Critics' Circle Theatre Award

Winners, 1982 to present

Best New Play

• 1982 – A Kind of Alaska by Harold Pinter
• 1984 – One for the Road by Harold Pinter
• 1985 – A Chorus of Disapproval by Alan Ayckbourn
• 1986 – Road by Jim Cartwright
• 1987 – Fashion
• 1987 – Curtains
• 1988 - The Secret Rapture by David Hare
• 1989 - Ghetto by Joshua Sobol
• 1990 - Racing Demon by David Hare
• 1991 - Three Birds Alighting on a Field by Timberlake Wertenbaker
• 1992 - Angels in America by Tony Kushner
• 1993 - Arcadia by Tom Stoppard
• 1994 - Dead Funny by Terry Johnson
• 1995 - The Steward of Christendom by Sebastian Barry
• 1996 - Blinded by the Sun by Stephen Poliakoff
• 1997 - Closer by Patrick Marber
• 1998 - Copenhagen by Michael Frayn
• 1999 - Mnemonic by Simon McBurney
• 2000 - Blue/Orange by Joe Penhall
• 2001 - Humble Boy by Charlotte Jones
• 2002 - The York Realist by Peter Gill
• 2003 - Democracy by Michael Frayn
• 2004 - The History Boys by Alan Bennett
• 2005 - Harvest by Richard Bean
• 2006 - Rock'n'Roll by Tom Stoppard
• 2007 - A Disappearing Number by Simon McBurney and Complicite
• 2008 - by Tracy Letts
• 2009 - Jerusalem by Jez Butterworth
• 2010 - Clybourne Park by Bruce Norris
• 2011 - One Man, Two Guvnors by Richard Bean
• 2012 - The Effect by Lucy Prebble
• 2013 - Chimerica by Lucy Kirkwood
• 2014 - King Charles III by Mike Bartlett
• 2015 - Hangmen by Martin McDonagh
• 2016 - The Flick by Annie Baker
• 2017 - The Ferryman by Jez Butterworth
• 2018 - The Inheritance by Matthew Lopez
• 2019 - A Very Expensive Poison by Lucy Prebble

  Best Actor

• 1982 – Bob Hoskins for Guys and Dolls
• 1983 – Derek Jacobi for Cyrano de Bergerac and Much Ado About Nothing
• 1984 – Antony Sher for Richard III
• 1984 – Brian Cox for Rat in the Skull and Strange Interlude
• 1985 – Gary Oldman for The Pope's Wedding
• 1985 – Anthony Hopkins for Pravda
• 1986 – Bill Fraser for When We Are Married
• 1986 – Hugh Quarshie for The Great White Hope
• 1987 – Brian Cox for The Taming of the Shrew, Titus Andronicus and Fashion
• 1988 – Tom Wilkinson for An Enemy of the People
• 1988 – Alex Jennings for Too Clever by Half
• 1989 - Ian McKellen for Othello
• 1990 - Michael Gambon for Man of the Moment
• 1991 - Nigel Hawthorne for The Madness of George III
• 1992 - Paul Eddington for No Man's Land
• 1993 - Ian Holm for Moonlight
• 1994 - Tom Courtenay for Moscow Stations
• 1995 - Daniel Massey for Taking Sides
• 1996 - David Suchet for Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?
• 1997 - Ian Holm for King Lear
• 1998 - Kevin Spacey for The Iceman Cometh
• 1999 - Henry Goodman for The Merchant of Venice
• 2000 - Michael Gambon for The Caretaker
• 2001 - Ian McDiarmid for Faith Healer
• 2002 - Simon Russell Beale for Uncle Vanya
• 2003 - Michael Sheen for Caligula
• 2004 - Richard Griffiths for The History Boys
• 2005 - Simon Russell Beale for The Philanthropist
• 2006 - Rufus Sewell for Rock'n'Roll
• 2007 - Charles Dance for Shadowlands
• 2008 - Kenneth Branagh for Ivanov
• 2009 - Mark Rylance for Jerusalem
• 2010 - David Suchet for All My Sons
• 2011 - Benedict Cumberbatch for Frankenstein
• 2012 - Adrian Lester for Red Velvet
• 2013 - Lenny Henry for Fences
• 2014 - Mark Strong for A View from the Bridge
• 2015 - Kenneth Cranham in The Father
• 2016 - Stephen Dillane in Faith Healer
• 2017 - Bryan Cranston in Network
• 2018 - Kyle Soller in The Inheritance
• 2019 - Andrew Scott in Present Laughter

