First published: 02 Oct 2008

The Theatrical Management Association Theatre Awards nominees have been announced, with shows seen on the capital’s stages named in many of the categories.

Among the performers nominated are Brenda Blethyn, Brian Conley, Kathryn Evans, I’d Do Anything contestant Rachel Tucker – who is now performing in We Will Rock You – and How Do Solve A Problem Like Maria? runner up Helena Blackman, who receives a Best Supporting Performance in a Musical nomination for South Pacific, which played in London at the New Wimbledon theatre.

London has played host to the cream of the UK’s touring shows over the last 12 months, as all three Best Touring Production nominees played seasons in the capital. War And Peace and Stockholm were both staged at the Hampstead theatre, with Hampstead also co-producing the Tolstoy adaptation, while the National Theatre Of Scotland’s Black Watch received its long-awaited London debut at the Barbican.

There is also a strong London showing in the Best New Play category, where Mike Bartlett’s Contractions (Royal Court Jerwood Theatre Upstairs) and Lee Hall’s The Pitmen Painters (National Theatre) compete with Shared Experience’s production of Ten Tiny Toes.

London’s children’s theatres also fared well, with both Polka (for Brilliant) and Unicorn (for Looking For JJ, staged with Pilot Theatre and York Theatre Royal) represented in the Best Show for Children and Young People category.

Presented annually, the TMA Theatre Awards celebrate the very best in regional theatre. The winners will be announced at a ceremony held at Hampstead theatre on 26 October. It will be the first ceremony of the 2008/9 theatre awards season which includes the Evening Standard, Theatregoers’ Choice and Critics’ Circle Awards, building towards the annual highlight, the Laurence Olivier Awards.

MA

Full list of nominations:

Best Performance in a Play
Brenda Blethyn for the Royal Exchange Theatre Company’s The Glass Menagerie
Keith Fleming & Gerry Mulgrew for Peer Gynt at Dundee Rep
Kathryn Tozer for A Streetcar Named Desire at the Nuffield, Southampton

Best Supporting Performance in a Play
Roger Delves-Broughton for Journey’s End at the Mercury, Colchester
Tony Haygarth for Pygmalion on tour
Kate O’Flynn for the Royal Exchange Theatre Company’s The Children’s Hour

Best Performance in a Musical
Brian Conley for The Music Man at Chichester Festival Theatre
Kathryn Evans for Sunset Boulevard at the Watermill Theatre, Newbury
Rachel Tucker for The Wizard Of Oz at the Lyric, Belfast

Best Supporting Performance in a Musical
Helena Blackman for South Pacific on tour
Martin Ball for Mary Poppins on tour
Claire Sundin for The Hired Man on tour

Best Director
Michael Boyd for The Histories at RSC Stratford-Upon-Avon
Steven Berkoff for On The Waterfront at Nottingham Playhouse
Yael Farber for Molora at Oxford Playhouse

Best Touring Production
National Theatre Of Scotland’s Black Watch
Shared Experience/National Theatre’s War And Peace - presented by Shared Experience, Nottingham Playhouse and Hampstead Theatre
Frantic Assembly and Drum Theatre, Plymouth’s Stockholm

Best Musical Production
Don Giovanni at the New Victoria, Newcastle Under Lyme
Once Upon A Time At The Adelphi by Phil Wilmott at the Playhouse, Liverpool
Moon Landing at Derby Playhouse

Best New Play
Contractions by Mike Bartlett, Jerwood Theatre Upstairs at the Royal Court
The Pitman Painters by Lee Hall at Live Theatre, Newcastle
Ten Tiny Toes by Esther Wilson at the Everyman, Liverpool, presented by Liverpool Everyman and Playhouse in association with Shared Experience

Best Set Design
Douglas Heap for Don Juan Comes Back from the War at the Belgrade Coventry
Christopher Woods for Once Upon A Time At The Adelphi at Playhouse Liverpool
Mike Britton for Lady From The Sea at Birmingham Rep.

Best Lighting Design
The Royal Exchange Theatre Company’s The Children’s Hour designed by Mick Hughes
Equus designed by David Hersey on tour
The Railway Children designed by Richard G Jones at York Theatre Royal

Best Show for Children and Young People
Brilliant at the Polka Wimbledon
Looking For JJ, Pilot Theatre in association with York Theatre Royal and Unicorn Theatre on tour
The Emperor’s New Kilt Wee Stories/National Theatre of Scotland

Achievement in Dance
Cloudgate Dance Theatre of Taiwan for Moon Water
Theatre-Rites & Arthur Pita for Mischief
Rambert Dance Company for Carnival Of The Animals and Swansong

Achievement in Opera
Glyndebourne’s Hansel Und Gretel
Opera North for its summer Shakespeare season
Scottish Opera’s A Night At The Chinese Opera
Welsh National Opera’s The Sacrifice