Scottish stage talent has won a clutch of awards at one of the UK's leading theatrical prize ceremonies.
At the annual Theatre Management Association (TMA) awards, held in London on Sunday night, the National Theatre of Scotland won the best touring show award for The Wonderful World of Dissocia while Sunshine on Leith, the popular musical which incorporates the songs of The Proclaimers, won two awards for the Dundee Rep: James Brining for best production and Ann Louise Ross for best performance in a supporting role.
Mr Brining said: "I'm absolutely delighted that we have won the Best Musical Award.
"Sunshine on Leith was a huge undertaking for us and was a massive success not just in Dundee but also on tour.
"We're planning to remount the show at some point next year, so hopefully, this award will help boost interest in it still further."
Sunshine On Leith, Stephen Greenhorn's musical play, weaves The Proclaimers' back catalogue into a narrative involving two young squaddies returning from the Iraq war to their home down by the docks in the capital.
With a cast of 15 and a nine-piece band, Sunshine on Leith played to full houses at the Dundee Rep Theatre, and was followed by a successful tour to Glasgow, Edinburgh and Aberdeen.
The Wonderful World of Dissocia, written by Anthony Neilson, can be loosely described as a voyage inside one woman's head, and was first performed at the 2004 Edinburgh International Festival to wide acclaim, before being recently revived by the National Theatre of Scotland.
There was more success for Scotland at the awards: Meg Fraser won best supporting role in a play for All My Sons which was staged at the Royal Lyceum, Edinburgh, and the best show for children prize went to the Citizens' Theatre and Tag's Yellow Moon (The Ballad of Leila and Lee).
The awards mark an important week in Scottish theatre, with Black Watch, the NTS production that has been playing in Los Angeles to warm audience response, opening officially tonight at the St Ann's Warehouse venue in New York.
The biggest name to win a TMA award on the night was Patrick Stewart, known for his roles in Star Trek and the X Men films, who won the best actor award for his acclaimed performance as Macbeth at the Chichester Festival Theatre. The best performance in a musical went to Henry Goodman for Sheffield Theatres' Fiddler on the Roof at the Crucible, and a special award for Individual Achievement was presented to Matthew Bourne, who was hailed as the UK's most popular and successful choreographers and directors.
Derek Nicholls, president of the TMA, said: "It is an inspiration to TMA members and theatre audiences that three outstanding figures in UK theatre - Patrick Stewart, Matthew Bourne, and Henry Goodman - take pride of place in a list of awards which is a reminder of the extraordinary achievements of theatres and artists from all over the country.
"The theatre awards flow from the inspiration which regional panelists derive, week in and week out, from their visits to theatres all over the United Kingdom."
The Theatrical Management Association is the trade association for organisations and individuals involved in the performing arts in the UK.
Its membership includes producing and repertory theatres, arts centres and presenting venues, opera, ballet and contemporary dance companies, and producers.
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