Andrew Scott has been awarded Best Actor at the 33rd Critics’ Circle Theatre Awards. The win makes the Irish actor the first performer to be handed top honors from both of the UK’s national critics bodies. 

Scott won the Theatre Awards award for his performance in Vanya, a one-man Chekov adaptation during which Scott plays eight different characters in conversation with each other. Scott landed the same award late last year from the Film Critics Circle, also under the UK Critics’ Circle umbrella for his performance in Andrew Haigh’s enigmatic feature All Of Us Strangers. 

Sarah Hemming, the chief theatre critic of the Financial Times, described Scott’s performance in Vanya as “tremendously moving, dialing up the empathy at the heart of that great, humane play and at the heart of live theatre” when she presented him with the award.

The Trewin Award for Best Shakespearean Performance went to David Tennant for his performance in Macbeth at the Donmar Warehouse. The prize for Best Actress went to Sophie Okonedo for her role as the titular character in Medea at @sohoplace theatre. Okonedo is nominated for the same award at next month’s Olivier Awards. Also nominated at this year’s Oliviers is Rupert Goold, who landed Best Director from the Critics’ Circle for Dear England at the National Theatre. Jack Thorne’s The Motive and the Cue won The Michael Billington Award for Best New Play, and Stranger Things: The First Shadow took home the Best Designer award. Scroll down for the full list of winners. 

Winners

Best New Play (The Michael Billington Award) — The Motive and the Cue, National Theatre

Best Musical (The Peter Hepple Award) supported by Overtures Piano Bar — Guys & Dolls, Bridge Theatre

Best Actor supported by 5RB — Andrew Scott, VANYA

Best Actress — Sophie Okonedo, Medea

Best Shakespearean Performance (The Trewin Award) — David Tennant, Macbeth

Best Director supported by Marquee TV — Rupert Goold, Dear England

Best Designer — Miriam Buether, Stranger Things: The First Shadow

Most Promising Playwright — Marcelo dos Santos, Backstairs Billy Matilda Feyiṣayọ Ibini, Sleepova

Most Promising Newcomer (The Jack Tinker Award) supported by Finito: The Employability Experts — Jack Wolfe, Next to Normal Louis McCartney, Stranger Things: The First Shadow

The Empty Space Peter Brook Award — Orange Tree, Richmond