Galway's Druid Theatre Company has won in five categories at the Irish Times Irish Theatre Awards for its ambitious staging of four Shakespeare plays under the DruidShakespeare banner.
At the ceremony in the National Concert Hall in Dublin on Sunday night, DruidShakespeare won the awards for Best Production, Best Director (Garry Hynes), Best Actress (Derbhle Crotty, for her role as King Henry IV), Best Actor (Marty Rea, for his role as King Richard II) and Best Costume Design (Doreen McKenna and Francis O'Connor).
DruidShakespeare saw Richard II, Henry IV (Pts 1 & 2) and Henry V condensed into one play over the course of six hours. It was adapted by playwright Mark O'Rowe and was brought to the stage in association with New York's Lincoln Center Festival.
Best Actress winner Derbhle Crotty (R) with her DruidShakespeare co-star Aisling O'Sullivan Photo: Aidan Crawley
At the Awards, Laurence Kinlan was named Best Supporting Actor for his role as Doc in Conor McPherson's The Night Alive, while Abigail McGibbon won Best Supporting Actress for her role as Sandra in the Rough Magic production of David Ireland's Everything Between Us.
Laurence Kinlan (L) won for The Night Alive
Stacey Gregg's Scorch, which was produced by Prime Cut Productions in association with the Mac and Outburst Queer Arts Festival, was named Best New Play.
Best New Play winner Stacey Gregg Photo: Bryan Meade
The award for Best Opera went to Landmark Productions and Wide Open Opera's production of The Last Hotel by Donnacha Dennehy and Enda Walsh.
Sarah Bacon won the Best Set Design award for her work on the Abbey Theatre and Lyric Theatre production of The Shadow of a Gunman by Seán O'Casey. Sarah Jane Shiels received the Best Lighting Design award for her work on the Brokentalkers and Junk Ensemble production of It Folds and Anu Productions' Pals: The Irish at Gallipoli.
The Best Sound Design award went to Jimmy Eadie for Baltoscandal and Theatre National Bordeaux Aquitaine of Chekhov's First Play.
Anne Clarke of Landmark Productions was the recipient of the Special Tribute Award, while the Judges' Special Award went to Lian Bell "for leading the Waking the Feminists movement with courage and conviction, highlighting the inequalities in Irish theatre and advocating sustainable change".
Special Tribute Award winner Anne Clarke with (L-R) Best Supporting Actor winner Laurence Kinlan, Best Supporting Actor nominee Brian Gleeson and Domhnall Gleeson Photo: Aidan Crawley
