Critics' Circle Theatre Awards

The Critics' Circle Theatre Awards ("Drama Theatre Awards" in 1989 and 1990) are presented annually for the year's theatrical achievements. The winners, embracing theatre throughout the United Kingdom, are selected by vote by members of the The Critics' Circle's drama section who are all professional theatre critics.

2007 awards

Critics' Circle Theatre Awards for 2007, presented at the Prince of Wales Theatre, 29 January 2008:

*Best New Play: "A Disappearing Number" by Simon McBurney and Complicite
*Best Actor Charles Dance for "Shadowlands"
*Best Actress Anne-Marie Duff for "Saint Joan" (National Theatre)
*Best Shakespearean Performance Chiwetel Ejiofor for "Othello"; and Patrick Stewart for "Macbeth"
*Best Director Rupert Goold for "Macbeth" (Minerva Theatre Chichester and Gielgud Theatre London)
*Best Musical "Hairspray"
*Most Promising Playwright Polly Stenham for "That Face" (Royal Court)
*Best Designer Rae Smith and Handspring Puppet Company for "War Horse" (National Theatre)
*Most Promising Newcomer (other than a playwright) Leanne Jones for "Hairspray"

Previous awards

Best New Play

* 2007 – "A Disappearing Number" by Simon McBurney and Complicite
* 2006 – "Rock'n'Roll" by Tom Stoppard
* 2005 – "Harvest" by Richard Bean
* 2004 – "The History Boys" by Alan Bennett
* 2003 – "Democracy" by Michael Frayn
* 2002 – "The York Realist" by Peter Gill
* 2001 – "Humble Boy" by Charlotte Jones
* 2000 – "Blue/Orange" by Joe Penhall
* 1999 – "Mnemonic" by Simon McBurney
* 1998 – "Copenhagen" by Michael Frayn
* 1997 – "Closer" by Patrick Marber
* 1996 – "Blinded by the Sun" by Stephen Poliakoff
* 1995 – "The Steward of Christendom" by Sebastian Barry
* 1994 – "Dead Funny" by Terry Johnson
* 1993 – "Arcadia" by Tom Stoppard
* 1992 – "Angels in America" by Tony Kushner
* 1991 – "Three Birds Alighting on a Field" by Timberlake Wertenbaker
* 1990 – "Racing Demon" by David Hare
* 1989 – "Ghetto" by Joshua Sobol

Best Actor

* 2007 – Charles Dance for "Shadowlands"
* 2006 – Rufus Sewell for "Rock'n'Roll"
* 2005 – Simon Russell Beale for "The Philanthropist"
* 2004 – Richard Griffiths for "The History Boys"
* 2003 – Michael Sheen for "Caligula"
* 2002 – Simon Russell Beale for "Uncle Vanya"
* 2001 – Ian McDiarmid for "Faith Healer"
* 2000 – Michael Gambon for "The Caretaker"
* 1999 – Henry Goodman for "The Merchant of Venice"
* 1998 – Kevin Spacey for "The Iceman Cometh"
* 1997 – Ian Holm for "King Lear"
* 1996 – David Suchet for "Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?"
* 1995 – Daniel Massey for "Taking Sides"
* 1994 – Tom Courtenay for "Moscow Stations"
* 1993 – Ian Holm for "Moonlight"
* 1992 – Paul Eddington for "No Man's Land"
* 1991 – Nigel Hawthorne for "The Madness of George III"
* 1990 – Michael Gambon for "Man of the Moment"
* 1989 – Ian McKellen for "Othello"

