Evening Standard Announces 65th Theatre Awards

Today, the Evening Standard announces the annual Evening Standard Theatre Awards in association with Michael Kors, will take place at the West End's largest theatre, the London Coliseum on Sunday 24th November, with a ceremony presented by Cush Jumbo.

The awards are hosted by the newspaper's proprietor Evgeny Lebedev, with his regular co-host Anna Wintour, Editor in Chief, American Vogue; Artistic Director and Global Content Advisor of Condé Nast, this year alongside British talents Damian Lewis, Helen McCrory and Cush Jumbo.

Actress and writer Cush Jumbo is a former Evening Standard winner, picking up the Emerging Talent Award in 2013 for her one-woman show about entertainer and civil rights activist Josephine Baker, Josephine & I. Jumbo is also known for her role as lawyer Lucca Quinn, who first appeared in the Good Wife and is now a leading character in The Good Fight, currently filming a fourth series. Jumbo's other notable stage roles include The Donmar Warehouse's award-winning all-female Shakespeare trilogy, and Jez Butterworth's The River on Broadway. Her next much anticipated appearance on the London stage will be as Hamlet at the Young Vic in July 2020.

Husband and wife stars of stage and screen Damian Lewis and Helen McCrory, who first met when cast in a play together at the Almeida, join this year's co-host line-up. Lewis, currently starring in TV drama Billions, won an Emmy and Golden Globe award for his performance in Homeland. His notable television roles also include Wolf Hall and Band of Brothers. His most recent London stage roles include American Buffalo and The Goat, or Who is Sylvia?

McCrory, who has received wide acclaim and won a new army of fans for her role as matriarch Polly Gray in Peaky Blinders, is one of London's most celebrated stage actresses. Leading roles include The Deep Blue Sea (2016) and Medea (2014), both at The National Theatre. This year she starred in BBC's MotherFatherSon and has recently filmed an adaptation of James Graham's QUIZ, alongside Michael Sheen and Matthew Macfadyen and directed by Stephen Frears.

Evgeny Lebedev, said: "For its 65th year, The Evening Standard Theatre Awards continues to recognise and celebrate London's extraordinary talent from playwrights, directors and actors to everyone who works so hard behind the scenes. With the London Coliseum providing the new backdrop for the ceremony, it is a great pleasure that I will be hosting the event with Anna, Cush, Damian and Helen."

Co-host Anna Wintour, adds: "London's theatre scene continues to thrive, and I am so thrilled to be co-hosting the Theatre Awards again with Evgeny, Cush, Damian and Helen celebrating the talent for their outstanding achievements in London theatre".

The 65th Evening Standard Theatre Awards include:

In association with Michael Kors

Best Play In partnership with CHANEL

Milton Shulman Award for Best Director

Best Actor In partnership with Ambassador Theatre Group

Natasha Richardson Award for Best Actress In partnership with Christian Louboutin

Best Design In partnership with Michael Kors

Charles Wintour Award for Most Promising Playwright

Emerging Talent Award In partnership with Access Entertainment

Best Musical

Best Musical Performance

The Lebedev Award

A special tribute to Behind-the-Scenes Heroes will be presented on the night

The shortlist for the 65th Evening Standard Theatre Awards will be announced early November.

The Evening Standard Theatre Awards headline sponsor is Michael Kors.

This year's sponsors include: Access Entertainment, Ambassador Theatre Group, Bottega Veneta, Burberry, CHANEL and Christian Louboutin.

New additions to this year's Advisory Judging Panel are: Evening Standard's Chief Theatre Critic, Nick Curtis; The Stage's Reviews Editor, Natasha Tripney; and freelance critic and writer at The Independent, Holly Williams. A new subcommittee to advise on the Charles Wintour award for most promising playwright led by WhatsOnStage's Sarah Crompton also includes founder and editor of afridiziak.com, Sophia A Jackson and freelance theatre writer and critic Sam Marlowe.

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