T he 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.
Evening Standard Theatre Awards 2018: The shortlist1 /58Evening Standard Theatre Awards 2018: The shortlist
Evening Standard Theatre Awards 2018: The shortlist
Evening Standard Theatre Awards 2018: The shortlist Shortlisted for Best Actor in partnership with Ambassador Theatre Group Bryan Cranston , Network (National Theatre, Lyttelton)
Jan Versweyveld
Evening Standard Theatre Awards 2018: The shortlist Shortlisted for Best Actor in partnership with Ambassador Theatre Group Ralph Fiennes , Antony and Cleopatra (National Theatre, Olivier)
Johan Persson
Evening Standard Theatre Awards 2018: The shortlist Shortlisted for Best Actor in partnership with Ambassador Theatre Group Ian McKellen , King Lear (Chichester & Duke of York’s)
Johan Persson
Evening Standard Theatre Awards 2018: The shortlist Shortlisted for Best Actor in partnership with Ambassador Theatre Group Colin Morgan , Translations (National Theatre, Olivier)
Catherine Ashmore
Evening Standard Theatre Awards 2018: The shortlist Shortlisted for Best Actor in partnership with Ambassador Theatre Group Kyle Soller , The Inheritance (Young Vic & Noël Coward Theatre)
Marc Brenner
Evening Standard Theatre Awards 2018: The shortlist Shortlisted for the Natasha Richardson Award for Best Actress in partnership with Christian Louboutin Laura Linney , My Name Is Lucy Barton (Bridge Theatre)
Manuel Harlan
Evening Standard Theatre Awards 2018: The shortlist Shortlisted for the Natasha Richardson Award for Best Actress in partnership with Christian Louboutin Carey Mulligan , Girls and Boys (Royal Court)
Marc Brenner
Evening Standard Theatre Awards 2018: The shortlist Shortlisted for the Natasha Richardson Award for Best Actress in partnership with Christian Louboutin Cecilia Noble , Nine Night (National Theatre, Dorfman)
Helen Murray
Evening Standard Theatre Awards 2018: The shortlist Shortlisted for the Natasha Richardson Award for Best Actress in partnership with Christian Louboutin Sophie Okonedo , Antony and Cleopatra (National Theatre, Olivier)
Johan Persson
Evening Standard Theatre Awards 2018: The shortlist Shortlisted for the Natasha Richardson Award for Best Actress in partnership with Christian Louboutin Lia Williams , The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie (Donmar Warehouse)
Manuel Harlan
Evening Standard Theatre Awards 2018: The shortlist Shortlisted for Best Play in partnership with Chanel Home I’m Darling by Laura Wade (National Theatre, Dorfman)
Manuel Harlan
Evening Standard Theatre Awards 2018: The shortlist Shortlisted for Best Play in partnership with Chanel The Inheritance by Matthew Lopez (Young Vic and Noël Coward Theatre)
Marc Brenner
Evening Standard Theatre Awards 2018: The shortlist Shortlisted for Best Play in partnership with Chanel John by Annie Baker (National Theatre, Dorfman)
Stephen Cummiskey
Evening Standard Theatre Awards 2018: The shortlist Shortlisted for Best Play in partnership with Chanel The Lehman Trilogy by Stefano Massini and adapted by Ben Power (National Theatre, Lyttelton)
Mark Douet
Evening Standard Theatre Awards 2018: The shortlist Shortlisted for Best Play in partnership with Chanel The Writer by Ella Hickson (Almeida Theatre)
Manuel Harlan
Evening Standard Theatre Awards 2018: The shortlist Shortlisted for the Milton Shulman Award for Best Director Stephen Daldry for The Inheritance (Young Vic and Noël Coward Theatre)
Marc Brenner
Evening Standard Theatre Awards 2018: The shortlist Shortlisted for the Milton Shulman Award for Best Director Marianne Elliott for Company (Gielgud Theatre)
Brinkhoff-Moegenburg
Evening Standard Theatre Awards 2018: The shortlist Shortlisted for the Milton Shulman Award for Best Director Robert Hastie for The York Realist (Donmar Warehouse)
Johan Persson
Evening Standard Theatre Awards 2018: The shortlist Shortlisted for the Milton Shulman Award for Best Director Phyllida Lloyd for Tina (Aldwych Theatre)
Manuel Harlan
Evening Standard Theatre Awards 2018: The shortlist Shortlisted for the Milton Shulman Award for Best Director Ian Rickson for Translations (National Theatre, Olivier)
