The winners of the Irish Times Theatre Awards 2016 were announced recently with Northern Ireland creatives picking up an outstanding five out of a possible eleven awards for: Best Actor, Best New Play, Best Set Design, Best Supporting Actor and Best Supporting Actress, with Belfast’s Lyric Theatre collecting two wins on the night.
The annual awards, now in their 19th year, recognise the wealth of talent on the island of Ireland. Wins for Northern Ireland include:
• Best Actor for Marty Rea in Druid Shakespeare
• Best New Play went to Stacey Gregg for Scorch by Prime Cut Productions
• Best Set Design went to Sarah Bacon for The Shadow of a Gunman co-produced by the Lyric Theatre Belfast and Abbey Theatre• Best Supporting Actor went to Laurence Kinlan in The Night Alive co-produced by the Lyric Theatre Belfast and Dublin Theatre Festival
• Best Supporting Actress went to Abi McGibbon in Everything Between Us by David Ireland
[gallery size="instagram" link="file" ids="3685,3686,3687"]
Noirin McKinney, Director of Arts Development, Arts Council of Northern Ireland, commented:
“Congratulations to all the winners, particularly to Prime Cut Productions, Outburst and Stacey Gregg for Best New Play and also to the Lyric Theatre for collecting two awards for co-productions with Abbey Theatre and Dublin Theatre Festival. The fact that Northern Ireland walked away with five out of eleven awards demonstrates the immense quality of our arts sector here which continues to enrich and inspire, putting us on the map for all the right reasons.”
Jimmy Fay, Executive Producer of the Lyric Theatre, added:
"I’m absolutely delighted that the Lyric picked up two awards on the night for our co-productions of The Night Alive and The Shadow of a Gunman but I’m thrilled for the wider Northern Irish theatre family being recognised too. Stacey Gregg and PrimeCut for their Best New Play award and well-deserved acting awards for Marty Rea and Abi McGibbon. A testament to the vibrant and exciting work that’s being produced currently here in Northern Ireland.
Further information on the Irish Times Theatre Awards can be found here*First published by the Arts Council of Northern Ireland here