Best Actress

* 2007 – Anne-Marie Duff for "Saint Joan"
* 2006 – Kathleen Turner for "Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?"
* 2005 – Eve Best for "Hedda Gabler"
* 2004 – Victoria Hamilton for "Suddenly Last Summer"
* 2003 – Eve Best for "Mourning Becomes Electra"
* 2002 – Claire Higgins for "Vincent in Brixton"
* 2001 – Lindsay Duncan for "Mouth to Mouth" and "Private Lives"
* 2000 – Victoria Hamilton for "As You Like It
* 1999 – Janie Dee for "Comic Potential"
* 1998 – Sinéad Cusack for "Our Lady of Sligo"
* 1997 – Judi Dench for "Amy's View"
* 1996 – Janet McTeer for "A Doll's House"
* 1995 – Claire Skinner for "The Glass Menagerie"
* 1994 – Clare Higgins for "The Children's Hour" and "Sweet Bird of Youth"
* 1993 – Penelope Wilton for "The Deep Blue Sea"
* 1992 – Eileen Atkins for "The Night of the Iguana"
* 1991 – Fiona Shaw for "Hedda Gabler"
* 1990 – Josette Simon for "After the Fall"
* 1989 – Fiona Shaw for "Electra" and "The Good Person of Sichuan"

The John and Wendy Trewin Award for Best Shakespearean Performance

* 2007 – Chiwetel Ejiofor for "Othello"; and Patrick Stewart for "Macbeth"
* 2006 – Tamsin Greig for Beatrice in "Much Ado About Nothing"
* 2005 – Kevin Spacey for "Richard II"
* 2004 – Paul Rhys for "Measure for Measure"
* 2003 – Greg Hicks for "Coriolanus"
* 2002 – Mark Rylance for "Twelfth Night"
* 2001 – Samuel West for "Hamlet"
* 2000 – Simon Russell Beale for "Hamlet"

Best Director

* 2007 – Rupert Goold for "Macbeth" (Minerva Theatre Chichester and Gielgud Theatre London)
* 2006 – John Tiffany for "Black Watch" (National Theatre of Scotland at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe)
* 2005 – Michael Grandage for "The Wild Duck"
* 2004 – Rufus Norris for "Festen"
* 2003 – Howard Davies for "Mourning Becomes Electra"
* 2002 – Sam Mendes for "Twelfth Night" and "Uncle Vanya"
* 2001 – Robert Lepage for "The Far Side of the Moon"
* 2000 – Michael Grandage for "As You Like It", "Passion Play" and "Merrily We Roll Along"
* 1999 – Trevor Nunn for "The Merchant of Venice" and "Summerfolk"
* 1998 – Howard Davies for "The Iceman Cometh" and "Flight"
* 1997 – Richard Eyre for "King Lear" and "The Invention of Love"
* 1996 – Richard Eyre for "John Gabriel Borkman" and his revived "Guys and Dolls"
* 1995 – Sam Mendes for "The Glass Menagerie"
* 1994 – Sean Mathias for "Design for Living" and "Les Parents Terribles"
* 1993 – Terry Hands for "Tamburlaine the Great"
* 1992 – Stephen Daldry for "An Inspector Calls"
* 1991 – Trevor Nunn for "Timon of Athens"
* 1990 – Sir Peter Hall for "The Wild Duck"; Robert Lepage for "Tectonic Plates"
* 1989 – Nicholas Hytner for "Ghetto" and "Miss Saigon"

The Peter Hepple Award for Best Musical

* 2007 – "Hairspray"
* 2006 – "Caroline, or Change"
* 2005 – "Billy Elliot the Musical"
* 2004 – "The Producers"
* 2003 – "Jerry Springer – The Opera"
* 2002 – "Anything Goes" (a revival)
* 2001 – "Kiss Me, Kate" (a revival)
* 2000 – "The Beautiful Game"
* 1999 – "Spend Spend Spend"
* 1998 – "Oklahoma!"
* 1997 – "Chicago"
* 1996 – "Guys and Dolls"
* 1995 – "Company"
* 1994 – "She Loves Me"
* 1993 – "City of Angels"
* 1992 – "Assassins"
* 1991 – "Carmen Jones"
* 1990 – "Into the Woods"
* 1989 – "Miss Saigon"

