The Stage Awards and The Stage 100 to celebrate industry response to Covid-19

The Stage Awards and The Stage 100 have been reimagined for 2021 to celebrate the theatre industry’s response to the Covid-19 pandemic.

There will be no physical ceremony for The Stage Awards in 2021, but winners will be announced on January 7, alongside The Stage 100 list.

No shortlist will be announced for The Stage Awards, only winners, to celebrate the accomplishments of theatre organisations in 2021, despite the challenges presented by the pandemic.

Categories for the awards are regional theatre of the year, London theatre of the year, fringe theatre of the year, theatre building of the year, producer of the year, international award, innovation award and achievement in technical theatre.

Individuals who have gone above and beyond will be celebrated in The Stage 100, which, unlike in previous years, will not be a ranked power list but will be purely celebratory.

Alistair Smith, editor of The Stage, said: "This has been a year unlike any other in theatre’s history.

"We thought long and hard about whether it was appropriate to continue with our annual industry awards given the fact that for some organisations and individuals there has been little opportunity to stage much theatre in its traditional sense during 2020.

"However, we also believe it is important to celebrate the extraordinary efforts made by many in our industry to create work and keep theatre alive in extraordinarily difficult circumstances."

Smith added: "To that end, we’ve decided to continue with both The Stage Awards and The Stage 100 this year, but both will be slightly altered to reflect the changed times we live in.

"In this way, we will recognise the individuals and organisations who have gone above and beyond to fight for the future of theatre during this most difficult of years."

Subscribers to The Stage can put forward suggestions for organisations they wish to be considered for The Stage Awards and for individuals they believe should be included in The Stage 100.

All suggestions will then be considered by The Stage judging panel, which can also submit its own nominations.

For further information:
The Stage Awards
The Stage 100