After watching more than 200 theatre performances throughout 2016 the 10-strong Panel has narrowed down a shortlist that honours everyone from established star names in main house productions, to complete newcomers.

In the midst of its 40th anniversary year the Royal Exchange has picked up nearly 20 nominations. 

This year’s categories for Best Actress and the coveted Best Production proved particularly difficult to narrow down and in the event it is the Royal Exchange and the city’s HOME venue that go head to head for the trophies.
Likewise Best Musical has been a crowded category with Manchester’s emergent Hope Mill Theatre getting a foot in the door with its regional premiere production of Parade. 
This brand new fringe venue, in an old mill in Ancoats, has staged several ambitious productions in 2016.
For the Best Newcomer award five new faces will be up against two teams of juvenile actors and actresses who performed, respectively, the part of ‘Michael’ in Billy Elliot, or ‘Scout’ in To Kill a Mockingbird, the latter at the Octagon in Bolton.

Full List of Manchester Theatre Award nominations


Best Actor

Rob Edwards, To Kill A Mockingbird, Octagon Theatre
David Neilson, Endgame, HOME, 
Daniel Rigby, Breaking The Code, Royal Exchange
Don Warrington, King Lear, Royal Exchange

Best Actress

Niamh Cusack, Ghosts, HOME
Kaisa Hammarlund, Sweet Charity, Royal Exchange

Julie Hesmondhalgh, Wit, Royal Exchange
Kathryn Hunter, The Emperor, HOME
Best Production

Breaking The Code, Royal Exchange

Ghosts, HOME

The Emperor, HOME

Wit, Royal Exchange

Best Supporting Actor

Daniel Crossley, Sweet Charity, Royal Exchange

Raad Rawi, Breaking The Code, Royal Exchange

Marc Small, To Kill A Mockingbird, Octagon Theatre

Miltos Yerolemou, King Lear, Royal Exchange

Best Supporting Actress

Natalie Dew, Breaking The Code, Royal Exchange

Sharon Duncan-Brewster, A Streetcar Named Desire, Royal Exchange

Natalie Grady, Martha Josie and the Chinese Elvis, Octagon Theatre

Amy Nuttall, The Winter’s Tale, Octagon Theatre

Best Visiting Production

946 – The Amazing Story of Adolphus Tips, HOME

A Girl is a Half-Formed Thing, Lowry, Salford

Love’s Labour’s Lost / Much Ado About Nothing, Opera House

The Encounter, HOME

The James Plays, Lowry

Best Actor in a Visiting Production

Edward Bennett, Love’s Labour’s Lost / Much Ado About Nothing, Opera House

Rufus Hound, The Wind in the Willows, The Lowry

Simon McBurney, The Encounter, HOME

Michael Pennington, King Lear, Opera House

Best Actress in a Visiting Production

Lisa Dillon, Love’s Labour’s Lost / Much Ado About Nothing, Opera House

Aoife Duffin, A Girl Is A Half-Formed Thing, Lowry

Lisa Maxwell, End Of The Rainbow, Opera House

Zizi Strallen, Mary Poppins, Palace

Best Newcomer

Daisy Badger, Look Back In Anger, Octagon Theatre

Ben Hunter, The Girls, Lowry

Norah Lopez Holden, Ghosts, HOME

Kirsty Rider, Pride And Prejudice, Lowry

Holly Willock, The Wind In The Willows, Lowry

Young ‘Michael’ cast, Billy Elliot, Palace

Young ‘Scout’ cast, To Kill A Mockingbird, Octagon Theatre

Best Opera

Andrea Chénier, Opera North, Lowry

Billy Budd, Opera North, Lowry

Don Giovanni, ETO, Buxton Opera House

Tamerlano, Buxton Festival, Buxton Opera House

The Robert Robson Award for Best Dance

Akram Khan’s Giselle, Palace

Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater, Lowry

Nederlands Dans Theater 2, Lowry

The Red Shoes, Lowry

Best Musical

Billy Elliot, Palace

Parade, Hope Mill Theatre

Singin’ in the Rain, Octagon Theatre
Sweet Charity, Royal Exchange

The Wind in the Willows, Lowry
Best Fringe Production

Boomtown Gals, Various venues

Die Diana, Bandit, Mugger and Thief, Manchester

Multi Story, Monkeywood, Various venues

The Trial, Hope Mill Theatre, Manchester

Best Fringe Performance

Joyce Branagh, Boomtown Gals, Various venues
Sam Grogan, Waiting Room, King’s Arms, Salford

William J Holstead, The Trial, Hope Mill Theatre

Leanne Martin, The Brink, King’s Arms

Best Studio Production

Dirty Pakistani Lingerie, Lowry

Lemons Lemons Lemons Lemons Lemons, HOME

The Solid Life Of Sugar Water, Royal Exchange

Wish List, Royal Exchange

Best Actor in a Studio Production

Alexander Gatehouse, Ventoux, Lowry

Joseph Quinn, Wish List, Royal Exchange Studio

Rex Ryan, Pilgrim, Lowry

Best Actress in a Studio Production

Erin Doherty, Wish List, Royal Exchange Studio

Sarah Emmott, Declaration, Lowry

Georgia Henshaw, Bird, Royal Exchange Studio

Molly Vevers, Ross and Rachel, Lowry

Best New Play

A Pacifist’s Guide to the War on Cancer, HOME

Bird, Royal Exchange Studio

The Emperor, HOME

Wish List, Royal Exchange Studio

Best Design

Endgame, HOME

La Vie Parisienne, Royal Northern College of Music, Manchester

Singin’ In The Rain, Octagon Theatre

The Pitmen Painters, Coliseum, Oldham

Best Ensemble
946 – The Amazing Story of Adolphus Tips, HOME

Singin’ In The Rain, Octagon Theatre

The Pitmen Painters, Coliseum

The James Plays, Lowry
Best Special Entertainment

An Anatomie In Four Quarters, Lowry

Cirque du Soleil – Amaluna, Trafford Centre

Summer, Autumn, Winter, Spring, Old Granada Studios

The Peony Pavillion, Lowry

Youth Panel Award

NOTHING – The Royal Exchange Theatre Young Company

The Secret Garden – Octagon Youth Theatre

The Factory – The Royal Exchange Theatre Young Company

The Siege of Christmas – Contact Youth Company with Swung Low

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