Most Promising Playwright

* 2007 – Polly Stenham for "That Face" (Royal Court)
* 2006 – Nina Raine for "Rabbit"
* 2005 – Laura Wade for "Breathing Corpses" and "Colder Than Here"
* 2004 – Rebecca Lenkiewicz for "The Night Season"
* 2003 – Lucy Prebble for "The Sugar Syndrome"
* 2002 – Charlotte Eilenberg for "The Lucky Ones"
* 2001 – Gregory Burke for "Gagarin Way"
* 2000 – Joanna Laurens for "The Three Birds"
* 1999 – Charlotte Jones for "Martha, Josie and the Chinese Elvis"
* 1998 – Rebecca Prichard for "Yard Gal"
* 1997 – Conor McPherson for "The Weir"
* 1996 – Martin McDonagh for "The Beauty Queen of Leenane"
* 1995 – Jez Butterworth for "Mojo"
* 1994 – Kevin Elyot for "My Night With Reg"
* 1993 – Simon Donald for "Theatre of Stuff"
* 1992 – Philip Ridley for "The Fastest Clock in the Universe"
* 1991 – Rona Munro for "Bold Girls"
* 1990 – Clare McIntyre for "My Heart's a Suitcase"
* 1989 – Stephen Jeffreys for "Valued Friends"

Best Designer

* 2007 – Rae Smith and Handspring Puppet Company for "War Horse" (National Theatre)
* 2006 – Punchdrunk Faust Company for "Faust"
* 2005 – Timothy Bird and David Farley for "Sunday in the Park with George"
* 2004 – Christopher Oram for "Suddenly Last Summer"
* 2003 – Bob Crowley for "Mourning Becomes Electra"
* 2002 – William Dudley for "The Coast of Utopia" trilogy
* 2001 – Paul Brown for "Platonov"
* 2000 – Paul Brown for "Coriolanus", "Richard II" and "The Tempest"
* 1999 – Julie Taymor and Richard Hudson for "The Lion King"
* 1998 – Richard Hoover for "Not About Nightingales"; and
* 1998 – Phelim McDermott, Julian Crouch and Graeme Gilmour for "Shockheaded Peter"
* 1997 – John Napier for "Peter Pan, or The Boy Who Wouldn't Grow Up"
* 1996 – Robert Innes Hopkins for "The Comedy of Errors" and "The Weavers"
* 1995 – Robin Don for "The Winter Guest"
* 1994 – Mark Thompson for "The Kitchen"
* 1993 – Ian MacNeil for "Machinal"
* 1992 – Ian MacNeil for "An Inspector Calls"
* 1991 – Bob Crowley for "Murmuring Judges"
* 1990 – Mark Thompson for "The Wind in the Willows"
* 1989 – John Napier for "Miss Saigon"

The Jack Tinker Award for Most Promising Newcomer (other than a playwright)

* 2007 – Leanne Jones for "Hairspray"
* 2006 – Connie Fisher for "The Sound of Music"
* 2006 – joint award for Andrew Garfield for "Citizenship" and "The Overwhelming"
* 2005 – Mariah Gale for "'Tis Pity She's a Whore"
* 2004 – Eddie Redmayne for ""
* 2003 – Lisa Dillon for "Iphigenia" and "The Master Builder"
* 2002 – Alison Pargeter for "Damsels in Distress"
* 2001 – Lyndsey Marshal for "Redundant" and "Boston Marriage"
* 2000 – Chiwetel Ejiofor for "Blue/Orange"
* 1999 – Eve Best for "'Tis Pity She's a Whore"
* 1998 – Mick Gordon, Gate Theatre, London
* 1997 – Liza Walker for "Closer"
* 1996 – James Callis for "Old Wicked Songs"

Most Promising Newcomer (other than a playwright)

* 1995 – Victoria Hamilton for "The Master Builder" and "Retreat"
* 1994 – Rachel Weisz for "Design for Living"
* 1993 – Emma Fielding for "Arcadia" and "The School for Wives"
* 1992 – Rufus Sewell for "Making It Better"
* 1991 – Lia Williams for "The Revengers' Comedies"
* 1990 – Sara Crowe for "Private Lives"
* 1989 – joint winners
**Sam Mendes as director of the Minerva Theatre, Chichester
**Julia Ormond for "Faith, Hope and Charity"

Other UK Theatre Awards

*Laurence Olivier Awards
*Evening Standard Awards
*Critics' Awards for Theatre in Scotland
*Theatrical Management Association TMA Theatre Awards [http://www.tmauk.org/awards/previousawards.aspx]

External links

* [http://criticscircle.org.uk/drama/ The Critics' Circle drama section website ]