TUESDAY, JANUARY 27, 2026
Performativity and reflection were paramount in another tremendous year for NI Theatre and Dance, where the winners were plentiful...
Much thought was required before I brought back my Theatre Awards, a staple of the late 2010s, back to Si Arts NI.
The early 2020s was defined, understandably so, by a form of protectionist retreat, which quite possibly translated itself into a fear of never being entirely ready to face the challenges that only increase with age and loss. Yet, if heartbreak arises, so too does wisdom. A sense that while we may feel helpless in the winds of change that can sting like a scorpion, that doesn't mean we still don't have plenty to offer.
I considered this in the run up to last Christmas, just over a month ago, when I went for what might be my eighth viewing of It's A Wonderful Life at Belfast's Queen's Film Theatre - my favourite film, so now you know - and found myself sitting beside and speaking to a young couple who had never seen the film before. There was a moment when I wished I was sharing a similar experience, discovering this literally wonderful film for the first time, but had that been so, I wouldn't have had the wisdom - there's that word again - which can come with repeated visits and repeated viewings.
The wisdom which I shared with them that day and felt much more enlightened for having done so. The kind that you can share with any "newcomer". The kind that arises from contemplative reflection and not solely immediate reaction to ingrained resolution, enhancing the value of returns, reruns and - dare I say it - cinematic remakes or legacy sequels. The material may not always be fresh, but the perspective from the viewer always is - and that's what makes them distinctive and new. It's the idea of either going back, or taking initiative, to retell a story in order that we make sense of this world, and it finds strength not only in It's A Wonderful Life but many other great films and, indeed, the best theatrical and dance works of 2025.
One of the many lessons to take from Frank Capra's classic is in seeing George Bailey no longer be consumed by the mechanics of problem solving and the demand to put on a show of strength. In seeing him understand that it is absolutely fine, even essential, to call for help, and to take a little time to think about unexpected individual and communal impact. In short, to get by with a little help from his friends.
This is a powerful message and perhaps hints at the general message of theatre and dance in 2025 - the possible crumbling of understandably protective performativity but as a pathway to new beginning rather than a gateway to a dismal end. Therefore my nominees and winners are a combination of dazzling new works and exquisite, forceful retellings. Works given their power by a combination of the passage of time, the growth in knowledge and new artistic voices. Works where we saw audiences and characters thrust into a melting pot of all persuasions and emerge more enlightened for the experiences. Works which, above all, stay with you.
Award winners, nominees and honourable mentions – when noted – as follows. Winners in bold. Links to reviews where available.
"Unsung Hero" Award…
An odd but most remarkable kind of theatrical enterprise – swift yet relaxing, piercing yet pleasant and charming yet comical – was discovered in the small but warm-hearted confines of Derry-Londonderry's Millennium Forum studio last June in the form of Matthew McLaughlin and Rachel Harley's Live From The Nest, a part feel good, part satirical quasi musical featuring not only a very nicely performed mixture of jazzy tunes, musical theatre classics and original numbers but also an underlying story about the meaning behind the on stage spotlight. It is intelligent as well as idiosyncratic and deservedly stands out as one of the most surprising and endearing shows of the year.
Up-And-Coming Awards in Writing and Acting…
Last November, I was lucky enough to attend a succession of ten-minute work-in-progress plays put together by Heather Martin's Belfast Playwrights. From the tremendous potential of the short works on show emerged equally tremendous writing, most notably – and it was a tough call – from Kristen Kernaghan and Lie Low, a play which stood out for its commendable and astonishingly detailed confrontation of irreversible despair and its effect on initiative. Elsewhere on the night, Shami Madondo astounded as she expressed helplessness in the face of a systematic hierarchy in Syd Trotter’s one-person play Still Here Like, with the effects of the performance still reverberating to this day.
Find the relevant reviews here.
Best In Christmas Theatre…
A holiday season laden with impressive returns, including two adaptations of A Christmas Carol – a "retrospective and rather revolutionary" second time around for Marie Jones's take at the Lyric, and Blue Eagle Productions' "crisp and intimate" approach in Derry-Londonderry – drew perhaps its most lasting memories from the small and the sharp. Sharpness which was inherent very early on in Jack Watson and Rosie Barry's unsettling villains from The MAC's Jack Frost – it's quite possible neither actor has been better – and the small venues or staging areas which had the heart to match the craft. Newtownabbey's Theatre At The Mill chuckled heartily at Leesa Harker's Belfast Actually 2 while being wowed by Yellow Jumper Productions' inventive panto Robin Hood, with Eimear Bailie and Laura Shaw emerging as ones to watch. Similarly joyous, and thoughtful, experiences were had with Brassneck Theatre Company's "People’s Panto" Snow White, a production leagues ahead of the still recent film adaptation. But most outstanding of all, for me, was Replay Theatre Company's The Elf Inspectors (review here), with the clever comedy in Michael Quinn's revival of Baby It's Cold Outside not far behind – each unique not only as entertainment but also in their reflection of fortitude and family dynamics.
Best In Children's Theatre…
It's a replay for Replay as Duke Special and Jan Carson's adaptation of The Velveteen Rabbit takes top honours here. Even if you are familiar with the story, and I am, there were plenty of delights and surprises to be drawn from the endeavour, not least Rosie Barry's unexpectedly snarky Nursery Magic Fairy (who remarkably wasn't mentioned in my original review). It’s what every memorable literary adaptation should be – a retention and expansion of the essence within the inspiration.
Honourable Mentions: Replay Theatre Company's "cleverly crafted" PRISM; Kininso Koncepts' "buoyant and engaging" Sandscape.
