The nominees for the 20th Annual WhatsOnStage Awards have been announced.

The WhatsOnStage Awards are the only major UK theatre awards in which the audience are the judges.

All professional productions that began between December 2018 and November 2019 are eligible in 21 of the 25 categories, with four exceptions – Best Regional Production, Best Off-West End Production, the Equity Award and the Best West End Show category, which will be rebranded for this year’s ceremony, with more details being announced imminently.

This year, the nominees for the nine creative categories (Choreography, Costume Design, Direction, Graphic Design, Lighting Design, Musical Direction, Set Design, Sound Design and Video Design) have been decided by an independent panel of industry experts appointed by WhatsOnStage. Their shortlist will then be voted on by the general public.

In the acting categories, the Best Actor in a Play Award sees previously nominated Andrew Scott, alongside Matt Smith, Wendell Pierce and Laurie Kynaston, up against 2015 award winner Tom Hiddleston. Hiddleston’s co-stars Zawe Ashton and Charlie Cox were also nominated for their performances in Jamie Lloyd’s Betrayal in the West End, with Ashton facing off against Claire Foy, Hayley Atwell, Sharon D Clarke and Juliet Stevenson in the Best Actress Category.

The musical categories were dominated by & Juliet (13 nominations), while Jamie Lloyd’s production of Evita at the Regent’s Park Open Air Theatre was nominated for eight. Both new musical Waitress and the Hope Mill Theatre’s revival of Mame were nominated for seven.

The Old Vic received 13 nominations, the most of any producing house, with its production of Present Laughter receiving eight nominations. Nominees were recognised from all over the country – with shows in Manchester, London, Leicester, Sheffield and on tour featuring in the list of nominees.

Voting closes on 27 January 2020, with the winners being revealed at a ceremony at the Prince of Wales Theatre on 1 March 2020. [Source]