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The Critics' Circle Theatre Awards, known as the Drama Theatre Awards until 1990, are British theatrical awards presented annually for the closing year's theatrical achievements.[1] The winners, from theatre throughout the United Kingdom, are selected via vote by the professional theatre critics of The Critics' Circle.[2][3][4][5][6]
 | This section needs additional citations for verification. (March 2024) |
Best Actor
1980s
| Year | Recipient | Work |
|---|---|---|
| 1982 | Bob Hoskins | Guys and Dolls |
| 1983 | Derek Jacobi | Cyrano de Bergerac and Much Ado About Nothing |
| 1984 | Brian Cox | Rat in the Skull and Strange Interlude |
| Antony Sher | Richard III | |
| 1985 | Anthony Hopkins | Pravda |
| Gary Oldman | The Pope's Wedding | |
| 1986 | Bill Fraser | When We Are Married |
| Hugh Quarshi | The Great White Hope | |
| 1987 | Brian Cox | Fashion, Taming of the Shrew and Titus Andronicus |
| 1988 | Alex Jennings | Too Clever by Half |
| Tom Wilkinson | An Enemy of the People | |
| 1989 | Ian McKellen | Othello |
1990s
| Year | Recipient | Work |
|---|---|---|
| 1990 | Michael Gambon | Man of the Moment |
| 1991 | Nigel Hawthorne | The Madness of George III |
| 1992 | Paul Eddington | No Man's Land |
| 1993 | Ian Holm | Moonlight |
| 1994 | Tom Courtenay | Moscow Stations |
| 1995 | Daniel Massey | Taking Sides |
| 1996 | David Suchet | Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf? |
| 1997 | Ian Holm | King Lear |
| 1998 | Kevin Spacey | The Iceman Cometh |
| 1999 | Henry Goodman | The Merchant of Venice |
2000s
| Year | Recipient | Work |
|---|---|---|
| 2000 | Michael Gambon | The Caretaker |
| 2001 | Ian McDiarmid | Faith Healer |
| 2002 | Simon Russell Beale | Uncle Vanya |
| 2003 | Michael Sheen | Caligula |
| 2004 | Richard Griffiths | The History Boys |
| 2005 | Simon Russell Beale | The Philanthropist |
| 2006 | Rufus Sewell | Rock 'n' Roll |
| 2007 | Charles Dance | Shadowlands |
| 2008 | Kenneth Branagh | Ivanov |
| 2009 | Mark Rylance | Jerusalem |
2010s
| Year | Recipient | Work |
|---|---|---|
| 2010 | David Suchet | All My Sons |
| 2011 | Benedict Cumberbatch | Frankenstein |
| 2012 | Adrian Lester | Red Velvet |
| 2013 | Lenny Henry | Fences |
| 2014 | Mark Strong | A View from the Bridge |
| 2015 | Kenneth Cranham | The Father |
| 2016 | Stephen Dillane | Faith Healer |
| 2017 | Bryan Cranston | Network |
| 2018 | Kyle Soller | The Inheritance |
| 2019 | Andrew Scott | Present Laughter |
2020s
| Year | Recipient | Work |
|---|---|---|
| 2022 | Ben Daniels | The Normal Heart |
| 2023 | Giles Terera | Blues for an Alabama Sky and Othello |
| 2024 | Andrew Scott | Vanya |
Best Actress
1980s
| Year | Recipient | Work |
|---|---|---|
| 1982 | Judi Dench | The Importance of Being Earnest and A Kind of Alaska |
| 1983 | Juliet Stevenson | Measure for Measure |
| 1984 | Glenda Jackson | Strange Interlude |
| 1985 | Vanessa Redgrave | The Seagull |
| 1986 | Joan Plowright | The House of Bernarda Alba |
| 1987 | Judi Dench | Antony and Cleopatra |
| 1988 | Pauline Collins | Shirley Valentine |
| 1989 | Fiona Shaw | Electra and The Good Person of Sichuan |
1990s
| Year | Recipient | Work |
|---|---|---|
