The 64th Evening Standard Theatre Awards will take place this evening at Theatre Royal, Drury Lane in Covent Garden, celebrating excellence on London stages from the last twelve months.
A host of stars including Claire Foy, Idris Elba and Richard Madden will join together tonight to honour theatre’s brightest talents.
Bodyguard star Madden will join other leading figures from stage and screen including Jenna Coleman, Patti LuPone, Letitia Wright, Paapa Essiedu and Stella McCartney to present prizes during the ceremony.
The star-studded ceremony will be presented by Fleabag and Killing Eve writer and actress Phoebe Waller-Bridge, and will be co-hosted by Evening Standard owner Evgeny Lebedev, American Vogue Editor-in-Chief Anna Wintour, along with Foy and Elba.
Read the 64th Evening Standard Theatre Awards shortlist in full
The health of London’s thriving theatre scene is reflected in this year’s expanded shortlists, with all but one category expanded from three names to five.
The National Theatre leads the way with 14 nods, whilst Marianne Elliott’s gender-flipped revival of Company and Matthew Lopez’s epic two-parter The Inheritance both compete in a handful of categories.
An array of categories will acknowledge the great and the good, from musical performances to emerging talent. Two one-woman performances by Laura Linney (My Name Is Lucy Barton) and Carey Mulligan (Girls & Boys) will compete for the Natasha Richardson Award for Best Actress, given in partnership with Christian Louboutin, with Sophie Okonedo (Antony & Cleopatra), Cecilia Noble (Nine Night) and Lia Williams (The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie) making up the rest of the shortlist.
Three actors are recognised for performances at the National Theatre: Bryan Cranston (Network), Ralph Fiennes (Antony and Cleopatra) and Colin Morgan (Translations) are all shortlisted for the Best Actor Award, in partnership with ATG. Ian McKellen and Kyle Soller both make the shortlist for plays that transferred to the West End (King Lear and The Inheritance).
The awards are held in association with fashion label and official platinum partner Michael Kors. The winners will be announced this evening. Follow our coverage at standard.co.uk/theatreawards and on @thestandardarts with the hashtag #ESTheatreAwards
