Scotland’s political future may be uncertain in the year 2014, but its theatrical future at least looks bright and secure.
This year, two productions created specifically with a younger audience in mind – Dragon (Vox Motus, National Theatre of Scotland and the Tianjin People's Art Theatre, China) and Huff (Shona Reppe and Andy Manley, produced by Catherine Wheels Theatre Company) – have together received eight nominations across six categories including the highest accolade in the CATS Awards, Best Production.
As well as this, the Imaginate Festival that celebrates its silver anniversary this year will receive the CATS Whiskers, an occasional award that recognises an outstanding contribution to Scottish Theatre. Imaginate, (formerly the Scottish International Children’s Festival) has been producing exciting work of sterling standard for young people for the last 25 years so a fitting accolade.
CATS’ co-convenor Joyce McMillan says, “Engaging young people with theatre is the driving force of Imaginate, and what an amazing job they have been doing over the last 25 years. They are very worthy recipients of a CATS Whiskers.”
“However, Imaginate is not alone in a commitment to creating vibrant and innovative theatre for young people, as this year’s shortlists demonstrate. Dragon, a truly beautiful and thoughtful treatment of grief and loss, and Huff, which showed how human beings have the power to create a better world, demonstrated how work developed for a younger audience did not shy away from difficult topics and challenging themes, but addressed them head on with sensitivity and wonderful creativity.”
The Critics’ Awards for Theatre in Scotland were open to any professional theatre work produced in Scotland between May 1 2013 and 30 April 2014. 190 new productions that opened in the year were considered for the awards, of which 127 were new plays/scripts and 39 productions created for children and young people.
Over 30 different companies are recognised in the 2014 CATS, illustrating the breadth and depth of quality of productions created in Scotland during the last year. From the National Theatre of Scotland, whose total of CATS nominations has now reached 83, to first time nominees, Datum Point, Grinagog, Iron-Oxide and Birds of Paradise, the 2014 shortlists feature no fewer than 32 different companies and co-producers.
The CATS judging panel for 2014 was made up of: Mary Brennan (The Herald), Anna Burnside (freelance), Irene Brown (edinburghguide.com), Mark Brown (The Sunday Herald and the Daily Telegraph), Neil Cooper (The Herald), Michael Cox (Across the Arts), Thom Dibdin (The Stage and AllEdinburghTheatre.com), Mark Fisher (The Guardian), Joyce McMillan (The Scotsman), Allan Radcliffe (The Times), Amy Taylor (The Public Reviews and TVBomb), Gareth K Vile (The List) and Joy Watters (Across the Arts).
2014 CATS AWARDS SHORT LISTS
CATS WHISKERS
For outstanding achievement in 25 years of excellent programming
Imaginate Festival, Scotland international festival of performing arts for children and young people
BEST MALE PERFORMANCE:
Adam Best (Raskolnikov), Crime and Punishment, Citizens Theatre, Liverpool Everyman and Playhouse and Royal Lyceum Theatre, Edinburgh
Jimmy Chisholm (Bob Lawson), The Collection, Rapture Theatre in association with the Beacon Greenock
Sandy Grierson (Ivor Cutler), The Beautiful Cosmos of Ivor Cutler, Vanishing Point and the National Theatre of Scotland presented in association with Eden Court
Scott Reid (Thomas), A Perfect Stroke, A Play, a Pie and a Pint presented by the Traverse Theatre Company
BEST FEMALE PERFORMANCE, sponsored by STV:
Rebecca Benson (Eli), Let the Right One In, National Theatre of Scotland by arrangement with Marla Rubin Productions Ltd and Bill Kenwright, in association with Dundee Rep
Elicia Daly (Phyllis King), The Beautiful Cosmos of Ivor Cutler, Vanishing Point and the National Theatre of Scotland presented in association with Eden Court
Blythe Duff (Ciara), Ciara, Traverse Theatre Company and Datum Point Productions
Adura Onashile (Henrietta Lacks), HeLa, Iron-Oxide
BEST ENSEMBLE, sponsored by Equity:
Crime and Punishment, Citizens Theatre, Liverpool Everyman and Playhouse and Royal Lyceum Theatre, Edinburgh
Dragon, Vox Motus, National Theatre of Scotland and the Tianjin People's Art Theatre, China
Long Day's Journey into Night, Royal Lyceum Theatre, Edinburgh
