Lyceum and NTS head theatre awards shortlist

Alan Cumming is nominated for his performances in Macbeth. Picture: Contributed

Alan Cumming, Maureen Beattie, Blythe Duff and Iain Robertson are among those in the running for on-stage performances over the last year.

The Royal Lyceum Theatre in Edinburgh and the National Theatre of Scotland are leading the running in the shortlists for the Critics’ Awards for Theatre in Scotland.

They have also been jointly recognised for co-productions A Doll’s House and The Guid Sisters.

Cumming, who hosted last year’s awards ceremony, and Robertson, are among the four candidates in the best actor category, nominated for Macbeth and Takin’ Over The Asylum respectively.

Beattie is nominated for her hit Fringe show The List, while Duff has won a nomination for Iron, the Borders-based Firebrand Theatre Company’s prison drama.

The Traverse, in Edinburgh, which is celebrating its 50th anniversary, has three nominations for best new play, including Rob Drummond’s Quiz Show, Douglas Maxwell’s A Respectable Widow Takes to Vulgarity, and Morna Pearson’s The Artist Man and the Mother Woman. Also in the running is Linda McLean’s play Sex & God, which was staged at Platform, in Glasgow.

The Scotsman’s chief theatre critic, Joyce McMillan, chair of the judging panel, said: “This has been a terrific year for some of Scotland’s best-known theatre companies, with the Lyceum, the Citizens, the National Theatre of Scotland and the Traverse leading a very strong field.

“There are signs that the trend towards co-productions between major companies is producing shows of outstanding scale and quality.

It’s also a real pleasure, though, to be able to welcome many newcomers to the 2013 nominations list, including the Gilded Balloon in Edinburgh, Random Accomplice in Glasgow, the new Firebrand Theatre Company based in the Borders, and the brilliant dance artist and theatremaker Claire Cunningham.”

SHORTLISTS FOR THE 2013 CATS

BEST MALE PERFORMANCE

Alan Cumming (all parts), Macbeth, National Theatre of Scotland

Gerard Murphy (Krapp), Krapp’s Last Tape, Citizens Theatre Company, Glasgow

Grant O’Rourke (Mike Daisey), The Agony and the Ecstasy of Steve Jobs, Gilded Balloon, Edinburgh

Iain Robertson (Eddie), Takin’ Over the Asylum, a co-production between the Royal Lyceum Theatre, Edinburgh and the Citizens Theatre, Glasgow

BEST FEMALE PERFORMANCE sponsored by STV

Maureen Beattie (Narrator), The List, Stellar Quines, Edinburgh

Eileen Walsh (Sandra), Quiz Show, Traverse Theatre Company, Edinburgh

Blythe Duff (Fay Black), Iron, Firebrand Theatre Company in association with Heart of Hawick

Amy Manson (Nora Vaughan), A Doll’s House, a co-production between the National Theatre of Scotland and the Royal Lyceum Theatre, Edinburgh

BEST ENSEMBLE sponsored by Equity

The Guid Sisters, a co-production between the Royal Lyceum Theatre Company, Edinburgh and the National Theatre of Scotland

The Seafarer, a co-production between Perth Theatre and the Lyric Theatre, Belfast

Takin’ Over the Asylum, a co-production between the Royal Lyceum Theatre Company, Edinburgh and the Citizens Theatre, Glasgow

Time and the Conways, a co-production between the Royal Lyceum Theatre Company, Edinburgh and Dundee Rep Ensemble

BEST DIRECTOR

Dominic Hill, Krapp’s Last Tape/Footfalls, Citizens Theatre Company, Glasgow

Stewart Laing, The Maids, Citizens Theatre Company, Glasgow

Rachel O’Riordan, The Seafarer, a co-production between Perth Theatre and the Lyric Theatre, Belfast

Hamish Pirie, Quiz Show, Traverse Theatre Company, Edinburgh

BEST DESIGN

Kai Fischer (set), Entartet, Kai Fischer developed in association with Vanishing Point, Glasgow and the CCA ,Glasgow

Ti Green (set) and Mark Doubleday (lighting), Time and the Conways, a co-production between the Royal Lyceum Theatre Company, Edinburgh and Dundee Rep Ensemble

Rachana Jadhav (set), Karsten Tinapp (lighting), Kevin Pollard(costume) and Gail Sneddon(concept and video), Ménage à Trois, Claire Cunningham in partnership with the National Theatre of Scotland

Charlotte Lane (set), Sergey Jakovsky (lighting), Ulysses, Tron Theatre Company, Glasgow in association with Project Arts Centre, Dublin and the Everyman, Cork

BEST MUSIC AND SOUND

Hilary Brooks, Irving Berlin’s White Christmas: The Musical, Pitlochry Festival Theatre

Hugh Nankivell, Ignition, National Theatre of Scotland in association with Shetland Arts

John Sampson, A Taste of Honey, Royal Lyceum Theatre Company, Edinburgh

Greg Sinclair, Sonata for a Man and a Boy, Greg Sinclair and the macrobert, Stirling

BEST TECHNICAL PRESENTATION sponsored by Northern Light

Wonderland, a co-production between Vanishing Point, Glasgow, Fondazione Campagnia Dei Festival - Napoli Teatro Festival Italia and Tramway, Glasgow in association with Eden Court, Inverness

Ménage à Trois, Claire Cunningham in partnership with the National Theatre of Scotland

The Incredible Adventures of See Thru Sam, Random Accomplice, Glasgow

The Guid Sisters, a co-production between the Royal Lyceum Theatre Company, Edinburgh and the National Theatre of Scotland

BEST SHOW FOR CHILDREN AND YOUNG PEOPLE

The Day I Swapped My Dad for Two Goldfish, National Theatre of Scotland

The Incredible Adventures of See Thru Sam, Random Accomplice,

Sonata for a Man and a Boy, Greg Sinclair and the macrobert, Stirling

The Ugly Duckling, created by Andy Manley, a co-production between the Arches, Glasgow and Catherine Wheels

BEST NEW PLAY sponsored by W&P Longreach – Theatre Insurance Brokers

Rob Drummond, Quiz Show, Traverse Theatre Company, Edinburgh

Linda McLean, Sex & God, Magnetic North, produced in association with Platform, Glasgow

Douglas Maxwell, A Respectable Widow Takes to Vulgarity, a co-production between A Play, a Pie and a Pint, Glasgow and the Traverse Theatre Company, Edinburgh

Morna Pearson, The Artist Man and the Mother Woman, Traverse Theatre Company, Edinburgh

BEST PRODUCTION

Irving Berlin’s White Christmas: The Musical, Pitlochry Festival Theatre

Krapp’s Last Tape/Footfalls, Citizens Theatre Company, Glasgow

The List, Stellar Quines, Edinburgh

Quiz Show, Traverse Theatre Company, Edinburgh

The Seafarer, a co-production between Perth Theatre and the Lyric Theatre, Belfast