| 1990 | Josette Simon | After the Fall |
| 1991 | Fiona Shaw | Hedda Gabler |
| 1992 | Eileen Atkins | The Night of the Iguana |
| 1993 | Penelope Wilton | The Deep Blue Sea |
| 1994 | Clare Higgins | The Children's Hour and Sweet Bird of Youth |
| 1995 | Claire Skinner | The Glass Menagerie |
| 1996 | Janet McTeer | A Doll's House |
| 1997 | Judi Dench | Amy's View |
| 1998 | Sinéad Cusack | Our Lady of Sligo |
| 1999 | Janie Dee | Comic Potential |
2000s
| Year | Recipient | Work |
|---|---|---|
| 2000 | Victoria Hamilton | As You Like It |
| 2001 | Lindsay Duncan | Mouth to Mouth and Private Lives |
| 2002 | Clare Higgins | Vincent in Brixton |
| 2003 | Eve Best | Mourning Becomes Electra |
| 2004 | Victoria Hamilton | Suddenly Last Summer |
| 2005 | Eve Best | Hedda Gabler |
| 2006 | Kathleen Turner | Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf? |
| 2007 | Anne-Marie Duff | Saint Joan |
| 2008 | Margaret Tyzack | The Chalk Garden |
| 2009 | Rachel Weisz | A Streetcar Named Desire |
2010s
| Year | Recipient | Work |
|---|---|---|
| 2010 | Jenny Jules | Ruined |
| 2011 | Sheridan Smith | Flare Path |
| 2012 | Hattie Morahan | A Doll's House |
| 2013 | Lesley Manville | Ghosts |
| 2014 | Helen McCrory | Medea |
| 2015 | Denise Gough | People, Places and Things |
| 2016 | Billie Piper | Yerma |
| 2017 | Victoria Hamilton | Albion |
| 2018 | Patsy Ferran | Summer and Smoke |
| 2019 | Sharon D Clarke | Death of a Salesman |
| Juliet Stevenson | The Doctor |
2020s
| Year | Recipient | Work |
|---|---|---|
| 2022 | Jessie Buckley | Cabaret |
| 2023 | Patsy Ferran | A Streetcar Named Desire |
| 2024 | Sophie Okonedo | Medea |
Best Designer
1980s
| Year | Recipient | Work |
|---|---|---|
| 1982 | John Gunter | The Beggar's Opera and Guys and Dolls |
| Grant Hicks | The Double Man and True West | |
| 1983 | Voytek | Great and Small |
| 1984 | Alison Chitty | Venice Preserved |
| 1985 | William Dudley | The Critic, The Merry Wives of Windsor, Mutiny, The Mysteries and The Real Inspector Hound |
| 1986 | Ezio Frigerio | The House of Bernarda Alba |
| Maria Björnson | The Phantom of the Opera | |
| 1987 | Follies | |
| Michael Taylor | Attractions | |
| 1988 | Richard Hudson | The Old Vic season |
| 1989 | John Napier | Miss Saigon |
1990s
| Year | Recipient | Work |
|---|---|---|
| 1990 | Mark Thompson | The Wind in the Willows |
| 1991 | Bob Crowley | Murmuring Judges |
| 1992 | Ian MacNeil | An Inspector Calls |
| 1993 | Machinal | |
| 1994 | Mark Thompson | The Kitchen |
| 1995 | Robin Don | The Winter Guest |
| 1996 | Robert Innes Hopkins | The Comedy of Errors and The Weavers |
| 1997 | John Napier | Peter Pan, or The Boy Who Wouldn't Grow Up |
| 1998 | Phelim McDermott, Julian Crouch and Graeme Gilmour | Shockheaded Peter |
| Richard Hoover | Not About Nightingales | |
| 1999 | Julie Taymor and Richard Hudson | The Lion King |
2000s
| Year | Recipient | Work |
|---|---|---|
| 2000 | Paul Brown | Coriolanus, Richard II and The Tempest |
| 2001 | Platonov | |
| 2002 | William Dudley | The Coast of Utopia |
| 2003 | Bob Crowley | Mourning Becomes Electra |
| 2004 | Christopher Oram | Suddenly Last Summer |
| 2005 | Timothy Bird and David Farley | Sunday in the Park with George |
