Brunton panto up for a CATS
Traverse, Lyceum & Grid Iron shows also nominated
The Brunton and Wonder Fools co-production of A Christmas Carol is one of four productions nominated in the new Outstanding Pantomime category in this year’s Critics’ Awards for Theatre in Scotland.
Staged at Loretto Theatre after the Brunton’s enforced closure and given a five-star review by Martin Gray on Æ, A Christmas Carol is up against Gaiety Theatre, Ayr’s Mother Goose, Peter Pan at Glasgow’s King’s Theatre and Ya Wee Dickie McWhittington at King’s Kirkcaldy.
Graham Crammond in Wonder Fool’s A Christmas Carol for The Brunton. Pic: Mihaela Bodlovic
The Brunton production is one of five with Edinburgh-based co-producers, which have been shortlisted for the awards. They have a total of 12 nominations between them. The winners are to be announced at the Traverse on Sunday 8 June 2025.
Wild Rose, the adaptation of Tom Harper’s 2019 movie at the Lyceum (Æ review: ★★★★★ Triumphant), is up for Best Production and Dawn Sievewright is nominated for Outstanding Performance for her turn as aspiring Glaswegian country singer Rose-Lynn. The musical also has nods in the Music and Technical categories.
There are three nominations for June Carter Cash: The Woman, Her Music and Me (Æ review: ★★★★☆ Exuberant), Grid Iron’s co-production with the NTS about the acclaimed country artist, seen at Summerhall in the Fringe. Writer and star Charlene Boyd is up for both Best New Play and Outstanding Performance, with designer Shona Reppe and her team nominated in the Best Design category.
Dawn Sievewright and the Wild Rose company. Pic: Mihaela Bodlovic
The Traverse has two shows nominated in four categories. Writer Douglas Maxwell is up for Best New Play for So Young (Æ review: ★★★★☆ Pointed) the co-production with Raw Material and the Glasgow Citizens. The cast of the four-hander about long-standing married relationships are nominated for Best Ensemble.
A History of Paper (Æ review: ★★★★★ Heartbreaking) the musical which Oliver Emanuel and songwriter Gareth Williams were developing at the time of Emanuel’s death in 2023, is nominated in the Music category. Andrew Panton, AD of co-producers Dundee Rep is also up for the directing award.
Charlene Boyd and Ray Aggs in June Carter Cash: The Woman, Her Music and Me. Pic: Sally Jubb.
The Brunton’s General Manager Kirsty Somerville expressed her delight at the pantomime nominations saying: “The Brunton panto is a key part of the cultural calendar in East Lothian and is treasured by both the team and the local community.
“The opportunity to work in collaboration with Wonder Fools was an exciting chance to bring a fresh perspective to the panto format, work with a brilliant array of local artists, and bring the panto to our new venues in Haddington and Musselburgh.”
Thrilled
Robbie Gordon, Co-Artistic Director of Wonder Fools added: “We’re absolutely thrilled to be nominated. It was a real privilege to create a pantomime in the region I grew up in, with regular collaborators – panto legends like Graham Crammond – and at the very theatre where I first attended youth theatre.
“It felt like bringing everything full circle. It was a joy to bring my favourite stories to young people and families in the region with a Scottish panto twist.”
Lucianne McEvoy, Andy Clark, Yana Harris and Nicholas Karimi in So Young. Pic: Aly Wight.
Heading the overall nominations this year is Confessions of a Shinagawa Monkey the international co-production between Scotland’s Vanishing Point and Kanagawa Arts Theatre of Japan (in association with Tramway) which is shortlisted in seven categories.
Joining Wild Rose on four nominations is the Scottish premiere at Tron Theatre of Radiant Vermin. There are three nominations for both Hedda Gabler – a new version of Ibsen’s classic by Kathy McKean staged at Bard in the Botanics and Pitlochry Festival Theatre’s production of Beautiful: The Carole King Musical.
There are single nominations for several shows seen in Edinburgh but produced elsewhere. Martin O’Connor is up for Best New Play for Through the Shortbread Tin (Æ review: ★★★★☆ Charismatic and witty) a rich, multi-layered story about the nation’s history and personal identity, from the National Theatre of Scotland.
Jack Lowden is nominated for the Outstanding Performance award for his turn as Luka, a new attendee at Alcoholics Anonymous meetings in David Ireland’s The Fifth Step (Æ review: ★★★☆☆ Diffuse), from the National Theatre of Scotland, Neal Street and Playful Productions, seen at the Lyceum as part of the 2024 Edinburgh International Festival.
Kieran Hurley and Gary McNair are nominated for Best New Play for VL (Æ review: ★★★★☆ Huge energy), their follow-up to the wrestling-themed Square Go, produced by Francesca Moody Productions with Summerhall and seen at the Roundabout during the Fringe 2024.
Beth Marshall is nominated for Outstanding Performance for her turn as Linda Loman in Raw Material and Trafalgar Theatre’s touring production of Death of Salesman (Æ review: ★★★☆☆ Modern Tragedy), providing the backbone of the whole piece, according to our reviewer, who saw it at the Festival Theatre.
Two shows seen at the Edinburgh International Children’s Festival 2024 are nominated in the Best Production for Children and Young People category. The contemporary circus show for ages 3-6: So Far So Good from SUPERFAN, and Tashi Gore’s The Yellow Canary, about the real-life journey her uncle Bernard took as a young Jewish boy produced by Glass Performance.
Emma Mullen and Christopher Jordan-Marshall in A History of Paper. Pic: Tommy Ga-Ken Wan.
