Nominations For The Stage Awards 2022 Are Now Open

Nominations are now open for The Stage Awards. Arts organisations and individuals are encouraged to self-nominate in these theatre awards online here (thestage.co.uk/awards). Nominations close on Friday, November 26 at midnight.

The awards welcome two new categories this year. Digital Project of the Year will recognise the use of digital platforms to present theatre and performing arts content. This could include live or recorded streams of theatre productions on screen, as well as audio work or podcasts. Community Project of the Year will celebrate outstanding community work from performing arts organisations. The community does not have to be a geographic community, and eligible projects can be in-person or remote / digital.

Meanwhile, the Regional and London Theatre of the Year titles have also been combined for the first time to create a prestigious Theatre of the Year category.

Other awards are Fringe Theatre of the Year, Producer of the Year, Theatre Building of the Year, Innovation Award sponsored by Charcoalblue, and Unsung Hero. The Unsung Hero category is the only award that cannot be self-nominated.

Alistair Smith, editor at The Stage said: "We have adapted our award categories to reflect the way British theatre is responding to a changing world. It has been a difficult time for British theatre, but also one during which we have seen some fantastic work - especially in the spheres of digital theatre and community programmes. Meanwhile, judges wanted to remove what had come to seem like an unnecessary distinction between work taking place in London and elsewhere in the UK to create a single Theatre of the Year category."

Subscribers to The Stage are invited to submit their own nominations for the awards, which will then be considered by The Stage's judging panel. A series of industry experts will also be consulted, and judges will be able to submit their own suggestions, before a final decision is taken by The Stage Awards' judging panel.

Any arts organisation - regardless of size - that is a subscriber to The Stage can put itself, or another organisation, forward for consideration free of charge online here (thestage.co.uk/awards). Submissions should be detailed entries that contain supporting evidence. Nominations close on November 26 at midnight.

Focusing on work since December 2020, judges will consider a variety of factors including artistic excellence, response to coronavirus and lockdown, innovative business practices, outreach and community work and financial resilience.

The shortlist will be announced on December 16, with winners announced at an invite-only awards ceremony on January 31.

The Stage Awards are sponsored and supported by Charcoalblue, Triple E, Autograph Sound, Blue-I Theatre Technology and White Light.

The Stage Awards launched in 2010 to recognise and celebrate the full scope of British theatre. It has recognised 85 winners over the years, from national theatres and large-scale organisations to pub theatres and touring companies.

Former winners have included Sonia Friedman Productions, London's Kiln Theatre, Sheffield Theatres, ATG Productions, Theatr Clwyd and Nica Burns, as well as theatre technicians, casting directors and stage door keepers.

For 2022, the awards ceremony will return to Theatre Royal Drury Lane, its former home of nine years. The iconic West End theatre, owned by Andrew Lloyd Webber, has recently undergone a £60 million restoration, bringing the venue back to its former 1812 glory.

For more information about The Stage Awards visit thestage.co.uk/awards/the-stage-awards.

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