| 2006 | Punchdrunk Company | Faust |
| 2007 | Rae Smith and Handspring Puppet Company | War Horse |
| 2008 | Neil Murray | Brief Encounter |
| 2009 | Christopher Oram | Red |
2010s
| Year | Recipient | Work |
|---|---|---|
| 2010 | Bunny Christie | The White Guard |
| 2011 | Mark Tildesley | Frankenstein |
| 2012 | Miriam Buether | Wild Swans |
| 2013 | Es Devlin | Chimerica |
| 2014 | The Nether | |
| 2015 | Anna Fleischle | Hangmen |
| 2016 | Christine Jones | Harry Potter and the Cursed Child |
| 2017 | Vicki Mortimer | Follies |
| 2018 | Bunny Christie | Company |
| 2019 | Tom Scutt | A Very Expensive Poison |
2020s
| Year | Recipient | Work |
|---|---|---|
| 2022 | Tom Scutt | Cabaret |
| 2023 | Tom Pye | My Neighbour Totoro |
| 2024 | Miriam Buether and 59 Productions | Stranger Things: The First Shadow |
Best Director
1980s
| Year | Recipient | Work |
|---|---|---|
| 1982 | James Roose-Evans | 84, Charing Cross Road |
| 1983 | Terry Hands | Cyrano de Bergerac (classical) |
| Giles Havergal | Men Should Weep (modern) | |
| 1984 | Peter Gill | Fool for Love and Venice Preserved |
| 1985 | Bill Bryden | The Mysteries |
| 1986 | Mike Alfreds | The Cherry Orchard |
| 1987 | Declan Donnellan | Twelfth Night |
| 1988 | Peter Brook | The Mahabharata |
| 1989 | Nicholas Hytner | Ghetto and Miss Saigon |
1990s
| Year | Recipient | Work |
|---|---|---|
| 1990 | Peter Hall | The Wild Duck |
| Robert Lepage | Tectonic Plates | |
| 1991 | Trevor Nunn | Timon of Athens |
| 1992 | Stephen Daldry | An Inspector Calls |
| 1993 | Terry Hands | Tamburlaine the Great |
| 1994 | Sean Mathias | Design for Living and Les Parents terribles |
| 1995 | Sam Mendes | The Glass Menagerie |
| 1996 | Richard Eyre | Guys and Dolls and John Gabriel Borkman |
| 1997 | The Invention of Love and King Lear | |
| 1998 | Howard Davies | Flight and The Iceman Cometh |
| 1999 | Trevor Nunn | The Merchant of Venice and Summerfolk |
2000s
| Year | Recipient | Work |
|---|---|---|
| 2000 | Michael Grandage | As You Like It, Merrily We Roll Along and Passion Play |
| 2001 | Robert Lepage | The Far Side of the Moon |
| 2002 | Sam Mendes | Twelfth Night and Uncle Vanya |
| 2003 | Howard Davies | Mourning Becomes Electra |
| 2004 | Rufus Norris | Festen |
| 2005 | Michael Grandage | The Wild Duck |
| 2006 | John Tiffany | Black Watch |
| 2007 | Rupert Goold | Macbeth |
| 2008 | Michael Grandage | The Chalk Garden and Ivanov |
| 2009 | Rupert Goold | Enron |
2010s
| Year | Recipient | Work |
|---|---|---|
| 2010 | Michael Grandage | King Lear |
| Thea Sharrock | After the Dance | |
| 2011 | Mike Leigh | Grief |
| 2012 | Benedict Andrews | Three Sisters |
| 2013 | Lyndsey Turner | Chimerica |
| 2014 | Ivo van Hove | A View from the Bridge |
| 2015 | Robert Icke | Oresteia |
| 2016 | John Tiffany | Harry Potter and the Cursed Child |
| 2017 | Dominic Cooke | Follies |
| 2018 | Stephen Daldry | The Inheritance |
| 2019 | Jamie Lloyd | Betrayal, Cyrano de Bergerac and Evita |
2020s
| Year | Recipient | Work |
|---|---|---|
| 2022 | Rebecca Frecknall | Cabaret |
| 2023 | Lynette Linton | Blues for an Alabama Sky |
| 2024 | Rupert Goold | Dear England |
Best Musical
Known as the 'Peter Hepple Award' from 2016 onwards.