CATS co-convenor, Joyce McMillan said “This has been another fantastic year for theatre produced in Scotland with around 140 shows eligible for the awards. No fewer than 23 different productions have been shortlisted reflecting the calibre of the work being staged across Scotland, from new interpretations of the classics to vibrant musicals and ground-breaking new plays, and not forgetting pantomime.”
FULL 2025 CATS SHORTLISTS
Outstanding Pantomime (sponsored by Mackie’s)
A Christmas Carol – The Brunton and Wonder Fools, East Lothian
Mother Goose – Gaiety Theatre, Ayr
Peter Pan – King’s Theatre, Glasgow
Ya Wee Dickie McWhittington – King’s Theatre, Kirkcaldy
Outstanding Performance (sponsored by Theatre Studies, University of Glasgow)
Charlene Boyd (June Carter Cash: The Woman, Her Music and Me) – National Theatre of Scotland and Grid Iron Theatre Company
Nicole Cooper (Hedda Gabler) – Bard in the Botanics
Sandy Grierson (Confessions of a Shinagawa Monkey) – Vanishing Point Theatre Company and Kanagawa Arts Theatre in association with Tramway
Dani Heron (Alright Sunshine) – Tron Theatre Company
Kirsty Findlay (Beautiful: The Carole King Musical) – Pitlochry Festival Theatre
Jack Lowden (The Fifth Step) – National Theatre of Scotland, Neal Street, Playful Productions
Beth Marshall (Death of Salesman) – Raw Material and Trafalgar Theatre Productions
Dawn Sievewright (Wild Rose) – Royal Lyceum Theatre Company, Caledonia Productions and Gavin Kalin
Best Ensemble
Confessions of a Shinagawa Monkey – Vanishing Point Theatre Company and Kanagawa Arts Theatre in association with Tramway
Radiant Vermin – Tron Theatre Company
So Young – Traverse Theatre, Raw Material and Citizens Theatre
The Sound of Music – Pitlochry Festival Theatre
Best Production for Children and Young People (sponsored by Gilded Balloon)
So Far So Good – Superfan
Special Delivery – Scottish Opera, Cumbernauld Theatre Company and Visible Fictions
The Yellow Canary – Glass Performance
Treasure Island – Scottish Theatre Producers
Best Music and Sound
Beautiful: The Carole King Musical [Richard Reeday (musical direction), Hugh Barbour and Toby McFarlane (sound design)] – Pitlochry Festival Theatre
Confessions of a Shinagawa Monkey [Mark Melville (sound design and composition)] – Vanishing Point and Kanagawa Arts Theatre in association with Tramway
A History of Paper [Gavin Whitworth (musical direction), Ritchie Young (sound design); Facundo Mato (sound no. 1)] – Dundee Rep Theatre and Traverse Theatre
Wild Rose [Sarah Travis and Davey Anderson (music supervision, orchestration and arrangements), Tony Gayle (sound design)] – Royal Lyceum Theatre Company, Caledonia Productions and Gavin Kalin
Best Design (sponsored by BB Hair Collective)
Confessions of a Shinagawa Monkey [Kei Ishihara/BlankRD (scenography), Simon Wilkinson (lighting), Sacico Ito/Brucke (costumes), Eri Akamatsu/Esper (hair, wigs and make up); Ailie Cohen (puppet design and making)] – Vanishing Point and Kanagawa Arts Theatre in association with Tramway
Doubt: A Parable [Jessica Worrall (sets and costumes), Derek Anderson (lighting)] – Dundee Rep Theatre
June Carter Cash: The Woman, Her Music and Me [Shona Reppe (set and costume design), Elle Taylor (lighting)] – National Theatre of Scotland and Grid Iron Theatre Company
Radiant Vermin [Kenny Miller (sets and costumes), Emma Jones (lighting)] – Tron Theatre Company
Best Technical Presentation (sponsored by BECTU)
Beautiful The Carole King Musical – Pitlochry Festival Theatre
Confessions of a Shinagawa Monkey – Vanishing Point Theatre Company and Kanagawa Arts Theatre in association with Tramway
Radiant Vermin – Tron Theatre Company
Wild Rose – Royal Lyceum Theatre Company, Caledonia Productions and Gavin Kalin)
Best New Play sponsored by (Nick Hern Books)
Charlene Boyd: June Carter Cash: The Woman Her Music and Me – National Theatre of Scotland and Grid Iron Theatre Company.
Kieran Hurley & Gary McNair: VL – Francesca Moody Productions; Summerhall.
Douglas Maxwell: So Young – Traverse Theatre, Raw Material and Citizens Theatre.
Martin O’Connor: Through the Shortbread Tin – National Theatre of Scotland on tour.
Best Director
Gordon Barr (Hedda Gabler) – Bard in the Botanics
Joanna Bowman (Doubt: A Parable) – Dundee Rep Theatre
Matthew Lenton (Confessions of a Shinagawa Monkey) – Vanishing Point Theatre Company and Kanagawa Arts Theatre in association with Tramway
Andrew Panton (A History of Paper) – Dundee Rep Theatre and Traverse Theatre
Best Production
Confessions of a Shinagawa Monkey – Vanishing Point Theatre Company and Kanagawa Arts Theatre in association with Tramway
Hedda Gabler – Bard in the Botanics
Radiant Vermin – Tron Theatre Company
Wild Rose – Royal Lyceum Theatre Company, Caledonia Productions and Gavin Kalin
Doubt: A Parable – Dundee Rep Theatre
ENDS
