The UK Theatre Awards Announce Vanessa Redgrave as Recipient of the Gielgud Award

Vanessa Redgrave is to receive this year's Gielgud Award for Excellence in the Dramatic Arts at the UK Theatre Awards 2016. The ceremony will take place on Sunday 9 October at London's historic Guildhall.

The UK Theatre Awards are the only nationwide honours that recognize creative excellence and outstanding achievement both on and off stage. Olivier Award-winning actor Lesley Manville will compère this year's awards.

Clare Burt and Richard Taylor, the composer of Sheffield Theatres' Flowers For Mrs Harris, will also perform at the ceremony. The show is nominated for Best Musical Production, Best Design and Best Performance In A Musical (Clare Burt).

Vanessa Redgrave has starred in more than 35 productions in London's West End and on Broadway. Rising to prominence in 1961 while playing Rosalind in As You Like It with the Royal Shakespeare Company, she has gone on to earn Olivier, Oscar, Emmy, Tony, BAFTA, Golden Globe, and Screen Actors Guild awards. On screen she has appeared in more than 80 films and is a six-time Oscar nominee. In 1977 she won the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress for the title role in Julia. Her most recent stage role was as Queen Margaret in Almeida Theatre's acclaimed production of Richard III.

The Gielgud Award for Excellence in the Dramatic Arts was established by The Shakespeare Guild in 1994. Previous recipients include F. Murray Abraham, Sir Kenneth Branagh, Dame Judi Dench, Sir Derek Jacobi, Kevin Kline, Christopher Plummer, Lynn Redgrave OBE and Sir Patrick Stewart. Last year's honour was bestowed on Dame Eileen Atkins. Sir Ian McKellen, who received the inaugural Gielgud trophy in 1996, will be honoured with this year's award for Outstanding Contribution to British Theatre.

Further details about the UK Theatre Awards 2016, including the full list of nominations, can be found at bit.ly/2cQdufP

The 12 regional and national winners of UK's Most Welcoming Theatre in association with Smooth Radio will be announced on Thursday 29 September. The overall winner will be named at this year's UK Theatre Awards ceremony on 9 October.

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