1980s
| Year | Work |
|---|---|
| 1982 | Guys and Dolls |
| 1983 | Blood Brothers |
| 1984 | On Your Toes |
| 1985 | Me and My Girl |
| 1986 | Chess |
| 1987 | Follies |
| 1988 | South Pacific |
| 1989 | Miss Saigon |
1990s
| Year | Work |
|---|---|
| 1990 | Into the Woods |
| 1991 | Carmen Jones |
| 1992 | Assassins |
| 1993 | City of Angels |
| 1994 | She Loves Me |
| 1995 | Company |
| 1996 | Guys and Dolls |
| 1997 | Chicago |
| 1998 | Oklahoma! |
| 1999 | Spend Spend Spend |
2000s
| Year | Work |
|---|---|
| 2000 | The Beautiful Game |
| 2001 | Kiss Me, Kate |
| 2002 | Anything Goes |
| 2003 | Jerry Springer: The Opera |
| 2004 | The Producers |
| 2005 | Billy Elliot the Musical |
| 2006 | Caroline, or Change |
| 2007 | Hairspray |
| 2008 | La Cage Aux Folles |
| 2009 | Spring Awakening |
2010s
| Year | Work |
|---|---|
| 2010 | Matilda the Musical |
| 2011 | London Road |
| 2012 | Merrily We Roll Along |
| 2013 | The Scottsboro Boys |
| 2014 | Gypsy |
| 2015 | Bend It Like Beckham: The Musical |
| 2016 | Groundhog Day |
| 2017 | Hamilton |
| 2018 | Company |
| 2019 | Come From Away |
2020s
| Year | Work |
|---|---|
| 2022 | Spring Awakening |
| 2023 | Oklahoma! |
| 2024 | Guys and Dolls |
Best New Play
1980s
| Year | Recipient | Writer |
|---|---|---|
| 1982 | A Kind of Alaska | Harold Pinter |
| 1984 | One for the Road | Harold Pinter |
| 1985 | A Chorus of Disapproval | Alan Ayckbourn |
| 1986 | Road | Jim Cartwright |
| 1987 | Curtains | Stephen Bill |
| Fashion | Doug Lucie | |
| 1988 | The Secret Rapture | David Hare |
| 1989 | Ghetto | Joshua Sobol |
1990s
| Year | Recipient | Writer |
|---|---|---|
| 1990 | Racing Demon | David Hare |
| 1991 | Three Birds Alighting on a Field | Timberlake Wertenbaker |
| 1992 | Angels in America | Tony Kushner |
| 1993 | Arcadia | Tom Stoppard |
| 1994 | Dead Funny | Terry Johnson |
| 1995 | The Steward of Christendom | Sebastian Barry |
| 1996 | Blinded by the Sun | Stephen Poliakoff |
| 1997 | Closer | Patrick Marber |
| 1998 | Copenhagen | Michael Frayn |
| 1999 | Mnemonic | Simon McBurney |
2000s
| Year | Recipient | Writer |
|---|---|---|
| 2000 | Blue/Orange | Joe Penhall |
| 2001 | Humble Boy | Charlotte Jones |
| 2002 | The York Realist | Peter Gill |
| 2003 | Democracy | Michael Frayn |
| 2004 | The History Boys | Alan Bennett |
| 2005 | Harvest | Richard Bean |
| 2006 | Rock'n'Roll | Tom Stoppard |
| 2007 | A Disappearing Number | Simon McBurney and Complicite |
| 2008 | August: Osage County | Tracy Letts |
| 2009 | Jerusalem | Jez Butterworth |
2010s
| Year | Recipient | Writer |
|---|---|---|
| 2010 | Clybourne Park | Bruce Norris |
| 2011 | One Man, Two Guvnors | Richard Bean |
| 2012 | The Effect | Lucy Prebble |
| 2013 | Chimerica | Lucy Kirkwood |
| 2014 | King Charles III | Mike Bartlett |
| 2015 | Hangmen | Martin McDonagh |
| 2016 | The Flick | Annie Baker |
| 2017 | The Ferryman | Jez Butterworth |
| 2018 | The Inheritance | Matthew Lopez |
| 2019 | A Very Expensive Poison | Lucy Prebble |
2020s
| Year | Recipient | Writer |
|---|---|---|
| 2022 | Best of Enemies | James Graham |
| 2023 | Patriots | Peter Morgan |
| 2024 | The Motive and the Cue | Jack Thorne |
Best Shakespearean Performance
Known as the 'John and Wendy Trewin Award' from 2000 until 2015, and 'The Trewin Award' from 2016 onwards.
