Eddie Redmayne, Sheridan Smith & More Among 2011 Critics’ Circle Theatre Awards

The winners of the 2011 Critics' Circle Theatre Awards were announced on January 24 in a ceremony at the Prince of Wales Theatre in London. Tony winner Eddie Redmayne, Sheridan Smith and the Broadway-bound One Man, Two Guvnors were among the winners announced.

The Critics' Circle, established in 1913, is a professional association of critics of drama, music, the cinema, dance and art/architecture aiming to promote the art of criticism and to uphold its integrity in practice, to foster and safeguard the interests of its members and to support the advancement of the arts. The Critics' Circle Theatre Awards were instituted in 1989 and is an informal gathering of award recipients, drama critics, theatre practitioners and the media to celebrate the critics’ personal choice of the best theatre from throughout the UK during the last calendar year.  Here is a complete list of the winners:

Best New Play
One Man, Two Guvnors by Richard Bean, Lyttelton Theatre at the National, followed by a transfer to the Adelphi Theatre

The Peter Hepple Award for Best Musical (new or revival)
London Road; Cottesloe Theatre at the National, London

Best Actor
Benedict Cumberbatch in Frankenstein; Olivier Theatre at the National, London

Best Actress
Sheridan Smith in Flare Path; Theatre Royal Haymarket, London

The John and Wendy Trewin Award for Best Shakespearean Performance
Eddie Redmayne in Richard II; Donmar Warehouse, London

Best Director
Mike Leigh for Grief; Cottesloe Theatre at the National, London

Best Designer
Mark Tildesley for Frankenstein; Olivier Theatre at the National, London

Most Promising Playwright
Tom Wells for The Kitchen Sink; Bush Theatre, London

The Jack Tinker Award for Most Promising Newcomer (other than a playwright)
Blanche McIntyre for Accolade & Foxfinder; Finborough Theatre, London