  Best Actress

• 1982 – Judi Dench for A Kind of Alaska and The Importance of Being Earnest
• 1983 – Juliet Stevenson for Measure for Measure
• 1984 – Glenda Jackson for Strange Interlude
• 1985 – Vanessa Redgrave for The Seagull
• 1986 – Joan Plowright for The House of Bernarda Alba
• 1987 – Judi Dench for Antony and Cleopatra
• 1988 – Pauline Collins for Shirley Valentine
• 1989 - Fiona Shaw for Electra and The Good Person of Sichuan
• 1990 - Josette Simon for After the Fall
• 1991 - Fiona Shaw for Hedda Gabler
• 1992 - Eileen Atkins for The Night of the Iguana
• 1993 - Penelope Wilton for The Deep Blue Sea
• 1994 - Clare Higgins for The Children's Hour and Sweet Bird of Youth
• 1995 - Claire Skinner for The Glass Menagerie
• 1996 - Janet McTeer for A Doll's House
• 1997 - Judi Dench for Amy's View
• 1998 - Sinéad Cusack for Our Lady of Sligo
• 1999 - Janie Dee for Comic Potential
• 2000 - Victoria Hamilton for As You Like It
• 2001 - Lindsay Duncan for Mouth to Mouth and Private Lives
• 2002 - Clare Higgins for Vincent in Brixton
• 2003 - Eve Best for Mourning Becomes Electra
• 2004 - Victoria Hamilton for Suddenly Last Summer
• 2005 - Eve Best for Hedda Gabler
• 2006 - Kathleen Turner for Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?
• 2007 - Anne-Marie Duff for Saint Joan
• 2008 - Margaret Tyzack for The Chalk Garden
• 2009 - Rachel Weisz for A Streetcar Named Desire
• 2010 - Jenny Jules for Ruined
• 2011 - Sheridan Smith for Flare Path
• 2012 - Hattie Morahan for A Doll's House
• 2013 - Lesley Manville for Ghosts
• 2014 - Helen McCrory for Medea
• 2015 - Denise Gough in People, Places and Things
• 2016 - Billie Piper in Yerma
• 2017 - Victoria Hamilton in Albion
• 2018 - Patsy Ferran in Summer and Smoke
• 2019 - Sharon D Clarke in Death of a Salesman and Juliet Stevenson in The Doctor

  The Trewin Award for Best Shakespearean Performance

• 2000 - Simon Russell Beale for Hamlet
• 2001 - Samuel West for Hamlet
• 2002 - Mark Rylance for Twelfth Night
• 2003 - Greg Hicks for Coriolanus
• 2004 - Paul Rhys for Measure for Measure
• 2005 - Kevin Spacey for Richard II
• 2006 - Tamsin Greig for Beatrice in Much Ado About Nothing
• 2007 - Chiwetel Ejiofor for Othello; and Patrick Stewart for Macbeth
• 2008 - David Tennant for Hamlet and Derek Jacobi for Malvolio in Twelfth Night
• 2009 - Jude Law for Hamlet
• 2010 - Derek Jacobi for King Lear
• 2011 - Eddie Redmayne for Richard II
• 2012 - Simon Russell Beale for Timon of Athens
• 2013 - Rory Kinnear for Iago in Othello
• 2014 - Antony Sher for Falstaff in Henry IV
• 2015 - Judi Dench in The Winter's Tale
• 2016 - Glenda Jackson for King Lear
• 2017 - Andrew Scott for Hamlet
• 2018 - Sophie Okonedo in Antony and Cleopatra
• 2019 - Hammed Animashaun in A Midsummer Night's Dream

  Best Director

• 1982 – James Roose-Evans for 84 Charing Cross Road
• 1983 – Giles Havergal for Men Should Weep
• 1983 – Terry Hands for Cyrano de Bergerac
• 1984 – Peter Gill for Venice Preserved and Fool for Love
• 1985 – Bill Bryden for The Mysteries
• 1986 – Mike Alfreds for The Cherry Orchard
• 1987 – Declan Donnellan for Twelfth Night
• 1988 – Peter Brook for The Mahabharata
• 1989 - Nicholas Hytner for Ghetto and Miss Saigon
• 1990 - Sir Peter Hall for The Wild Duck; Robert Lepage for Tectonic Plates
• 1991 - Trevor Nunn for Timon of Athens
• 1992 - Stephen Daldry for An Inspector Calls
• 1993 - Terry Hands for Tamburlaine the Great
• 1994 - Sean Mathias for Design for Living and Les Parents terribles
• 1995 - Sam Mendes for The Glass Menagerie
• 1996 - Richard Eyre for John Gabriel Borkman and his revived Guys and Dolls
• 1997 - Richard Eyre for King Lear and The Invention of Love
• 1998 - Howard Davies for The Iceman Cometh and Flight
• 1999 - Trevor Nunn for The Merchant of Venice and Summerfolk
• 2000 - Michael Grandage for As You Like It, Passion Play and Merrily We Roll Along
• 2001 - Robert Lepage for The Far Side of the Moon
• 2002 - Sam Mendes for Twelfth Night and Uncle Vanya
• 2003 - Howard Davies for Mourning Becomes Electra
• 2004 - Rufus Norris for Festen
• 2005 - Michael Grandage for The Wild Duck
• 2006 - John Tiffany for Black Watch
• 2007 - Rupert Goold for Macbeth
• 2008 - Michael Grandage for Ivanov and The Chalk Garden
• 2009 - Rupert Goold for Enron
• 2010 - Michael Grandage for King Lear, jointly with Thea Sharrock for After the Dance
• 2011 - Mike Leigh for Grief
• 2012 - Benedict Andrews for Three Sisters
• 2013 - Lyndsey Turner for Chimerica
• 2014 - Ivo van Hove for A View from the Bridge
• 2015 - Robert Icke for Oresteia
• 2016 - John Tiffany for Harry Potter and the Cursed Child
• 2017 - Dominic Cooke for Follies
• 2018 - Stephen Daldry for The Inheritance
• 2019 - Jamie Lloyd for Betrayal, Evita, and Cyrano de Bergerac