2000s
| Year | Recipient | Work |
|---|---|---|
| 2000 | Simon Russell Beale | Hamlet |
| 2001 | Samuel West | Hamlet |
| 2002 | Mark Rylance | Twelfth Night |
| 2003 | Greg Hicks | Coriolanus |
| 2004 | Paul Rhys | Measure for Measure |
| 2005 | Kevin Spacey | Richard II |
| 2006 | Tamsin Greig | Much Ado About Nothing |
| 2007 | Chiwetel Ejiofor | Othello |
| Patrick Stewart | Macbeth | |
| 2008 | Derek Jacobi | Twelfth Night |
| David Tennant | Hamlet | |
| 2009 | Jude Law | Hamlet |
2010s
| Year | Recipient | Work |
|---|---|---|
| 2010 | Derek Jacobi | King Lear |
| 2011 | Eddie Redmayne | Richard II |
| 2012 | Simon Russell Beale | Timon of Athens |
| 2013 | Rory Kinnear | Othello |
| 2014 | Antony Sher | Henry IV |
| 2015 | Judi Dench | The Winter's Tale |
| 2016 | Glenda Jackson | King Lear |
| 2017 | Andrew Scott | Hamlet |
| 2018 | Sophie Okonedo | Antony and Cleopatra |
| 2019 | Hammed Animashaun | A Midsummer Night's Dream |
2020s
| Year | Recipient | Work |
|---|---|---|
| 2022 | Cush Jumbo | Hamlet |
| 2023 | Arthur Hughes | Richard III |
| 2024 | David Tennant | Macbeth |
Most Promising Newcomer
Known as the 'Jack Tinker Award' from 1996 onwards.
1980s
| Year | Recipient | Work |
|---|---|---|
| 1989 | Sam Mendes | Artistic direction at the Minerva Theatre, Chichester |
| Julia Ormond | Faith, Hope and Charity |
1990s
| Year | Recipient | Work |
|---|---|---|
| 1990 | Sara Crow | Private Lives |
| 1991 | Lia Williams | The Revengers' Comedies |
| 1992 | Rufus Sewell | Making It Better |
| 1993 | Emma Fielding | Arcadia and The School for Wives |
| 1994 | Rachel Weisz | Design for Living |
| 1995 | Victoria Hamilton | The Master Builder and Retreat |
| 1996 | James Callis | Old Wicked Songs |
| 1997 | Liza Walker | Closer |
| 1998 | Mick Gordon | Gate Theatre, London |
| 1999 | Eve Best | 'Tis Pity She's a Whore |
2000s
| Year | Recipient | Work |
|---|---|---|
| 2000 | Chiwetel Ejiofor | Blue/Orange |
| 2001 | Lyndsey Marshal | Boston Marriage and Redundant |
| 2002 | Alison Pargeter | Damsels in Distress |
| 2003 | Lisa Dillon | Iphigenia and The Master Builder |
| 2004 | Eddie Redmayne | The Goat, or Who is Sylvia? |
| 2005 | Mariah Gale | 'Tis Pity She's a Whore |
| 2006 | Andrew Garfield | Citizenship and The Overwhelming |
| 2007 | Leanne Jones | Hairspray |
| 2008 | Ella Smith | Fat Pig |
| 2009 | Tom Sturridge | Punk Rock |
2010s
| Year | Recipient | Work |
|---|---|---|
| 2010 | Daniel Kaluuya | Sucker Punch |
| 2011 | Blanche McIntyre | Accolade and Foxfinder |
| 2012 | Denise Gough | Desire Under the Elms and Our New Girl |
| 2013 | Kate O'Flynn | Port |
| 2014 | Patsy Ferran | Blithe Spirit and Treasure Island |
| 2015 | David Moorst | Violence and Son |
| 2016 | Anthony Boyle | Harry Potter and the Cursed Child |
| 2017 | Sheila Atim | Girl From the North Country |
| John McCrea | Everybody’s Talking About Jamie | |
| 2018 | Chris Walley | The Lieutenant of Inishmore |
| 2019 | Sam Tutty | Dear Evan Hansen |
