Stage awards honour theatre industry

Young Vic star: Gillian Anderson was praised for a "stellar" turn in A Streetcar Named Desire

The Young Vic and Park theatres in London, Southampton's Nuffield theatre and producer Sonia Friedman were among the winners at The Stage's 2015 awards.

Friedman, who is behind such West End success stories as The Book of Mormon, Shakespeare in Love and 1984, was named producer of the year.

Liverpool's Everyman Theatre won two prizes in its reopening season.

The Young Vic beat the Almeida and the Unicorn to be named the capital's theatre of the year.

Recent Young Vic productions, including A Streetcar Named Desire starring Gillian Anderson, have been praised by critics, with Anderson winning best actress at the Evening Standard Theatre Awards in December.

North London's Park Theatre, which has hosted such acting talents as Maureen Lipman and Matthew Kelly, was named fringe theatre of the year at the awards, organised by The Stage newspaper.

Friedman's triumph in the producer category follows the record 13 Oliviers her company Sonia Friedman Productions - whose credits also include King Charles III and Sunny Afternoon - received last April.

She beat producer Danielle Tarento and Playful Productions to take the prize at a London ceremony on Friday.

The Nuffield in Southampton was named regional theatre of the year, beating Leicester's Curve and the Ustinov Studio at Bath Theatre Royal.

Following a total rebuild, Liverpool's Everyman Theatre shared the award for theatre building of the year with Paines Plough, whose pop-up Roundabout Theatre tours the UK.

Shakespeare's Globe was honoured with the international award for its two-year tour of Hamlet, which is attempting to visit every single country in the world.

Alistair Smith, editor of The Stage, said the judging panel he chaired had been "hugely impressed" by the "excellent work".

"Any of our shortlisted organisations would have made worthy winners," he went on.

"But the panel's choice were the best of the best and represent another superlative 12 months for theatre (and theatres) created in the UK."

This year's winners in full:

London Theatre of the Year - Young Vic Theatre

Fringe Theatre of the Year - Park Theatre

Regional Theatre of the Year - Nuffield, Southampton

Theatre Building of the Year - Liverpool Everyman and Roundabout Theatre, Paines Plough

Producer of the Year - Sonia Friedman

School of the Year - Young Everyman Playhouse, Liverpool

International Award - Shakespeare's Globe

Unsung Hero Award - Sue Nightingale, head of wardrobe, Birmingham Repertory Theatre