The Critics' Awards for Theatre in Scotland (CATS) are an annual event awarding performances "substantially produced in Scotland, or developed, rehearsed and premiered in Scotland".

Awards ceremony

The ceremony is itinerant in terms of location, switching between theatre venues across Scotland – for example, in 2007 the ceremony was hosted by

Pitlochry Festival Theatre The Pitlochry Festival Theatre is large performing arts theatre located in the town and burgh of Pitlochry in Perth and Kinross, Scotland. The idea of a performance space in the area was conceived in the late 1940s by John Stewart, a leading p ...

, while in 2019 the event was held at

Tramway (arts centre) Tramway is a contemporary visual and performing arts venue located in the Scottish city of Glasgow. Based in a former tram depot in the Pollokshields area of the South Side, it consists of two performance spaces and two galleries, as well as off ...

in Glasgow. Other venues have included

Perth Theatre Perth Theatre at 185 High Street (no longer its registered address) Perth, Scotland, opened in 1900 and was extended in the 1980s. The building is category B listed by Historic Scotland, and is operated by the charitable organisation Horsecros ...

and

Edinburgh Festival Theatre The Edinburgh Festival Theatre (originally Empire Palace Theatre and later shortened to Empire Theatre) is a performing arts venue located on Nicolson Street in Edinburgh, Scotland. It is used primarily for performances of opera and ballet, larg ...

. The Awards Ceremony, which normally takes place on the second Sunday in June, is open to the general public, not just members of Scotland's theatre industry. Awards covering the 2019-20 theatre season, which was curtailed by the COVID-19 pandemic in Scotland, were belatedly announced in November 2020.

Judges

The judges are invited critics who write regularly on theatre across Scotland, for print and/or online publications.

Award categories

The first CATS, in June 2003 (covering productions between May 2002 to April 2003) announced five awards: Best Production; Best Male Performance; Best Female Performance; Best Design; and Best New Play. Five additional categories were subsequently added: Best Director; Best Technical Presentation; Best Production for Children and Young People; Best Ensemble; and Best Music and Sound. The "CATS Whiskers" are awarded – only occasionally – to individuals or organisations whom the judges believe have made a significant contribution to theatre in Scotland. The most recent recipient was Muriel Romanes in 2016, for "supporting and strengthening women's role in Scottish theatre", most notably as the first artistic director of Stellar Quines Theatre Company. Previous CATS winners include actors

David Tennant David John Tennant (''né'' McDonald; born 18 April 1971) is a Scottish actor. He rose to fame for his role as the tenth incarnation of the Doctor (2005–2010 and 2013) in the BBC science-fiction TV show ''Doctor Who'', reprising the rol ...

and

Blythe Duff Blythe Duff (born 25 November 1962) is a Scottish actress best known for her role as Jackie Reid in the ITV television series drama, ''Taggart''. Background Duff was born and raised in East Kilbride. Her love of acting started with youth the ...

, productions of

Blackbird (play) ''Blackbird'' is a play written in 2005 by Scottish playwright David Harrower. It was inspired in part by the crimes of sex offender Toby Studebaker, and depicts a young woman meeting a middle-aged man fifteen years after being sexually abuse ...

and

Black Watch (play) ''Black Watch'' is a play written by Gregory Burke and directed by John Tiffany as part of the first season of the National Theatre of Scotland. Based on interviews with former soldiers, it portrays soldiers in the Black Watch regiment of the Br ...

, and theatre companies including Catherine Wheels Theatre Company and the

National Theatre of Scotland The National Theatre of Scotland, established in 2006, is the national theatre company of Scotland. The company has no theatre building of its own; instead it tours work to theatres, village halls, schools and site-specific locations, both at h ...

Awards for 2019-2020

The 18th CATS (for 2019-2020) were announced through a press release embargoed until 00:01 on Thursday 12 November 2020. The traditional public awards ceremony had been cancelled due to ongoing COVID-19 restrictions. Best New Play: Peter Arnott, ''The Signalman'', A Play, A Pie & A Pint in association with Traverse Theatre. Best Production: ''The Signalman'', A Play, A Pie & A Pint in association with Traverse Theatre. Best Female Performance: Anna Russell-Martin (Anais Hendricks), ''The Panopticon'', National Theatre of Scotland Best Male Performance: Tom McGovern (Thomas Barclay), ''The Signalman'', A Play, A Pie & A Pint in association with Traverse Theatre. Best Ensemble: ''Thank You Very Much'', Manchester International Festival & National Theatre of Scotland. Best Director: Elizabeth Newman, ''Faith Healer'', Pitlochry Festival Theatre. Best Design: Joint Winners: Shona Reppe, ''Atlantis Banal: Beneath the Surface'', created with Vélo Théâtre, France, produced by Catherine Wheels, and Hyemi Shin (set and costume), Paul Jackson (lighting), Tov Belling and Katie Milwright (cinematography), Toby Angwin (visual effects); and ''Solaris'', Royal Lyceum Theatre Edinburgh, Malthouse Theatre and the Lyric Hammersmith Theatre. Best Music and Sound: Matthias Hermann (sound designer and composer), ''Thank You Very Much'', Manchester International Festival and National Theatre of Scotland. Best Technical Presentation: ''Solaris'', Royal Lyceum Theatre Edinburgh, Malthouse Theatre and the Lyric Hammersmith Theatre. Best Production for Children and Young People: ''Atlantis Banal: Beneath the Surface'', created with Vélo Théâtre, France, produced by Catherine Wheels.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Critics' Awards For Theatre In Scotland Scottish awards Awards established in 2003 British theatre awards 2003 establishments in Scotland Theatre in Scotland