical director Cathal Synnott
Best Costume Design
Hyemi Shin For the Michael Keegan-Dolan, Sadler’s Wells Theatre London, Colours International Dance Festival, Theaterhaus Stuttgart, Dublin Theatre Festival, and Theatre de la Ville, Luxembourg co-production of Swan Lake/Loch na hEala.
Best Opera
The Barber of Seville Wide Open Opera’s production of Gioacchino Rossini’s work.
Judges’ Special Award
ANU Productions For sustained imaginative engagement with the commemoration of 1916 throughout the year.
Audience Choice Award
These Rooms by ANU Productions and Coisceim Dance Theatre
Thank YOU so much. We are delighted & honoured to have won the Audience Choice Award with @anuproductions for THESE ROOMS. #ITTheatreawards pic.twitter.com/20VVr8Qhtb
— CoisCéim (@CoisCeim) March 5, 2017
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