Scottish actor James McAvoy is in the running for one of theatre's most prestigious honours, an Olivier Award.

The short list for the 2015 prizes, anounced yesterday, includes McAvoy in the best actor category, nominated for his role in The Ruling Class, staged at Trafalgar Studios.

His fellow short-listed actors include Richard Armitage for The Crucible at Old Vic, Tim Pigott-Smith for King Charles III at Almeida Theatre and Wyndham's Theatre and Mark Strong for A View From The Bridge at Young Vic and Wyndham's Theatre.

The shortlist for the This Morning Audience Award, the only Olivier Award voted for by the public, is comprised of Billy Elliot The Musical, Matilda The Musical, Jersey Boys and Wicked.

Voting for these four shows has opened and will close at 5pm on April 10.

The Olivier Awards 2015 ceremony will take place at the Royal Opera House on April 12.

olivierawards.com

Opera North, based in Leeds, is bringing its production of the classic American musical, Carousel (pictured) to the Edinburgh's Festival Theatre.

Voted the best musical of the 20th century by Time magazine, Carousel is considered to be one of the finest works composed by one of Broadway's most successful partnerships, Richard Rodgers and Oscar Hammerstein II with a score that includes If I Loved You, June is Bustin' Out All Over, and You'll Never Walk Alone.

Directed by Jo Davies, baritone Keith Higham plays the carousel barker Billy Bigelow and Gillene Butterfield plays Julie Jordan. The performances in Edinburgh run from June 2-6.

operanorth.co.uk

Ali Smith is in the running for the Baileys Women's Prize for Fiction, the UK's only annual book award for fiction written by a woman. Now in its twentieth year, the prize unveiled its long list last night.

The Scottish writer, long listed for her novel How To Be Both, is up against books by writers including Rachel Cusk, Anne Tyler, Rachel Seiffert and Sarah Waters.

The judges for the 2015 Baileys Women's Prize for Fiction are led by chair Shami Chakrabarti.

She said: "The Prize's 20th year is a particularly strong one for women's fiction. All judges fought hard for their favourites and the result is a 2015 list of 20 to be proud of - with its mix of genres and styles, first-timers and well-known names from around the world. There is a very strong showing of UK writers and we are all incredibly excited about the final stages of the search for the winner."

The prize comes with a cheque for £30,000 and a limited edition bronze known as a 'Bessie', created and donated by the artist Grizel Niven. The winner will be announced on June 3.

womensprizeforfiction.co.uk