Best In Dance…
Last May Belfast's Lyric Theatre and its Main Stage audience bore witness to an undeniable miracle of dance – Invocation by Mufutau Yusuf, Constellations by Liz Roche and I Contain Multitudes by Guy Nader and Maria Campos blending for Luail Dance's Chora, an exhibition that dazzled in physicality, synchronicity, flexibility and musicality. The work continues to endure as a consistently challenging evolution and revolution in choreography and storytelling that is equal parts eloquent and energising.
Honourable Mentions: Maiden Voyage Dance’s "magical" Moonlight Dream; Six Dance Collective's "well-paced, powerful and provocative" The View From Mars; Monica Munoz Dance's "conceptually clever and charming" Fall & Float.
Best Musical Moment: "Down The Hole" from MMK Productions' Alice By Heart.
Honourable Mention: "A Lot Woise" from Bruiser Theatre Company's Murder For Two.
And now, onto the nominated categories…
Best Musical
Alice By Heart, MMK Productions
Oklahoma!, Londonderry Musical Society
Everybody's Talking About Jamie, Alfie Boe James Huish Academy Of Theatre Arts
Murder For Two, Bruiser Theatre Company
9 To 5: The Musical, Ulster Operatic Company
What I said at the time: "A rollicking and highly tuneful riff on a classic children's novel which challenges the mind and guides one's imagination seemingly everywhere all at once… a triumphant and lively accomplishment…"
Read the full review here.
Best New Writing
Richard Clements, Ottilie
Maria Connolly, Under The Lights
Nathan Martin, Marjorie's Dead
Charlotte McCurry, Julie
John Morton, Denouement
What I said at the time: "Simply breathtaking in its exploration of an artist's natural evolution… The questions posed and the issues examined in Clements' script are bold and vital."
Read the full review here.
Best Ensemble Acting
The Importance Of Being Earnest, Lyric Theatre
The Velveteen Rabbit, Lyric Theatre and Replay Theatre
Murder For Two, Bruiser Theatre Company
The Boy Who Kicked Pigs, Bruiser Theatre Company
9 to 5: The Musical, Ulster Operatic Company
Belfast Girls, An Táin Arts Centre and Quintessence Theatre
Best Costumes
Catherine Kodicek, The Importance Of Being Earnest
Rosie McClelland, Nell Gwynn
Diana Ennis, The Velveteen Rabbit
Lynda Thompson-Spack, The Boy Who Kicked Pigs
Gillian Lennox, Murder For Two
The Lyric Theatre's production of Oscar Wilde's The Importance Of Being Earnest is a genuine case of when the costuming and the ensemble work is as enticingly detailed, intelligent and humorous as the language adapted. Cause for celebration that the production, described by me as a "deluxe comedy of trial and error with all the zip, zing and zest you could possibly hope for" is returning to the Lyric very soon.
Read the full review here.
Best Set Design
Maree Kearns, Our New Girl
Stuart Marshall, The Importance Of Being Earnest
Tracey Lindsay, Ottilie
Sinéad O'Donnell-Carey, Belfast Girls
Diana Ennis, The Velveteen Rabbit
Best Actress
Lisa Dwyer Hogg, Our New Girl
Annina Watton, Marjorie's Dead
Amy Giffen, Nell Gwynn
Charlotte McCurry, Julie
Jolene O'Hara, Ottilie
Anna Healy, Denouement
There are times when set design really does take your breath away before you've even sat down in the theatre, and Maree Kearns' set for the Lyric's Our New Girl was one of those moments. So astounding that one felt it could tell the story by itself, it was the perfect backdrop for every actor to excel themselves, most notably Lisa Dwyer Hogg, whose enduring performance as Hazel exhibited "humanity in the face of internal and external combustion".
Read the full review here.
Best Actor
John Travers, Under The Lights
Mark Huberman, Our New Girl
Dara McNaughton, Everybody's Talking About Jamie
Sean Carron, Alice By Heart
Jay Sefton, Unreconciled
Patrick O'Kane, Denouement
What I said at the time: "Merging astonishing vocal contortions and compelling physical intensity, (John Travers) is a presence both commanding and vulnerable."
Read the full review here.
Best Directing
Rhiann Jeffrey, Our New Girl
Stephen Kelly, Under The Lights
Philip Crawford, Nell Gwynn
Jimmy Fay, The Importance Of Being Earnest
Lisa May, The Boy Who Kicked Pigs
Matthew McElhinney, Ottilie
Janice Kernoghan-Reid, The Velveteen Rabbit
Kim Harper, Alice By Heart
What I said at the time: "Our New Girl… reveals itself to be the perfect fit for Rhiann Jeffrey's prodigious and invaluable directorial sensibilities."
And finally...
Best Play
Our New Girl, Lyric Theatre
Under The Lights, c21 Theatre Company
Nell Gwynn, Lyric Drama Studio
The Importance Of Being Earnest, Lyric Theatre
Julie, Kabosh Theatre Company
The Boy Who Kicked Pigs, Bruiser Theatre Company
Ottilie, Rathmore Productions
Unreconciled, Jay Sefton & Mark Basquill
I can still recall how the Lyric Theatre's production of Nancy Harris's Our New Girl, seen last April, left me literally trembling in its immediate aftermath. There was an instant recognition from me that the level of depth in Harris's characters had been brought to life in unprecedently astonishing ways. It's a belief that I still hold today, in a staging that earned its power from the manner in which numerous perceptions and actions were contrasted and examined. Like Joachim Trier's also masterful Sentimental Value, it's a current and timeless work – reflective, reactive and resolute in its illustration of the potential for growth amidst the relentless search for stability. It's my play of the year.
Simon Fallaha