Coliseum nets 10 Theatre Awards nominations

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A scene from The Weir, which is up for the Target Live Award for Best Visiting Production at the Oldham Coliseum Picture by Marc Brenner

The Oldham Coliseum has been nominated in no less than TEN categories ahead of the prestigious Manchester Theatre Awards, to be held at The Lowry’s Quays Theatre on Friday, March 9, hosted by actor and comedian Justin Moorhouse.

In addition, the Oldham Theatre Workshop has also received a nomination.

The annual awards – the most important theatrical prize-giving outside London – has been a major fixture of the north-west cultural calendar since 1981 and will honour productions seen in Greater Manchester during 2017.

With the backing of the Greater Manchester theatres, a judging panel of some of the most experienced critics in the country, who attend hundreds of performances a year, celebrate the significant impact of theatre in Greater Manchester.

In recent years the awards have expanded to include a group of enthusiastic young critics who also choose an annual award from the city’s youth theatre productions.

Nominations in over 20 categories celebrating the best work on stage and off have been announced, and winners will be announced on stage at the March 9 red carpet event, attended by Greater Manchester’s theatre community.

The Lowry in Salford leads the way wi.th 15 nominations across categories including dance, opera and drama, with HOME in Manchester city centre following with 13 nods.

Oldham Coliseum and Oldham Theatre Workshop nominations:

Actress in a Leading Role
Karen Henthorn, Spring and Port Wine, Oldham Coliseum

Actor in a Leading Role
Cliff Burnett, Hard Times, Oldham Coliseum
Kenneth Alan Taylor, The Father, Oldham Coliseum

Actress in a Supporting Role
Kerry Peers, The Father, Oldham Coliseum

Actor in a Supporting Role
Tom Michael Blyth, Hard Times, Oldham Coliseum

Actress in a Visiting Production
Natalie Radmall-Quirke, The Weir, English Touring Theatre at Oldham Coliseum

Actor in a Visiting Production
Sean Murray, The Weir, English Touring Theatre at Oldham Coliseum

Ensemble
Oh What A Lovely War, Oldham Coliseum

Production
The Father, Oldham Coliseum

Target Live Award for Best Visiting Production
The Weir, English Touring Theatre at Oldham Coliseum

Youth Panel Award
Tis Written in the Stars, Oldham Theatre Workshop, reviewed at Oldham Coliseum

Since the relaunch of the awards in 2011, famous faces from stage and screen to have won include Sir Kenneth Branagh, Maxine Peake, Rufus Hound, Rory Kinnear, Barry Humphries, Julian Glover and Sian Phillips.

Famous names in the running for awards this year include Sheridan Smith, who is nominated for Best Visiting Actress for her role as Fanny Brice in Funny Girl, Danny Mac, nominated for Best Visiting Actor for his performance as Joe McGill in Sunset Boulevard while Jason Merrells is up for Best Actor for his role in HOME’s Uncle Vanya.

Coronation Street and Broadchurch actress Julie Hesmondhalgh, herself a previous multiple MTA winner, paid tribute to the awards and the importance of the Greater Manchester theatre scene.

She said: “I love the Manchester Theatre Awards. It’s always such a lovely coming together of our artistic community in the best city in the world, and is a celebration of all things theatrical here, from the emerging raw talent of the burgeoning fringe scene to the bobby dazzler spectaculars in our main houses and from the internationally acclaimed cultural highlights of MIF to a couple of people in a tiny space above a Salford pub.”

All nominees are invited to the awards, and members of the public can also buy tickets for the event.

Tickets, priced £15 are available from www.thelowry.com/information/booking.