A Satire of the Three Estates, Historic Scotland and AandBC Theatre Company
BEST DIRECTOR:
Dominic Hill, Crime and Punishment, Citizens Theatre, Liverpool Everyman and Playhouse and Royal Lyceum Theatre, Edinburgh
Stewart Laing, Paul Bright's Confessions of a Justified Sinner, Untitled Projects in co-production with the National Theatre of Scotland and Tramway
Orla O'Loughlin, Ciara, Traverse Theatre Company and Datum Point Productions
John Tiffany, Let the Right One In, National Theatre of Scotland by arrangement with Marla Rubin Productions Ltd and Bill Kenwright, in association with Dundee Rep
BEST DESIGN:
Jamie Harrison (designer including puppets), Guy Bishop (puppets) and Simon Wilkinson (lighting), Dragon, Vox Motus, National Theatre of Scotland and the Tianjin People's Art Theatre, China
Christopher Doyle and Shiona McCubbin (cinematographers), Mike Brookes (lighting designer) and Stewart Laing, Nick Millar, Robbie Thomson and Jack Wrigley (designers), Paul Bright's Confessions of a Justified Sinner, Untitled Projects in co-production with the National Theatre of Scotland, Tramway and Summerhall
Francis O'Connor (set and costumes) and Chris Davey (lighting), Private Lives, Royal Lyceum Theatre, Edinburgh
Shona Reppe (designer), Andy Manley (designer) and Sergey Jakovsky (lighting), Huff, Shona Reppe and Andy Manley, produced by Catherine Wheels Theatre Company
BEST MUSIC AND SOUND:
Cora Bissett, Angela Darcy and the band, Janis Joplin: Full Tilt, A Play, a Pie and a Pint
James Fortune and the Band, Mark Melville and Andrew Kirkby, The Beautiful Cosmos of Ivor Cutler, Vanishing Point and the National Theatre of Scotland presented in association with Eden Court
Nikola Kodjabashia, Crime and Punishment, Citizens Theatre, Liverpool Everyman and Playhouse and Royal Lyceum Theatre, Edinburgh
Oliver Searle (composer), Nichola Scrutton (sound artist), Matt Regan (choir master), Theology, the Arches
BEST TECHNICAL PRESENTATION, sponsored by Northern Light:
Crime and Punishment, Citizens Theatre, Liverpool Everyman and Playhouse and Royal Lyceum Theatre, Edinburgh
Dragon, Vox Motus, National Theatre of Scotland and the Tianjin People's Art Theatre, China
Leaving Planet Earth, Grid Iron at Edinburgh International Festival. In association with University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh Napier University, Edinburgh International Climbing Arena and Edinburgh International Conference Centre.
Wendy Hoose, Birds of Paradise Theatre Company and Random Accomplice
BEST PRODUCTION FOR CHILDREN AND YOUNG PEOPLE:
Dragon, Vox Motus, National Theatre of Scotland and the Tianjin People's Art Theatre, China
The Edibles, Grinagog Theatre
Huff, Shona Reppe and Andy Manley, produced by Catherine Wheels Theatre Company
The Secret Life of Suitcases, an Ailie Cohen Puppet Maker/Unicorn Production in association with Platform
BEST NEW PLAY, sponsored by Robertson Taylor W&P Longreach – Theatre Insurance Brokers:
Pamela Carter, Paul Bright's Confessions of a Justified Sinner, Untitled Projects in co-production with the National Theatre of Scotland and Tramway
Oliver Emanuel, Dragon, National Theatre of Scotland and the Tianjin People's Art Theatre, China
David Harrower, Ciara, Traverse Theatre Company and Datum Point Productions
Johnny McKnight, A Perfect Stroke, A Play, a Pie and a Pint presented by the Traverse Theatre Company
BEST PRODUCTION:
The Beautiful Cosmos of Ivor Cutler, Vanishing Point and the National Theatre of Scotland presented in association with Eden Court
Crime and Punishment, Citizens Theatre, Liverpool Everyman and Playhouse and Royal Lyceum Theatre, Edinburgh
Huff, Shona Reppe and Andy Manley, produced by Catherine Wheels Theatre Company
Paul Bright's Confessions of a Justified Sinner, Untitled Projects in co-production with the National Theatre of Scotland and Tramway and Summerhall
Join with the cream of Scottish theatre for this the annual award ceremony of the Critics' Awards for Theatre in Scotland followed by the opportunity to mingle with the winners.
The 2014 CATS Awards will be presented at the Citizens Theatre in Glasgow on the afternoon of Sunday 8 June. Tickets priced £15/£10 (students) from the box office, by telephone on 0141 429 0022 and online at www.citz.co.uk
For further information visit www.criticsawards.theatrescotland.com