The ''Evening Standard'' Theatre Awards, established in 1955, are the oldest theatrical awards ceremony in the United Kingdom. They are presented annually for outstanding achievements in London Theatre, and are organised by the ''

Evening Standard The ''Evening Standard'', formerly ''The Standard'' (1827–1904), also known as the ''London Evening Standard'', is a local free daily newspaper in London, England, published Monday to Friday in tabloid format. In October 2009, after be ...

'' newspaper. They are the West End's equivalent to Broadway's

Drama Desk Awards The Drama Desk Award is an annual prize recognizing excellence in New York theatre. First bestowed in 1955 as the Vernon Rice Award, the prize initially honored Off-Broadway productions, as well as Off-off-Broadway, and those in the vicinity. Fo ...

Trophies

The trophies take the form of a modelled statuette, a figure representing

Drama Drama is the specific mode of fiction represented in performance: a play, opera, mime, ballet, etc., performed in a theatre, or on radio or television.Elam (1980, 98). Considered as a genre of poetry in general, the dramatic mode has b ...

, designed by

Frank Dobson Frank Gordon Dobson (15 March 1940 – 11 November 2019) was a British Labour Party politician. As Member of Parliament (MP) for Holborn and St. Pancras from 1979 to 2015, he served in the Cabinet as Secretary of State for Health from 1997 t ...

RA, a former Professor of Sculpture at the

Royal College of Art The Royal College of Art (RCA) is a public research university in London, United Kingdom, with campuses in South Kensington, Battersea and White City. It is the only entirely postgraduate art and design university in the United Kingdom. It o ...

Categories

Three of the awards are given in the names of former ''

'' notables: *Arts editor Sydney Edwards (who conceived the awards, and died suddenly in July 1979) for the Best Director category. *Editor Charles Wintour (who as deputy-editor in 1955, launched the awards after a nod from the proprietor, Lord Beaverbrook') for Most Promising Playwright. *Long-serving theatre critic

Milton Shulman Milton Shulman (1 September 1913 – 24 May 2004) was a Canadian author, film and theatre critic who was based in the United Kingdom from 1943. Early life Shulman was born in Toronto, Ontario, the son of a successful shopkeeper. His parents wer ...

(for several years a key member of the judging panel) for the Outstanding Newcomer award. In 2009, the Special Award was given in the name of

Evgeny Lebedev Evgeny Alexandrovich Lebedev, Baron Lebedev ( rus, Евгений Александрович Лебедев, Evgeniy Aleksandrovich Lebedev, ; born 8 May 1980), is a Russian-British businessman, who owns Lebedev Holdings Ltd, which in turn own ...

, executive director of the ''Evening Standard''. In 1980, noting the first use of the Special Award category, Shulman observed that "In 1968 the judges felt that Alan Bennett's work ''Forty Years On'' did not fit either the category of a Play or a Musical. But since they liked it so much they gave him the coveted Dobson statuette as a Special Award. In a quarter of a century, only in 1968 had no-one been designated as 'Promising' although it could conceivably be argued that Alan Bennett's Special Award was a reasonable substitute for this category." The Special Award process came to a climax in 2004 when, in the 50th anniversary year, the category was used to signal peaks of accomplishment by the National Theatre (an institution), Harold Pinter (a playwright) and Dame

Judi Dench Dame Judith Olivia Dench (born 9 December 1934) is an English actress. Regarded as one of Britain's best actresses, she is noted for her versatile work in various films and television programmes encompassing several genres, as well as for her ...

(a performer). The Patricia Rothermere Award, presented biennially from 1999 to 2005, was created to honour the memory of

Patricia Harmsworth, Viscountess Rothermere Patricia Evelyn Beverley Matthews Harmsworth, Viscountess Rothermere (5 May 1929 – 12 August 1992) was an English socialite and actress. As Beverly Brooks, she appeared in several films, such as ''Reach for the Sky'' (1956). Early life Patric ...

, wife of

Viscount Rothermere Viscount Rothermere, of Hemsted in the county of Kent, is a title in the Peerage of the United Kingdom. It was created in 1919 for the press lord Harold Harmsworth, 1st Baron Harmsworth. He had already been created a baronet, of Horsey in th ...

