Just announced! Full list of 2017 #CriticsCircleAwards winners and production photos

The Critics’ Circle Theatre Awards 2017 were hosted today, Tuesday 30 January 2018, by the Critics’ Circle Drama Section Chairman Mark Shenton, at the Prince of Wales Theatre, London.

Headlines from the 2017 Awards include:

• Musicals dominate with Hamilton scooping Best Musical, both Best Director and Best Designer going to the National Theatre revival of Sondheim’s Follies, and two Most Promising Newcomer gongs awarded to Sheila Atim and John McCrea, actors who have made their West End debuts in two new British musicals, Girl from the North Country and Everybody’s Talking About Jamie, respectively
• Breaking Bad star Bryan Cranston wins Best Actor for his London stage debut in Network at the National, while Victoria Hamilton takes home Best Actress (her fourth Critics’ Circle win since 1995) for her performance in Mike Bartlett’s Albion and Andrew Scott is awarded Best Shakespearean Performance for another Almeida production, Hamlet
• Jez Butterworth wins his third Best New Play prize (after Jerusalem and Mojo) for The Ferryman
• Outgoing Young Vic artistic director David Lan is presented with the Critics’ Circle Drama Section’s first Special Award for services to theatre

The Awards were presented in association with Nyman Libson Paul Chartered Accountants, leading entertainment industry specialists, and supported by Delfont Mackintosh Theatres and new sponsor The British Theatre Academy.

To view 2017 Awards speeches from critics and winners, visit our Facebook page.

Best New Play

The Ferryman by Jez Butterworth
Royal Court & Gielgud Theatres, London
award presented to Sam Mendes by Lyn Gardner, The Guardian

The Peter Hepple Award for Best Musical

Hamilton
Victoria Palace, London
award presented to Jamael Westman, who plays Hamilton in the West End production, and fellow cast members Giles Terera, Rachelle Ann Go, Christine Allado and Rachel John by Natasha Tripney, The Stage

Best Actor

Bryan Cranson in Network
National Theatre, London
award presented to Bryan Cranston by Michael Billington, The Guardian

Best Actress

Victoria Hamilton in Albion
Almeida Theatre, London
award presented to Victoria Hamilton by Dominic Cavendish, The Telegraph

The Trewin Award for Best Shakespearean Performance

Andrew Scott in Hamlet
Almeida & Harold Pinter Theatres, London
award presented to Andrew Scott by Henry Hitchings, Evening Standard

Best Director

Dominic Cooke for Follies
National Theatre, London
award presented to Dominic Cooke by Matt Wolf, The International New York Times

Best Designer

Vicki Mortimer for Follies
National Theatre, London
award presented to Vicki Mortimer by David Benedict, The Arts Desk

Most Promising Playwright

Brandon Jacob-Jenkins for Gloria and An Octoroon
Hampstead Theatre & Orange Tree Theatre (respectively), London
award presented to Hampstead artistic director Edward Hall and Orange Tree artistic director Paul Miller by Fiona Mountford, Evening Standard

The Jack Tinker Award for Most Promising Newcomer (a tie)

Sheila Atim in Girl From the North Country
Old Vic & Noel Coward Theatres, London
award presented to Sheila Atim by Sarah Crompton, WhatsOnStage

John McCrea in Everybody’s Talking About Jamie
Sheffield Crucible & Apollo Theatre, London
award presented to John McCrea by Sarah Hemming, The Financial Times

Special Award

David Lan, Artistic director
Young Vic Theatre, London
award presented to David Lan by Heather Neill, TheatreVoice