  The Peter Hepple Award for Best Musical

• 1982 – Guys and Dolls
• 1983 – Blood Brothers
• 1984 – On Your Toes
• 1985 – Me and My Girl
• 1986 – Chess
• 1987 – Follies
• 1988 – South Pacific
• 1989 - Miss Saigon
• 1990 - Into the Woods
• 1991 - Carmen Jones
• 1992 - Assassins
• 1993 - City of Angels
• 1994 - She Loves Me
• 1995 - Company
• 1996 - Guys and Dolls
• 1997 - Chicago
• 1998 - Oklahoma!
• 1999 - Spend Spend Spend
• 2000 - The Beautiful Game
• 2001 - Kiss Me, Kate
• 2002 - Anything Goes
• 2003 - Jerry Springer - The Opera
• 2004 - The Producers
• 2005 - Billy Elliot the Musical
• 2006 - Caroline, or Change
• 2007 - Hairspray
• 2008 - La Cage Aux Folles
• 2009 - Spring Awakening
• 2010 - Matilda
• 2011 - London Road
• 2012 - Merrily We Roll Along
• 2013 - The Scottsboro Boys
• 2014 - Gypsy
• 2015 - Bend It Like Beckham The Musical
• 2016 - Groundhog Day
• 2017 - Hamilton
• 2018 - Company
• 2019 - Come From Away

  Most Promising Playwright

• 1989 - Stephen Jeffreys for Valued Friends
• 1990 - Clare McIntyre for My Heart's a Suitcase
• 1991 - Rona Munro for Bold Girls
• 1992 - Philip Ridley for The Fastest Clock in the Universe
• 1993 - Simon Donald for Theatre of Stuff
• 1994 - Kevin Elyot for My Night With Reg
• 1995 - Jez Butterworth for Mojo
• 1996 - Martin McDonagh for The Beauty Queen of Leenane
• 1997 - Conor McPherson for The Weir
• 1998 - Rebecca Prichard for Yard Gal
• 1999 - Charlotte Jones for Martha, Josie and the Chinese Elvis
• 2000 - Joanna Laurens for The Three Birds
• 2001 - Gregory Burke for Gagarin Way
• 2002 - Charlotte Eilenberg for The Lucky Ones
• 2003 - Lucy Prebble for The Sugar Syndrome
• 2004 - Rebecca Lenkiewicz for The Night Season
• 2005 - Laura Wade for Breathing Corpses and Colder Than Here
• 2006 - Nina Raine for Rabbit
• 2007 - Polly Stenham for That Face
• 2008 - Alexi Kaye Campbell for The Pride
• 2009 - Alia Bano for Shades
• 2010 - Anya Reiss for Spur of the Moment
• 2011 - Tom Wells for The Kitchen Sink
• 2012 - Lolita Chakrabarti for Red Velvet
• 2013 - Rory Kinnear for The Herd and Phoebe Waller-Bridge for Fleabag
• 2014 - Barney Norris for Visitors
• 2015 - James Fritz for Four Minutes Twelve Seconds
• 2016 - Charlene James for Cuttin’ It
• 2017 - Branden Jacobs-Jenkins for Gloria and An Octoroon
• 2018 - Natasha Gordon for Nine Night
• 2019 - Jasmine Lee-Jones for Seven Methods of Killing Kylie Jenner

