Whatsonstage.com Awards celebrate 10th Anniversary
Feature by Lizzie Guilfoyle
ON Friday, December 4, 2009, just days after opening in Cat on a Hot Tin Roof, Broadway stars James Earl Jones, Phylicia Rashad and Sanaa Lathan will headline one of the biggest events in the West End calendar, the launch of the 10th Annual Whatsonstage.com Awards – the “theatregoers choice”.
The glittering lunchtime ceremony will take place at Cafe de Paris, where the three Broadway stars will be joined by British stage and screen actor Jeremy Irons, who is representing this year’s adopted charity, Theatre Royal Haymarket Masterclass.
There will also be live performances from Sister Act star Patina Miller, the stars of Christmas with The Rat Pack, and the company from the satirical musical comedy Jest End, who will celebrate the 10th anniversary of the Awards with a specially written number.
The Broadway stars of Cat On a Tin Roof – who themselves boast an impressive collection of Tony Awards and other US accolades – are the special guest co-presenters, reading the nominations across more than 20 categories.
The race will then be on to decide the eventual Whatsonstage.com Award winners, with voting on the shortlists opening that day and continuing until the end of January. The final results will be announced and awards presented in front of a live audience of theatregoer voters at the Winners’ Concert on Sunday, February 14, 2010, at the Prince of Wales Theatre.
Last year more than 35,000 theatregoers voted online for the eventual winners on the Whatsonstage.com website.
To vote for your favourite performances and productions simply log on to the above website. The categories include Best Actor, Best Actress, Best New Play and Best New Musical as well as Best Ensemble Performance, Best Off-West End Production and Theatre Event of the Year.
And this year, to tie in with the 10th birthday celebrations, there’s a new category – Best West End Show, which applies to all current West End productions, including long-running blockbusters from the past decade.
This year has been dominated by the opening of big musicals such as Priscilla Queen of the Desert, Oliver! and Sister Act and major star turns including Jude Law, Anna Friel, Kevin Spacey, Rachel Weisz, Jane Horrocks, James McAvoy, Judi Dench, Derek Jacobi, Dominic West, Rowan Atkinson, Ethan Hawke, Lesley Sharp, Nigel Harman, Richard Dreyfuss, Ian McKellen and Patrick Stewart.
For the main Award categories, all professional productions – from Fringe to the West End – which opened in London between December 1, 2008 and November 30, 2009, are eligible for nomination.
Both Awards events are held in aid of this year’s adopted charity, Theatre Royal Haymarket Masterclass, which gives young people the chance to learn from and be inspired by leading artists. Set up by the Theatre Royal Haymarket in 1998, the hugely successful Masterclass programme has now welcomed over 40,000 people aged 17-30.
Events are given free of charge and occur at least one Friday a month throughout the year, focusing on all aspects of theatre from acting and directing to writing and producing. Although Masterclass events are designed for those at the start of their careers, theatregoers and others, of whatever age, are also welcome.