The Gate Theatre's staging of a Harold Pinter classic has won three prizes at the Irish Times/ESB Irish Theatre Awards for 2001, announced last night in Dublin.
The Homecoming was judged the best production of the year, as well as claiming the best director title for Robin Levevre, and best supporting actor for Ian Hart.
The award for best actor went to Denis Conway for the Theatreworks Company production of Shakespeare's Richard III, while best actress was Catherine Walsh for the National Theatre's Eden, staged at the Peacock. Eden also won the best new play award for its author, Eugene O'Brien.
Veteran actress, producer, director and theatrical manager Phyllis Ryan received this year's special tribute award for her services to Irish theatre. Ms Ryan founded the influential Gemini Productions, for many years based in Dublin's Eblana Theatre and published her memoirs, The Company I Kept, in 1996.
The Other awards presented last night were: best supporting actress, to Justine Mitchell for the Gate Theatre productions of Bash by Neil Labute and Blithe Spirit by Noel Coward; best designer - set, to Francis O'Connor for the National Theatre productions of Big Maggie by John B. Keane and Iphigenia at Aulis by Euripides, both at the Abbey; best designer - costume, to Joe Vanek for the Opera Ireland production of The Silver Tassie by Mark-Anthony Turnage, at the Gaiety Theatre; best designer - lighting, to Peter Mumford, for Iphigenia at Aulis; and best opera production to Opera Ireland, for The Silver Tassie.
The judges - Fergus Linehan, Karen Fricker and Fiach MacConghail - gave their special award to the National Theatre for the Tom Murphy season.
A full report on the ceremony will be published tomorrow. Highlights will be shown on TV3 tomorrow at 8 p.m.
