UK Theatre Awards 2022: The five Leeds Playhouse nominees up for awards - including an actor and director

The nominees for this year’s UK Theatre Awards have been announced, with five creatives from Leeds Playhouse landing spots on the shortlist.

The UK Theatre Awards are the only nationwide awards to honour and celebrate outstanding achievements in theatre throughout England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland and recognise talent in the industry.

And this year Leeds Playhouse is leading the way with  nominations across categories including Best Performance in a Play, Best Play Revival and Best  Director.

The Leeds-based nominees include Laura Hopkins who worked on the design for Dracula: The Untold Story, Natalie Ibu who directed The White Card and Eithne Browne who is up for Best Performance in a Play.

Full details of the Leeds Playhouse nominees up for awards at UK Theatre Awards 2022

Best Design -  Dracula: The Untold Story – Leeds Playhouse – Design by Laura Hopkins, Projection and Video Design by Simon Wainwright

Best Director - Natalie Ibu – The White Card - A Birmingham Rep, Leeds Playhouse, Northern Stage & Soho Theatre co-production in association with HOME Manchester

Best Performance in a Musical - Divina de Campo – Hedwig and the Angry Inch - A Leeds Playhouse and HOME co-production

Best Performance in a Play - Eithne Browne – Maggie May – Leeds Playhouse

Best Play Revival - Jitney - A Headlong, Leeds Playhouse and Old Vic co-production

UK Theatre Joint Presidents, Stephanie Sirr and Jon Gilchrist said:

“This year’s nominations reflect a multifaceted variety of voices, highlighting the diversity and quality of shows presented across the UK.

“It is brilliant to see so much upcoming talent among the nominees as well as all four nations being represented.”

Following a two-year hiatus due to the pandemic, the winners will be announced on Sunday, October 2 during a lunchtime ceremony at London’s Guildhall.

Full list of nominees up for awards at UK Theatre Awards 2022

Best Design

• Dracula: The Untold Story – Leeds Playhouse – Design by Laura Hopkins, Projection and Video Design by Simon Wainwright
• Into The Woods – Theatre Royal Bath - Design by Jon Bausor, Video Design by Will Duke, Costume Design by Antony McDonald
• Life is a Dream – Edinburgh Lyceum – Design by Georgia McGuinness

Best Director

● Jessica Daniels – The Mozart Question - A Barn Theatre production in association with Bob & Marianne for Anthology Theatre and The Everyman Theatre Cheltenham

● Robert Hastie, Anthony Lau, Elin Schofield – Rock/Paper/Scissors - The Crucible, Studio and Lyceum Theatre, Sheffield

● Natalie Ibu – The White Card - A Birmingham Rep, Leeds Playhouse, Northern Stage & Soho Theatre co-production in association with HOME Manchester

● Róisín McBrinn - Typical Girls – The Crucible Theatre, Sheffield Best Musical Production

● Billy Elliot – Leicester Curve

● Now is Good – Storyhouse, Chester

● Whistle Down the Wind – The Watermill Theatre

Best New Play

● Cherry Jezebel – Liverpool Everyman

● How to Bury a Dead Mule – Lyric Theatre, Belfast

● Mugabe, My Dad & Me - A co-production by ETT, Brixton House, York Theatre Royal in association with Alison Holder

Best Performance in a Musical

● Charlie Stemp – Crazy for You – Chichester Festival Theatre

● Divina de Campo – Hedwig and the Angry Inch - A Leeds Playhouse and HOME co-production

● Nicole & Kyla Fox, Emme & Eden Patrick, Sienna & Savannah Robinson – Identical – A Nottingham Playhouse and Kenny Wax Ltd co-production

Best Performance in a Play

● Eithne Browne – Maggie May – Leeds Playhouse

● Henry Goodman – Murder on the Orient Express – Chichester Festival Theatre

● Leah St Luce – Black Love - A Paines Plough and Belgrade Theatre Coventry production, in association with tiata fahodzi

● Giles Terera – The Meaning of Zong – A Bristol Old Vic Production

Best Play Revival

● Jitney - A Headlong, Leeds Playhouse and Old Vic co-production

● The Mountaintop – A Royal Exchange Theatre Production

● Translations - An Abbey Theatre and Lyric Theatre Belfast Co-Production

Best Show for Children and Young People

● Beauty and the Beast – A New Vic Production

● Fantastically Great Women Who Changed the World - Kenny Wax Family Entertainment in association with MAST Mayflower Studios

● Petula – A National Theatre Wales, Theatr Genedlaethol Cymru and August012 co-production

Best Supporting Performance (in a musical or play)

● Nicola Hughes – Into The Woods – A Theatre Royal Bath Production

● Robert Jackson – Brief Encounter – A Stephen Joseph Theatre, Octagon Theatre and Theatre By The Lake co-production

● Nishla Smith – Kes – An Octagon Theatre and Theatre By The Lake co-production

UK Theatre – Achievement in Opera

● Scottish Opera for Candide

● Glyndebourne for the Poulenc Double Bill

● Richard Mantle for the last year at Opera North, which epitomizes the work Richard has achieved over his tenure

● Music Theatre Wales and Britten Pears Arts production of Violet at Buxton International Festival at Buxton Opera

UK Theatre – Achievement in Dance

● William Tuckett’s Then or Now for Ballet Black, exquisitely melding poetry, dance, light

and sound into an intimate work that gently touches big themes of our times

● The dancers of Rambert for their ability to inhabit any choreographer’s vision, as a

company of unique, versatile, incredibly skilled performers

● Dan Daw for The Dan Daw Show, a kinky, joyful, unapologetic and vulnerable celebration of oneself and one’s body