Royal Court Theatre Triumphs at Evening Standard Awards

The Royal Court Theatre cemented its reputation as the leading new writing theatre and hotbed for new talent in the Evening Standard Theatre Awards last night, winning in four categories, including Best Play, Most Promising Playwright, Best Design and the Editor's Award.

"These awards are testament to the hard work and exceptional talent of all our winners and nominees," said Dominic Cooke, Artistic Director of The Royal Court Theatre. "It's very rewarding to see so many of our writers and actors from the last year recognized. It's equally exciting working with a new writer like Anya Reiss on bringing her play to the stage for the first time, nurturing the talents of a bright young actor just starting their career, like Daniel Kaluuya or producing new plays by world-class playwrights like Bruce Norris. The Royal Court positions itself firmly on the cutting edge, working with extraordinary talent to create the landmark plays that define our age."

Bruce Norris' Clybourne Park received the award for Best Play, competing against other Royal Court successes including Mike Bartlett's play c*ckand Roy Williams' Sucker Punch. Clybourne Park, directed by Dominic Cooke, played to critical acclaim and packed houses in September this year, breaking box office records at the Royal Court. It transfers to the Wyndhams Theatre in the West End for a limited run on 28 January 2011 (press night 8 February).

First time playwright Anya Reiss won The Charles Wintour Award For Most Promising Playwright for her play Spur of the Moment, beating off competition from other Royal Court writers, including Nick Payne and DC Moore, whose plays Wanderlust and The Empire also played to full houses in the Jerwood Theatre Upstairs this year.

Anya Reiss was just 17 when she wrote Spur of the Moment. Described in the Daily Telegraph as the "most accomplished debut from a young playwright I've ever had the pleasure to see," Spur of the Moment directed by Jeremy Herrin, looked at the distance between close family relations and a young girl on the brink of adolescence. The play sold out its entire run at the Royal Court before a similarly successful week at the Royal Court's Theatre Local venue at Elephant and Castle shopping center.

This is the third time in four years that a Royal Court writer has won the Charles Wintour Award For Most Promising Playwright, reflecting the Royal Court's long-term investment in its writing programs. The Royal Court devotes the equivalent of a third of its annual Arts Council subsidy in finding and developing the writers of the future.

Daniel Kaluuya won the Editor's Award - awarded this year, due to the level of talent in the Outstanding Newcomer category. Daniel won the award for his part in Roy Williams' Sucker Punch, for which he shed weight and gained a six pack, training with a professional boxer for over six months before rehearsals started. He was also up against Isabella Laughland, who played teenager Michelle in Wanderlust and Shannon Tarbet in Spur of the Moment, two actors, who made their professional theatre debuts at the Royal Court this year.

Miriam Buether won the award for Best Design, with her inspired set for Sucker Punch, in which she turned the entire Jerwood Theatre Downstairs into a 1980s boxing ring, complete with ringside seating and a whole new circle level, as well as her similarly inventive set for the Mike Bartlett's Earthquakes in London at The National Theatre.

Clybourne Park opens at the Wyndham's Theatre on 28 January 2011. Tickets can be purchased from the Royal Court Box Office 0207 565 5000 or online www.royalcourttheatre.com

Notes to Editors:

For further information please contact Anna Evans in the Royal Court Press Office on
020 7565 5063 or e-mail annaevans@royalcourttheatre.com.

Spur of the Moment is part of the Royal Court's Jerwood New Playwrights program, supported by the Jerwood Charitable Foundation.

 

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