The winners of the Irish Times Theatre Awards 2013

Hello from the Irish Times Theatre Awards of 2013.

Held in the Royal Hospital Kilmainham, this is the 16th year of the awards.

Tonight's host is actor Aonghus Óg McAnally (@aonghusog), his first time presenting these awards. Invited guests "represent the theatrical community in Ireland and range from nominees to invited actors, directors, producers, designers, agents, casting directors, and many more who work tirelessly to make Irish theatre vibrant, exciting and relevant."

Three judges, Damian Downes, John Fairleigh and Sinead MacAodha viewed over 150 new theatre productions throughout Ireland during 2012.

All the winners:

Judge’s Special Award won by Karl Shiels of Theatre Upstairs, Lanigan's Bar, Dublin 1

Best Supporting Actor won by Aaron Monaghan – Conversations on a Homecoming, Druid Theatre Co. 

Best Designer: Costume won by Peter O’Brien – The Talk of the Town & A Woman of No Importance 

Best New Play won by The House Keeper – by Morna Regan for Rough Magic 

Best Designer: Sound won by Little John Nee – Sparkplug, Absolut Fringe 

Best Supporting Actress won by Marie Mullen – Conversations on a Homecoming, Druid Theatre Co. 

Best Designer: Set won byJamie Vartan – A Village Romeo and Juliet, Wexford Festival Opera 

Tonight's room:

Here are what tonight's awards look like:

18:45 - guests are taking their seats 

18:51 - a very funny theatre version of the Justsayin video was just played starring Aonghus Óg McNally 

18:59 - Aonghus Óg McAnally going through his roundup of Irish Theatre 2012

19:05 - judge Sinead MacAodha is delivering the judge's address to the room and references the 160 productions the judges saw last year.

'It would be dishonest to say every production we saw was excellent,' she says. 'Far from it.'

— IrishTheatreMagazine (@IrishTheatreMag) February 24, 2013

"It was a great year for opera. The judges were spoiled for choice on this category" - Sinéad MacAodha (judge) at #ittheatreawards

— NiamhNic (@NiamhNic) February 24, 2013

The nominees:

First award of the night is the judge's special award

Judge’s Special Award won by Karl Shiels of Theatre Upstairs, Lanigan's Bar, Dublin 1

Other nominees were:

• Blue Teapot Theatre Company 
  
• Stephen Rea 
  
• Tom Creed and the city of Cork

Best Supporting Actor is next. Won by Aaron Monaghan – Conversations on a Homecoming, Druid Theatre Co. 

Other nominees were:

• Gavin Drea – A Whistle in the Dark, Druid Theatre Co. 
• Lorcan Cranitch – The Talk of the Town, Landmark Productions 
  
• Owen Roe – Glengarry Glen Ross, The Gate Theatre

Best Designer: Costume won by Peter O’Brien – The Talk of the Town & A Woman of No Importance 

Other nominees:

• Richard Kent – Titanic, The Mac & Patrick Talbot 
• Lisa Zagone – Pagliacci, Everyman Palace & Cork Operatic Society

Best New Play won by The House Keeper – by Morna Regan for Rough Magic 

Also nominated:

• Quietly – by Owen McCafferty, the Abbey Theatre 
• The Life and Sort of Death of Eric Argyle – by Ross Dungan, 15th Oak 
  
•  Halcyon Days – by Deirdre Kinahan, Tall Tales Theatre Co.

Best Designer: Sound won by Little John Nee – Sparkplug, Absolut Fringe 

Here's part of his acceptance speech for his, ahem, other awards:

Also nominated:

• Carl Kennedy – Doubt – A Parable, Decadent Theatre Company 
• Tom Speers – Macklin: Method and Madness

Best Supporting Actress won by Marie Mullen – Conversations on a Homecoming,  Druid Theatre Co.

Also nominated:

• Jacqueline Boatswain – Doubt – A Parable, Decadent Theatre Co. 
  
• Eleanor Methven – The House, The Abbey Theatre 
• Grace Kiely – The Mai, Mephisto Theatre Co.

Best Designer: Set won by Jamie Vartan – A Village Romeo and Juliet, Wexford Festival Opera 

Also nominated:

• Joe Vanek – Orfeo, Opera Theatre Company 
  
• Naomi Wilkinson – Alice in Funderland, Abbey Theatre and THISISPOPBABY

Best Opera Production won by Pagliacci – Everyman Palace Theatre and Cork Operatic Society 

Also nominated: 

• The Turn of the Screw – Northern Ireland Opera 
  
• Flatpack – Ulysses Opera Theatre 
  
• A Village Romeo & Juliet – Wexford Festival Opera

Best Actor won by Declan Conlon – The House, The Abbey Theatre 

Also nominated:

• Aaron McCusker – The Importance of Being Earnest, Lyric Theatre 
  
• Marty Rea – A Whistle in the Dark, Druid Theatre Co. 
  
• Garrett Lombard – Conversations on a Homecoming, Druid Theatre Co.
  

Garry Hynes presents the Special Tribute award to Marie Mullen of  Druid Theatre Co.

Final award:

Best Production won by DruidMurphy –  Druid Theatre Co.

Also nominated

• Farm – WillFredd Theatre Pinterx4 – AC Productions 
  
• Alice in Funderland – Abbey Theatre and THISIS POPBABY