Boaby pulls the CATS
Gavin Mitchell to compere Scottish theatre awards
Gavin Mitchell, known to millions as Boabby the constantly sneering barman of the Clansman pub in Still Game has been announced as presenter for the 15th Critics Awards for Theatre in Scotland, to be held on Sunday 11 June 2017.
Mitchell will be handing out he gongs as the winners are announced in ten categories ranging from best play to actor and actress. There are also awards for best design, music, new play and production for children.
Gavin Mitchell and Pauline Knowles in Pass the Spoon, a “sort-of opera” by David Shrigley, David Fennessy and Nicholas Bone. Pic Tommy Ga-Ken Wan
The ceremony is being held at Edinburgh’s Festival Theatre from 3.30pm and will be open to the public, with tickets currently available from the theatre box office.
The awards are coordinated by Scotland’s theatre critics, convened by Joyce McMillan of the Scotsman and Mark Fisher of the Guardian. A shortlist of four in each category was announced in May, revealing strong running for Edinburgh’s theatres and companies which have over half the available nominations.
As previously reported the Lyceum leads the nominations table with 15, while independent company Red Bridge Arts has picked up six nominations, including five for the co-production with the Traverse of Black Beauty.
While Mitchell is best known for his turn on Still Game, he has also appeared in straight theatre and musicals. He was most recently seen in Edinburgh at the Playhouse in Priscilla Queen of the Desert, but was brilliant as Bogart playing American Rick Blaine – and several other suave characters – in Casablanca, the Gin Joint Cut.
However his most memorable – and possibly his finest – moment was in the “sort of opera” Pass the Spoon at the Traverse in 2012, set in a cookery game show. Starting off as an alcoholic, manic-depressive singing egg he returned – just to prove his versatility beyond all doubt – as a dancing, singing turd, attempting to seduce Pauline Knowles as the super-sneering host June Spoon.
Speaking of the ceremony, Mitchell said: “It’s a pleasure, a privilege and slightly petrifying to present to my peers with the peerless Joyce McMillan at this years CAT awards, on what has been another bumper year for productions and exponents of their craft. I look forward to seeing friends, colleagues and critics alike for fun, frolics and celebrations.”
Listings and links
Critics Awards for Theatre in Scotland
Festival Theatre, 13/29 Nicolson Street EH8 9FT
Sunday 11 June 2017
From 3.30pm.
Tickets and details at: http://www.edtheatres.com/cats.
Full list of nominees: Lyceum Dominates CATS Nominations.
ENDS
