For the first time, the shortlist for the annual theatre prizes also includes a show as much from the visual arts sphere as in theatre with The Darktown Cakewalk: Celebrated From The House Of Fame, which was performed at the Glasgow International Festival of Visual Art and has been nominated for best ensemble and best use of music and sound.
Theatre companies in Edinburgh and Glasgow dominate the shortlists but Dundee Repertory Theatre also has six nominations, while Pitlochry Festival Theatre, Perth Theatre and Fife Arts Trust each appear in at least one category.
Mark Fisher, co-convenor of the awards, said: “It has been a bumper year for great theatre in Scotland and we were spoilt for choice when it came to making our selections.
“It means the 2010 shortlists represent a truly impressive range of talent, whether it is the most intimate one-person show or, as is the case with Huxley’s Lab, a production with a cast of 30. It’s sure to make for a lively ceremony on June 13.”
The Dark Things, produced by the Traverse, appears in six categories. Artistic director Dominic Hill appears twice on the shortlist for best director for The Goat, or Who is Sylvia?
and The Dark Things, with both plays competing for best production.
The Tron Theatre in Glasgow appears in four different categories for The Government Inspector, a co-production
with Communicado Theatre Company.
CATS newcomers this year include playwrights Alan Bissett for Turbo Folk (A Play, a Pie and a Pint) and Kieran Hurley for Hitch (The Arches), while Lung Ha’s Theatre Company, Theatre Modo, Glasgow International Festival of Visual Art and Giant also appear on the shortlist for the first time.
The judging panel for CATS, which is now in its eighth year, includes Neil Cooper, Mary Brennan and Shona Craven
of The Herald. The winner’s ceremony, which is open to the public, will be held at the Festival Theatre in Edinburgh on June 13.