  Best Designer

• 1982 – Grant Hicks for True West and The Double Man
• 1982 – John Gunter for Guys and Dolls and The Beggar's Opera
• 1983 – Voytek for Great and Small
• 1984 – Alison Chitty for Venice Preserved
• 1985 – William Dudley for The Mysteries, The Real Inspector Hound, The Critic, The Merry Wives of Windsor and Mutiny
• 1986 – Maria Björnson for The Phantom of the Opera
• 1986 – Ezio Frigerid for The House of Bernarda Alba
• 1987 – Maria Björnson for Follies
• 1987 – Michael Taylor for Attractions
• 1988 – Richard Hudson for the Old Vic season
• 1989 - John Napier for Miss Saigon
• 1990 - Mark Thompson for The Wind in the Willows
• 1991 - Bob Crowley for Murmuring Judges
• 1992 - Ian MacNeil for An Inspector Calls
• 1993 - Ian MacNeil for Machinal
• 1994 - Mark Thompson for The Kitchen
• 1995 - Robin Don for The Winter Guest
• 1996 - Robert Innes Hopkins for The Comedy of Errors and The Weavers
• 1997 - John Napier for Peter Pan, or The Boy Who Wouldn't Grow Up
• 1998 - Phelim McDermott, Julian Crouch and Graeme Gilmour for Shockheaded Peter
• 1998 - Richard Hoover for Not About Nightingales; and
• 1999 - Julie Taymor and Richard Hudson for The Lion King
• 2000 - Paul Brown for Coriolanus, Richard II and The Tempest
• 2001 - Paul Brown for Platonov
• 2002 - William Dudley for The Coast of Utopia trilogy
• 2003 - Bob Crowley for Mourning Becomes Electra
• 2004 - Christopher Oram for Suddenly Last Summer
• 2005 - Timothy Bird and David Farley for Sunday in the Park with George
• 2006 - Punchdrunk Faust Company for Faust
• 2007 - Rae Smith and Handspring Puppet Company for War Horse
• 2008 - Neil Murray for Brief Encounter
• 2009 - Christopher Oram for Red
• 2010 - Bunny Christie for The White Guard
• 2011 - Mark Tildesley for Frankenstein
• 2012 - Miriam Buether for Wild Swans
• 2013 - Es Devlin for Chimerica
• 2014 - Es Devlin for The Nether
• 2015 - Anna Fleischle for Hangmen
• 2016 - Christine Jones for Harry Potter and the Cursed Child
• 2017 - Vicki Mortimer for Follies
• 2018 - Bunny Christie for Company
• 2019 - Tom Scutt for A Very Expensive Poison

  The Jack Tinker Award for Most Promising Newcomer (other than a playwright)

• 1996 - James Callis for Old Wicked Songs
• 1997 - Liza Walker for Closer
• 1998 - Mick Gordon, Gate Theatre, London
• 1999 - Eve Best for Tis Pity She's a Whore
• 2000 - Chiwetel Ejiofor for Blue/Orange
• 2001 - Lyndsey Marshal for Redundant and Boston Marriage
• 2002 - Alison Pargeter for Damsels in Distress
• 2003 - Lisa Dillon for Iphigenia and The Master Builder
• 2004 - Eddie Redmayne for '
• 2005 - Mariah Gale for 'Tis Pity She's a Whore
• 2006 - joint award for Andrew Garfield for Citizenship and The Overwhelming
• 2006 - Connie Fisher for The Sound of Music
• 2007 - Leanne Jones for Hairspray
• 2008 - Ella Smith for Fat Pig
• 2009 - Tom Sturridge for Punk Rock
• 2010 - Daniel Kaluuya for Sucker Punch
• 2011 - Blanche McIntyre for Accolade and Foxfinder
• 2012 - Denise Gough for Our New Girl and Desire Under the Elms
• 2013 - Kate O'Flynn for Port
• 2014 - Patsy Ferran for Blithe Spirit and Treasure Island
• 2015 - David Moorst in Violence and Son
• 2016 - Anthony Boyle in Harry Potter and the Cursed Child
• 2017 - Sheila Atim in Girl From the North Country and John McCrea in Everybody’s Talking About Jamie
• 2018 - Chris Walley in The Lieutenant of Inishmore
• 2019 - Sam Tutty for Dear Evan Hansen''

  Most Promising Newcomer (other than a playwright)

• 1989 - joint winners
• *Sam Mendes as director of the Minerva Theatre, Chichester
• *Julia Ormond for Faith, Hope and Charity
• 1990 - Sara Crowe for Private Lives
• 1991 - Lia Williams for The Revengers' Comedies
• 1992 - Rufus Sewell for Making It Better
• 1993 - Emma Fielding for Arcadia and The School for Wives
• 1994 - Rachel Weisz for Design for Living
• 1995 - Victoria Hamilton for The Master Builder and Retreat

  Special Awards

• 2017 - David Lan, outgoing Artistic Director for The Young Vic
• 2018 - Neil McPherson, artistic director of the Finborough
• 2019 - Paule Constable, lighting designer