Royal Exchange wins theatre of the year

In The Skriker, Peake was described as "a cross between Vivienne Westwood and the Virgin Queen"

Manchester's Royal Exchange has been named regional theatre of the year at The Stage Awards.

The venue beat the Chichester Festival Theatre and Northampton's Royal and Derngate to the honour.

Actress Maxine Peake, who won rave reviews for her role in The Skriker at the theatre last year, collected the award at the London ceremony along with artistic director Sarah Frankcom.

The Almeida Theatre was also named London theatre of the year.

It beat Shakespeare's Globe and the Barbican for its hit Greeks season, which achieved both critical and box office success as well as a West End transfer of the Oresteia.

The Stage's editor, Alistair Smith, said the quality of work over the past year had made it "really tricky" for the judges.

'Meteoric arrival'

The Other Room - Cardiff's first pub theatre - won fringe theatre of the year - the first venue outside London to win the prize.

Opened in February 2015, the judges described the 44-person capacity venue's first year as a "meteoric arrival" on the theatre scene.

Sonia Friedman was named producer of the year for the second year. In 2015 she was behind nine UK shows, including the new West End musical Bend It Like Beckham and Benedict Cumberbatch's Hamlet at the Barbican.

The National Theatre won two awards - the international award for its collaboration with the National Theatre of China on a Chinese production of War Horse; and the theatre building of the year prize for its NT Future regeneration project.

Arts Educational Schools London collected the school of the year award and stage manager Roger Miller was named unsung hero for his work in saving the Felixstowe Spa Pavilion Theatre.

Here are this year's winners in full:

London theatre of the year - Almeida Theatre

Fringe theatre of the year - The Other Room, Cardiff

Regional theatre of the year - Royal Exchange Theatre, Manchester

Producer of the year - Sonia Friedman

International award - War Horse China

School of the year - Arts Educational Schools London

Theatre building of the year - NT Future

Unsung Hero - Roger Miller