Catherine Ashmore
Evening Standard Theatre Awards 2018: The shortlist Shortlisted for Best Musical Caroline, or Change (Chichester & Hampstead Theatre)
Marc Brenner
Evening Standard Theatre Awards 2018: The shortlist Shortlisted for Best Musical Company (Gielgud Theatre)
Brinkhoff-Moegenburg
Evening Standard Theatre Awards 2018: The shortlist Shortlisted for Best Musical Everybody’s Talking About Jamie (Apollo Theatre)
Alastair Muir
Evening Standard Theatre Awards 2018: The shortlist Shortlisted for Best Musical Fun Home (Young Vic)
Marc Brenner
Evening Standard Theatre Awards 2018: The shortlist Shortlisted for Best Musical Hamilton (Victoria Palace Theatre)
Matthew Murphy
Evening Standard Theatre Awards 2018: The shortlist Shortlisted for Best Musical Performance Sharon D Clarke , Caroline, or Change (Chichester & Hampstead Theatre)
Alastair Muir
Evening Standard Theatre Awards 2018: The shortlist Shortlisted for Best Musical Performance Rosalie Craig , Company (Gielgud Theatre)
Brinkhoff-Moegenburg
Evening Standard Theatre Awards 2018: The shortlist Shortlisted for Best Musical Performance Arinzé Kene , Misty (Bush Theatre & Trafalgar Studios)
Helen Murray
Evening Standard Theatre Awards 2018: The shortlist Shortlisted for Best Musical Performance Kelli O’Hara , The King and I (Palladium)
Matthew Murphy
Evening Standard Theatre Awards 2018: The shortlist Shortlisted for Best Musical Performance Adrienne Warren , Tina (Aldwych Theatre)
Manuel Harlan
Evening Standard Theatre Awards 2018: The shortlist Shortlisted for Best Design Miriam Buether , The Jungle (Young Vic & Playhouse Theatre)
Marc Brenner
Evening Standard Theatre Awards 2018: The shortlist Shortlisted for Best Design Bunny Christie , Company (Gielgud Theatre)
Brinkhoff-Mogenberg
Evening Standard Theatre Awards 2018: The shortlist Shortlisted for Best Design Es Devlin , Girls and Boys (Royal Court)
Marc Brenner
Evening Standard Theatre Awards 2018: The shortlist Shortlisted for Best Design Rae Smith , Translations (National Theatre, Olivier)
Catherine Ashmore
Evening Standard Theatre Awards 2018: The shortlist Shortlisted for Best Design Jan Versweyveld , Network (National Theatre, Lyttelton)
Jan Versweyveld
Evening Standard Theatre Awards 2018: The shortlist Shortlisted for the Charles Wintour Award for Most Promising Playwright Tearrance Arvelle Chisholm , Br’er Cotton (Theatre503)
Helen Murray
Evening Standard Theatre Awards 2018: The shortlist Shortlisted for the Charles Wintour Award for Most Promising Playwright Natasha Gordon , Nine Night (National Theatre, Dorfman)
Helen Murray
Evening Standard Theatre Awards 2018: The shortlist Shortlisted for the Charles Wintour Award for Most Promising Playwright Francis Turnly , The Great Wave (National Theatre, Dorfman)
Mark Douet
Evening Standard Theatre Awards 2018: The shortlist Shortlisted for the Emerging Talent Award in partnership with Access Entertainment Rona Morison , The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie (Donmar Warehouse)
Manuel Harlan
Evening Standard Theatre Awards 2018: The shortlist Shortlisted for the Emerging Talent Award in partnership with Access Entertainment Debris Stevenson , Poet in da Corner (Royal Court)
Vicky Grout
Evening Standard Theatre Awards 2018: The shortlist Shortlisted for the Emerging Talent Award in partnership with Access Entertainment Chris Walley , The Lieutenant of Inishmore (Noël Coward Theatre)
Johan Persson
Evening Standard Theatre Awards 2018: The shortlist Shortlisted for the Emerging Talent Award in partnership with Access Entertainment Roy Alexander Weise , Nine Night (National Theatre, Dorfman) & Br’er Cotton (Theatre503)
Helen Murray
Evening Standard Theatre Awards 2018: The shortlist Shortlisted for the Emerging Talent Award in partnership with Access Entertainment Jamael Westman , Hamilton (Victoria Palace Theatre)
Matthew Murphy
An array of categories will acknowledge the great and the good, from musical performances to emerging talent. Two one-woman performances by La ura 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
