2016 was the second year of the London branch and a time when many more theatres opened their doors to us, including the National and, just recently, the Almeida, signalling the coup that we now have access to virtually every new writing theatre in the city. Which is astounding given where we started from.
We’ve continued the somewhat shambolic approach from last year, seeing literally anything, acclaimed or not, and I think that’s proved a virtue. Apart from the new Fringe Musical category (borne of the fact that Adam, Jordan and Caroline see so many of them), the smallest production we see has the chance to stand abreast the largest, a mark of respect to London’s prominent Off-West End and Off-Off West End (and so on) communities.
Of course, we inevitably miss productions, the not-so-little lacuna being Harry Potter and the Cursed Child, which may have garnered a Best Actor/Actress nom had we not all been too busy to finagle a seat, and, given the lack of a Best Adapted Work category (which I’ll probably add next year), Groundhog Day failed to make the cut aside from Rob Howell’s nomination.
But next year will be bigger. We have Morgan, our newest staff writer, and kid-in-a-candy-store access to so many great theatres that the most anticipated shows (I stay hankering for the Andrew Scott Hamlet) will be well within our grasp.
Here’s to another, even more outstanding year in 2017.
The winners will be announced in April along with the winners of our Honorary Award, Emerging Artist, Performer of the Year and Fan Favourite (which you can vote on by tweeting to @MyEntWorld).
All nominees are invited to participate in our annual Nominee Interview Series. Please email london@myentertainmentworld.ca to sign up.
Also be sure to check out our nominations for the MyTV Awards, MyCinema Awards and MyTheatre Awards in Toronto and New York.
And the nominees…
Best Original Work
The Eulogy of Toby Peach by Toby Peach (The Vaults)
The Flick by Annie Baker (National Theatre)
It is Easy To be Dead by Neil McPherson (Trafalgar Studios)
The Sewing Group by E.V. Crowe (Royal Court Theatre)
Torn by Nathaniel Martello-White (Royal Court Theatre)
Two Man Show by RashDash (Soho Theatre)
Best Director
Nicolai Khalezin and Natalia Kaliada for Burning Doors (Soho Theatre)
Sam Gold for The Flick (National Theatre)
Tom Southerland for Titanic (Charing Cross Theatre)
Vladimir Shcherban for Tomorrow I was Always a Lion (Arcola Theatre)
Richard Twyman for Torn (Royal Court Theatre)
Simon Stone for Yerma (Young Vic)
Best Actor
Toby Peach in The Eulogy of Toby Peach (The Vaults)
Freddie Stewart in Henry V (Antic Disposition)
Desmond Dube in I See You (Royal Court Theatre)
Ray Fearon in Macbeth (Shakespeare’s Globe)
Ben Miles in Sunset at the Villa Thalia (National Theatre)
Michael Socha in This is Living (Trafalgar Studios)
Best Actress
Debbie Korley in Cargo (Arcola Theatre)
Aoife Duffin in A Girl is a Half-Formed Thing (Young Vic)
Jenna Russell in Grey Gardens (Southwark Playhouse)
Anne-Marie Piazza in Much Ado About Nothing (Iris Theatre)
Abbi Greenland and Helen Goalen* in Two Man Show (Soho Theatre)
Billie Piper in Yerma (Young Vic)
Best Set Design
Rob Howell for Groundhog Day (The Old Vic)
Hyemi Shin for Herons (Lyric Hammersmith)
Shawn Soh and Frankie Bradshaw for Karagula (PIGDOG and D.E.M. Productions)
Amber Scarlett for Much Ado About Nothing (Iris Theatre)
Bunny Christie for The Red Barn (National Theatre)
Lizzie Clachan for Yerma (Young Vic)
Best Fringe Musical
Floyd Collins (Wilton’s Music Hall)
Grey Gardens (Southwark Playhouse)
The Last Five Years (St. James Theatre)
Ragtime (Charing Cross Theatre)
Titanic (Charing Cross Theatre)
*They’re a duo; they’re both excellent and wouldn’t be so without the other