2020s
| Year | Recipient | Work |
|---|---|---|
| 2022 | Samuel Creasy | The Book of Dust: La Belle Sauvage |
| Stuart Thompson | Spring Awakening | |
| 2023 | Lizzie Annis | The Glass Menagerie |
| 2024 | Louis McCartney | Stranger Things: The First Shadow |
| Jack Wolfe | Next to Normal |
Most Promising Playwright
1980s
| Year | Recipient | Work |
|---|---|---|
| 1989 | Stephen Jeffreys | Valued Friends |
1990s
| Year | Recipient | Work |
|---|---|---|
| 1990 | Clare McIntyre | My Heart's a Suitcase |
| 1991 | Rona Munro | Bold Girls |
| 1992 | Philip Ridley | The Fastest Clock in the Universe |
| 1993 | Simon Donald | Theatre of Stuff |
| 1994 | Kevin Elyot | My Night With Reg |
| 1995 | Jez Butterworth | Mojo |
| 1996 | Martin McDonagh | The Beauty Queen of Leenane |
| 1997 | Conor McPherson | The Weir |
| 1998 | Rebecca Prichard | Yard Gal |
| 1999 | Charlotte Jones | Martha, Josie and the Chinese Elvis |
2000s
| Year | Recipient | Work |
|---|---|---|
| 2000 | Joanna Laurens | The Three Birds |
| 2001 | Gregory Burke | Gagarin Way |
| 2002 | Charlotte Eilenberg | The Lucky Ones |
| 2003 | Lucy Prebble | The Sugar Syndrome |
| 2004 | Rebecca Lenkiewicz | The Night Season |
| 2005 | Laura Wade | Breathing Corpses and Colder Than Here |
| 2006 | Nina Raine | Rabbit |
| 2007 | Polly Stenham | That Face |
| 2008 | Alexi Kaye Campbell | The Pride |
| 2009 | Alia Bano | Shades |
2010s
| Year | Recipient | Work |
|---|---|---|
| 2010 | Anya Reis | Spur of the Moment |
| 2011 | Tom Well | The Kitchen Sink |
| 2012 | Lolita Chakrabarti | Red Velvet |
| 2013 | Rory Kinnear | The Herd |
| Phoebe Waller-Bridge | Fleabag | |
| 2014 | Barney Norris | Visitors |
| 2015 | James Fritz | Four Minutes Twelve Seconds |
| 2016 | Charlene James | Cuttin’ It |
| 2017 | Branden Jacobs-Jenkins | Gloria and An Octoroon |
| 2018 | Natasha Gordon | Nine Night |
| 2019 | Jasmine Lee-Jones | Seven Methods of Killing Kylie Jenner |
2020s
| Year | Recipient | Work |
|---|---|---|
| 2022 | Igor Memic | Old Bridge |
| Zadie Smith | The Wife of Willesden | |
| 2023 | Tyrell Williams | Red Pitch |
| 2024 | Marcelo Dos Santos | Backstairs Billy |
| Matilda Feyiṣayọ Ibini | Sleepova |
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| Year | Recipient | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 2017 | David Lan | Commendation for artistic direction at the Young Vic |
| 2018 | Neil McPherson | Commendation for artistic direction at the Finborough Theatre |
| 2019 | Paule Constable | Commendation for lighting design |
| 2022 | Jermyn Street Theatre | Commendations for exceptional theatre-making during lockdown |
| National Theatre | ||
| Nica Burns | ||
| The Old Vic | ||
| Original Theatre Company | ||
| 2023 | New Diorama Theatre | Recipient of the Peter Brook Award for an innovative venue |
| 2024 | Orange Tree Theatre | Recipient of the Peter Brook Award for an innovative venue |
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