RTÉ lyric fm are presenting a one-hour radio special from this year's Irish Times Theatre Awards, to be broadcast this Sunday evening.
Highlights of the awards, including music from the Best Soundscape nominees. will be broadcast on Sound Out, presented by Ian McGlynn at 9pm on Sunday February 25th. Movies & Musicals host Aedín Gormley will join Ian to report directly from the ceremony where she'll be talking to judges, nominees and theatre makers.
The Irish Times Irish Theatre Awards annually celebrate the best performances and productions in Irish theatre; this year, acclaimed shows receiving multiple nominations at this year's awards include the Lyric Theatre's production of John Logan's Tony winning play Red, Bush Moukarzel and Ben Kidd's Hamnet, director Conall Morrison's adaptation of Woyzeck in Winter, and a pair of works from the prolific Enda Walsh, site-specific theatre piece The Same and modern opera The Second Violinist.
The Abbey, under new artistic directors Neil Murray and Graham McLaren, feature prominently across the nominations, with the National Theatre receiving additional recognition in the Judge’s Special Award category for their popular Free First Previews initiative, which offers audiences free tickets to preview performances. Two new awards categories are added to the mix for 2017, recognizing the Best Ensemble and Best Movement Direction.
In the acting categories, noteworthy inclusions include 11-year old Olly West, nominated for his remarkable performance in the Dead Centre/Abbey co-production Hamnet, facing off against the venerable Patrick O'Kane, who finds himself nominated for a pair of roles in the Best Actor category (for Red and Woyzeck in Winter), as does Best Supporting Actor nominee Marty Rae (for The Great Gatsby and King of the Castle). Elsewhere, Corkonian sibling duo Eileen Walsh and her sister Catherine are both nominated in the Best Actress category for their performances in Corcadorca's The Same, while Belfast-born theatre veteran Eleanor Methven, who co-formed Charabanc Theatre in 1983 to further the role, onstage and off, played by women in Irish theatre, will receive a well-deserved Special Tribute Award.
Sound Out: Irish Times Theatre Awards Special, RTÉ lyric fm, Sunday February 25 at 9pm
2017 IRISH TIMES THEATRE AWARDS - THE NOMINATIONS
Best Production
Red
A Prime Cut and Lyric Theatre co-production of John Logan’s play.
Far Away
A Corcadorca production of Caryl Churchill’s play.
Hamnet
A Dead Centre and Abbey Theatre co-production of Bush Moukarzel, Ben Kidd and Willian Shakespeare’s play.
Woyzeck in Winter
A Landmark Productions and Galway International Arts Festival co-production based on Georg Büchner’s Woyzech and Franz schubert’s Winterreisse, conceived by Conall Morrison.
Best Opera
The Second Violinist
A Landmark Productions and Wide Open Opera co-production; composed by Donnacha Dennehy; libretto by Enda Walsh.
Acis and Galatea
An Opera Theatre Company production of Handel’s work.
Front of House
A Ulysses Opera Theatre and Cork Opera House co-production; composed by Tom Lane; libretto by Lily Ackerman.
Dubliners
A Wexford Opera Festival and Opera Theatre Company co-production; composed by Andrew Synnott; libretto by Arthur Riordan, adapted from James Joyce’s Dubliners.
Best New Play
The Same
By Enda Walsh, produced by Corcadorca.
Hamnet
By Bush Moukarzel and Ben Kidd, produced by Dead Centre and the Abbey Theatre.
Charlie is a Clepto
By Clare Monnelly, produced by Axis: Ballymun.
Class
By Iseult Golden and David Horan, produced by Iseult Golden and David Horan.
Best Director
Emma Jordan
For Prime-Cut and Lyric Theatre’s co-production of Red, by John Logan.
Bush Moukarzel and Ben Kidd
For Dead Centre and Abbey Theatre’s co-production of Hamnet, by Bush Moukarzel and Ben Kidd.
Garry Hynes
For Druid Theatre’s production of King of the Castle, by Eugene McCabe.
Enda Walsh
For Landmark Productions and Wide Open Opera’s co-production of The Second Violinist, by Enda Walsh and Donnacha Dennehy.
Best Ensemble
Siobhan Cullen, Kate Stanley Brennan and Amy McElhatton
In Druid’s production of Crestfall, by Mark O’Rowe.
Louis Lovett, Karen Egan, Gus McDonagh, Paul Reid, Colin Campbell, Catriona Ennis and Frank Blake
In the Abbey Theatre’s presentation of Corn Exchange’s production of Dublin by Lamplight, by Michael West in collaboration with the company.
Bryan Burroughs, Faoileann Cunningham, Catriona Ennis, Donal Gallery, Raymond Keane, Janet Moran, Garrett Lombard and David Pearse
In the Abbey Theatre’s production of Ulysses, adapted by Dermot Bolger.
Gemma Kane, Honi Cooke, Ethan Dillon, Gordon Quigley, Meg Healy, Michael-David McKernan and Toni O’Rourke
In Reality:Check Productions staging of Disco Pigs & Sucking Dublin, by Enda Walsh.
Best Actress
Catherine Walsh
For her role as Lisa in Corcadorca’s production of The Same, by Enda Walsh.
Eileen Walsh
For her role as Lisa in Corcadorca’s production of The Same, by Enda Walsh.
Katie Honan
For her role as Eli in Let the Right One In, adapted by Jack Thorne, in a production by The National Theatre of Scotland by arrangement with Marla Rubin Productions Ltd and Bill Kenwright, in association with the Abbey Theatre.