, chairman of the

Daily Mail and General Trust Daily Mail and General Trust (DMGT) is a British multinational media company, the owner of the '' Daily Mail'' and several other titles. The 4th Viscount Rothermere is the chairman and controlling shareholder of the company. The head office i ...

, which formerly owned the ''Evening Standard''. The two part award recognised those who had given outstanding support to young actors, while also providing a three-year scholarship award for a drama student. Commencing in 2009, the Best Actress award was renamed in tribute to

Natasha Richardson Natasha Jane Richardson (11 May 1963 – 18 March 2009) was an English actress of stage and screen. A member of the Redgrave family, Richardson was the daughter of actress Vanessa Redgrave and director/producer Tony Richardson and the granddaug ...

, who died after a skiing accident in Quebec in March 2009.

Awards ceremonies

The 2007 Awards lunchtime ceremony took place at the

Savoy Hotel The Savoy Hotel is a luxury hotel located in the Strand in the City of Westminster in central London, England. Built by the impresario Richard D'Oyly Carte with profits from his Gilbert and Sullivan opera productions, it opened on 6 August ...

in London on 27 November 2007. The judges' assessments of the winners are online. The 2008 winners were announced in a ceremony at the

Royal Opera House The Royal Opera House (ROH) is an opera house and major performing arts venue in Covent Garden, central London. The large building is often referred to as simply Covent Garden, after a previous use of the site. It is the home of The Royal Ope ...

, Covent Garden, on 24 November 2008. The judges' assessments are online. The 2009 winners were announced in a ceremony, again at the Royal Opera House, on Monday, 23 November 2009. The judges' assessments are online. The 2010 winners were announced at a celebratory evening ceremony on Thursday 28 November 2010 in the newly refurbished

. The 2011 winners were announced in a ceremony at the Savoy Hotel on 20 November 2011. The 2012 winners were announced in a ceremony again at the Savoy Hotel on 25 November 2012. The 2013 winners were announced in a ceremony again at the Savoy Hotel on 17 November 2013. The 2014 winners were announced in a ceremony at the London Palladium on 30 November 2014. The 2015 winners were announced in a ceremony at the Old Vic Theatre on 22 November 2015. The 2016 winners were announced in a ceremony again at the Old Vic Theatre on 13 November 2016. The 2017 winners were announced in a ceremony at the Theatre Royal Drury Lane on 3 December 2017. The 2018 winners were announced in a ceremony again at the Theatre Royal Drury Lane on 18 November 2018. The 2019 winners were announced in a ceremony at the London Coliseum on 24 November 2019. The 2022 winners were announced in a ceremony at The Ivy on 11 December 2022.

Awards by year

List of existing articles for individual years:

Winners 1955–2019

Best Play

Best Director

Also known as The Sydney Edwards Award for Best Director from 1979. Renamed the Milton Shulman Award for Best Director from 2014.

Best Actor

Best Actress

Also known as ''The Natasha Richardson Award for Best Actress from 2009''

Best Musical

Renamed the Ned Sherrin Award for Best Musical in 2007

Best Musical Performance

Best Designer

Best Comedy

Most Controversial Play

* 1955 – '' Waiting for Godot'' by Samuel Beckett (Only award in this category)

Editor's Award (renamed 'for a Shooting Star' in 2010)

Most Promising Playwright

Also known as the Charles Wintour Award for Most Promising Playwright

Outstanding Newcomer

Also known as the Milton Shulman Award for Outstanding Newcomer :''Note: Category ceased but is re-styled as the Emerging Talent Award''

Emerging Talent

Theatrical Achievement

*1998 – Jonathan Kent and

Ian McDiarmid Ian McDiarmid (; born 11 August 1944) is a Scottish actor and director of stage and screen, best known for portraying the Sith Lord Emperor Sheev Palpatine / Darth Sidious in the ''Star Wars'' multimedia franchise. Making his stage debut in '' ...

of the

Almeida Theatre The Almeida Theatre, opened in 1980, is a 325-seat producing house with an international reputation, which takes its name from the street on which it is located, off Upper Street, in the London Borough of Islington. The theatre produces a diver ...

