The first season at the helm of one of the nation's leading theatres by the playwright David Greig dominates the short lists for Scotland's leading theatre awards.

The Royal Lyceum Theatre's productions have 15 nominations across five productions in the 2017 Critics' Awards for Theatre in Scotland, or CATS.

However the production of Death of a Salesman by the Dundee Rep has the most nominations, with six.

The singer and songwriter Karine Polwart has been nominated in the best new play category, for Wind Resistance.

The Red Bridge and Traverse Theatre production of Black Beauty has five, including best production for children and young people, best new play and production.

Greig took over as the director of the Lyceum in 2016 and recently unveiled his second season.

Joyce McMillan, critic and co-convenor of the awards, said: "We’re delighted that 22 different productions have made the shortlists, from theatres and companies all across Scotland, they represent a huge range of theatre, from the smallest scale to the largest, and from complex pieces of musical theatre to the most apparently simple solo shows.

"The range of new work being produced is impressive.

"This year 84 new plays or devised works premiered in Scotland, and many of these shows stretch and challenge our CATS categories, working with other art forms from music and dance to visual installations, and challenging traditional relationships between theatre and audience.

"The sense of creative energy is immense, and we hope that these shortlists help to reflect that exciting, fast-moving theatre scene."

The best male performance award short list includes a first nomination for Robert Jack for his role in Much Ado About Nothing at Dundee Rep Ensemble, Billy Mack as Willy Loman in Death of a Salesman, and Brian Ferguson for A Number.

In the best female performance category, three of the actors are nominated for the first time: Lucy Briggs-Owen for The Rivals, Nicole Cooper for Coriolanus and Louise McCarthy for Cuttin' a Rug, while Gemma McElhinney makes the shortlist for the second time with three roles at Pitlochry Festival Theatre.

In the Best New Play category there is a first nomination for Andy Cannon, Andy Manley and Shona Reppe for Black Beauty and Kieran Hurley for Heads Up and Greig receives his 12th nomination for The Suppliant Women.

Mark Fisher, co-convenor, added: "Work for younger audiences has always been an important part of theatre in Scotland.

"This year one of the four shortlisted shows nominated for Best Production for Children and Young People – Red Bridge and Traverse Theatre Company’s Black Beauty – is also making several other shortlists including Best New Play and the supreme award category, Best Production, highlighting once again the calibre of work being produced in this field.

"This year also had a blurring of the lines between genres with performers and composers from both the folk and classical music traditions collaborating with theatremakers to create some truly inspiring work."

The 2017 CATS will be presented at the Festival Theatre, Edinburgh on 11 June.

The best ensemble short list includes the performers for Death of a Salesman at Dundee Rep, The Lonesome West at the Tron in Glasgow, A Number at the Royal Lyceum and The Rivals at the Citizens.