Clare Monnelly
For her role as Charlie in Axis:Ballymun’s production of Charlie is a Clepto, by Clare Monnelly.
Best Actor
Ollie West
For his role as Hamnet in Dead Centre and Abbey Theatre’s co-production of Hamnet, by Bush Mourarzel and Ben Kidd.
Shane O'Regan
For his role as Tommo in Pemberley Productions and Verdant Productions co-production of Private Peaceful, adapted by Simon Reade from Michael Morpurgo’s novel.
Patrick O’Kane
For his role as Rothko in Prime Cut and Lyric Theatre’s co-production of Red, by John Logan; and his role as Woyzeck in Landmark Productions and Galway International Arts Fesitval’s co-production of Woyzeck in Winter.
Aaron Monaghan
For his role as Martin in Landmark Productions and Wide Open Opera’s co-production of The Second Violinist by Donnacha Dennehy and Enda Walsh.
Best Supporting Actress
Rosaleen Linehan
For her role as Hurdy Gurdy Man in Landmark Productions and Wide Open Opera’s co-production of Woyzeck in Winter; and for her role as Mags in the Gate Theatre production of The Red Shoes, in a new version by Nancy Harris.
Marion O’Dwyer
For her role as Mrs Nugent in the Gate Theatre production of The Red Shoes, in a new version by Nancy Harris.
Clare Dunne
For her role as Sylvia in the Gate Theatre production of Tribes, by Nina Raine.
Caitriona Ennis
For several roles in the Abbey Theatre production of Ulysses, adapted by Dermot Bolger; and for her role as Maggie in Corn Exchange’s production of Dublin by Lamplight.
Best Supporting Actor
Thomas Finnegan
For his role as Ken in Prime Cut Productions and the Lyric Theatre’s co-production of Red, by John Logan.
Marty Rea
For his role as Nick Carraway in the Gate Theatre production of The Great Gatsby; and for his role as Jemmy Maguire in Druid Theatre Company’s production of King of the Castle, by Eugene McCabe.
Mark Huberman
For his role as Tom Buchanan in the Gate Theatre’s production of The Great Gatsby, adapted by Alexander Wright.
Robbie O’Connor
For his role as Christy in Anu Productions’s staging of Hentown.
Best Set Design
Ciaran Bagnall
For Prime Cut Productions and the Lyric Theatre’s co-production of Red, by John Logan, and the Gate Theatre production of The Great Gatsby.
Paul O’Mahony
For Opera Theatre Company’s production Acis and Galatea, and for the Everyman Theatre production of Futureproof, by Lynda Radley.
Jamie Vartan
For Landmark Productions and Galway International Arts Festival’s co-production of Woyzeck in Winter; and for Landmark Productions and Wide Open Opera’s co-production of The Second Violinist.
Andrew Clancy and José Miguel Jimanez
For Dead Centre and Abbey Theatre’s co-production of Hamnet, by Bush Moukarzel and Ben Kidd.
Best Lighting Design
Ben Ormerod
For Landmark Productions and Galway International Arts Festival’s co-production of Woyzeck in Winter.
Ciaran Bagnall
For Prime Cut Productions and the Lyric Theatre’s co-production of Red, by John Logan, and the Gate Theatre production of The Great Gatsby.
Aedín Cosgrove and Paul Keogan
For Corcadorca’s production of Far Away, by Caryl Churchill.
Matt Frey
For Corn Exchange’s production of Dublin by Lamplight, by Michael West, in association with the company.
Best Costume Design
Joan O’Clery
For Landmark Productions and Galway International Arts Festival’s co-production of Woyzeck in Winter.
Peter O’Brien
For the Gate Theatre production of The Great Gatsby.
Annemarie Woods
For Northern Ireland Opera’s production of Radamisto, by Handel.
Hannah Clark
For Northern Ireland Opera’s production of Così Fan Tutte, by Mozart.
Best Soundscape
Mel Mercier
For Corcadorca’s production of Far Away, by Caryl Churchill.
Alan Darcy
For the Abbey Theatre’s production of Two Pints, by Roddy Doyle.
Tom Lane
For Bram Stoker Festival’s production of Whitby, by Joan Sheehy and Colin Dunne.
Ben Delaney
For the Abbey Theatre’s production of Jimmy’s Hall.
Best Movement Direction
Dylan Quinn
For Prime Cut Productions and Lyric Theatre co-production of Red, by John Logan.
Laura Murphy
For Bram Stoker Festival’s production of Whitby, by Joan Sheehy and Colin Dunne.
Vicky Manderson
For the Abbey Theatre’s production of Jimmy’s Hall.
Steven Hoggett and Eddie Kay
The National Theatre of Scotland’s production of Let the Right One In, by arrangement with Marla Rubin Productions Ltd and Bill Kenwright, in association with the Abbey Theatre.
Judge’s Special Award
Rough Magic
For the SEEDS programme and its contribution to wide-ranging professional development in the theatre sector for the last 15 years.
The Abbey Theatre
For Free First Previews, an innovative measure which offers a broader audience increased access to the National Theatre.
Corcadorca
For its commitment to bringing theatre and audiences to unusual locations, the latest of which are old Cork Prison for The Same and Spike Island for Far Away.
Bewley’s Café Theatre
For providing space and support for lunchtime theatre in the heart of Dublin city since 1999.
Special Tribute Award
Eleanor Methven
For challenging inequalities in Irish theatre, creating opportunities for positive change and, as a performer, always seeking richer ways to tell a story.
