Belfast's Lyric Theatre dominates UK drama awards

The Lyric Theatre won two of five nominations at the UK Theatre Awards on Sunday

The Lyric Theatre in Belfast has won two major prizes at the UK Theatre Awards.

The ceremony, which was held in London on Sunday, saw the theatre win Best Play Revival for The Beauty Queen Of Leenane with Belfast-based Prime Cut productions.

The play from Oscar-winning filmmaker Martin McDonagh first premiered in Galway in 1996.

Tony award-winning Irish star Garry Hynes also won Best Director.

Ms Hynes won the award for the Druid Theatre production of DruidO'Casey - a trilogy of stories written by Irish dramatist Sean O'Casey.

The Lyric Theatre co-led the ceremony's nominations and there were also nods for Best Design, Best New Play and Best Show for Children and Young People.

Sheffield Theatres also received five acknowledgments, with Daniel Rigby winning Best Performance in a Play for Accidental Death Of An Anarchist - a co-production with the Lyric Hammersmith Theatre.

Commenting on the win, Lyric's executive producer Jimmy Fay said the theatre is delighted to be recognised at the awards.

"It is a testament to the talent in our vibrant arts community that Northern Ireland theatre is getting this acknowledgment. It is vital therefore that this recognised with funding that secures the legacy and future of the arts in Northern Ireland."

'Outstanding achievements'

Organised by UK Theatre - a membership organisation for producers, managers, owners and operators - the UK Theatre Awards is "the only nationwide awards to honour and celebrate outstanding achievements in theatre throughout England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland by UK Theatre members," the organisation said.

Culture Secretary Lucy Frazer, who spoke at the event, said: "The UK Theatre Awards are a fantastic opportunity to come together and celebrate the incredible creative and technical talent that we have here in the UK.

"We are proudly home to world-renowned actors, visionary directors, breath-taking sets, wonderful theatres and a mission to entertain, educate and challenge through performance art."

The awards were presented by West End star Zoe Birkett

The ceremony - which was hosted by West End star Zoe Birkett - also saw best musical production awarded to The Mill at Sonning for their revival of Gypsy, adapted from the book by Arthur Laurents, with lyrics by the late Stephen Sondheim.

Best New Play was awarded to Enough Of Him, a National Theatre of Scotland and Pitlochry Festival Theatre co-production, and the Best Show for Children and Young People went to The SpongeBob Musical, a Showpath Entertainment production.

Meanwhile English actor, director and writer, Mark Gatiss, was honoured with the Outstanding Contribution to British Theatre award.

The Lyric began as a new arts space that allowed its founder, Mary O'Malley, to take productions out of her attic and onto a much bigger stage.

The theatre was established as The Lyric Players Theatre in 1951, operating from Mrs O'Malley's home for over a decade before moving to Ridgeway Street in 1968.

An £18m rebuild led to the Lyric's rebirth in 2011, with a focus on high-quality theatre productions and the development of fresh local talent.

The Lyric underwent a major rebuild in 2011

Some of Northern Ireland's best-known acting and writing talents have cut their teeth at the Lyric - Liam Neeson, Ciarán Hinds, Marie Jones, Stella McCusker and Conleth Hill, to a name a few.

The Arts Council of Northern Ireland, which provides financial support to the Lyric, has previously warned organisations they face a reduction in funding for this financial year.

In its letter to the 95 organisations that get money under ACNI's Annual Funding Programme (AFP), the Arts Council warned that it had been told to "assume a 10% reduction on 2022-23 resource funding levels".