(Only award in this category)

Lady Rothermere Drama Award

Two part award, originally as the Patricia Rothermere Award * 1992 - Fionuala Clarence, Scholarship award *1993 –

Matthew Rhys Matthew Rhys Evans ( ; born 8 November 1974) is a Welsh actor. He is known for playing Kevin Walker in '' Brothers & Sisters'' (2006–2011) and Philip Jennings in ''The Americans'' (2013–2018), for which he received two Golden Globe Awar ...

, scholarship award *1997 –

, for outstanding services to the theatre **1997 – Mark Rice-Oxley, scholarship award *1999 –

Simon Callow Simon Phillip Hugh Callow (born 15 June 1949) is an English film, television and voice actor, director, narrator and writer. He was twice nominated for BAFTA Award for Best Actor in a Supporting Role for his roles in ''A Room with a View'' (19 ...

, for outstanding services to the theatre **1999 – Martin Rea, scholarship award *2001 –

Prunella Scales Prunella Margaret Rumney West Scales (''née'' Illingworth; born 22 June 1932) is an English former actress, best known for playing Sybil Fawlty, wife of Basil Fawlty (John Cleese), in the BBC comedy '' Fawlty Towers'', her nomination for a ...

, for ... **2001 – Cassandre Joseph, scholarship award *2003 – Richard Attenborough, for exceptional support for young actors **2003 – Elif Yesil, scholarship award *2005 –

Penelope Keith Dame Penelope Anne Constance Keith, (née Hatfield; born 2 April 1940) is an English actress and presenter, active in film, radio, stage and television and primarily known for her roles in the British sitcoms '' The Good Life'' and '' To the M ...

, for ... **2005 – Hannah Croft, scholarship award

The Special Award (given as The Lebedev Special Award in 2009)

Theatre Icon Award

* 2013 – Maggie Smith

Moscow Art Theatre's Golden Seagull

* 2010 – Sir Peter Hall * 2011 – Sir Tom Stoppard * 2012 –

Beyond Theatre award

* 2011 – Pet Shop Boys and Javier de Frutos for '' The Most Incredible Thing'' * 2012 –

Danny Boyle Daniel Francis Boyle (born 20 October 1956) is an English director and producer. He is known for his work on films including '' Shallow Grave'', '' Trainspotting'' and its sequel '' T2 Trainspotting'', '' The Beach'', ''28 Days Later'', '' S ...

and his teams for the opening ceremony for the London 2012 Olympics * 2013 – BBC Proms 2013 * 2014 – ''

Here Lies Love ''Here Lies Love'' is a concept album and rock musical made in collaboration between David Byrne and Fatboy Slim, about the life of the former First Lady of the Philippines Imelda Marcos along with the woman who raised her—Estrella Cumpas� ...

Award For Comedy

* 2013 –

David Walliams David Edward Williams (born 20 August 1971), known professionally as David Walliams, is an English comedian, actor, writer, and television personality. He is best known for his work with Matt Lucas on the BBC sketch comedy series ''Little Br ...

for '' A Midsummer Night's Dream''

Best Revival of the Year

* 2014 – '' Skylight''

Sources

*''Celebration: 25 Years of British Theatre''. W. H. Allen Ltd, 1980. , for Awards 1955–1978 *

Theatre Record ''Theatre Record'' is a periodical that reprints reviews, production photographs, and other information about the British theatre. Overview ''Theatre Record'' was founded in 1981 by Ian Herbert and has been published fortnightly since January 1 ...

and its annual Indexes, for Awards 1981 to date.

References

{{Navboxes , title = Categories of Evening Standard Theatre Awards , list = {{Evening Standard Theatre Award for Best Actor {{Evening Standard Theatre Award for Best Actress {{Evening Standard Theatre Award for Best Director {{Evening Standard Theatre Award for Best Designer {{Evening Standard Theatre Award for Best Musical Performance {{Evening Standard Theatre Award for Outstanding Newcomer London awards Awards established in 1955 British theatre awards 1955 establishments in the United Kingdom Theatre in London