THEATRE'S MOST TALENTED STARS IN THE SPOTLIGHT FOR OUR AWARDS

Cate Blanchett, Tom Hiddleston and Rachel Zegler are shortlisted as the Standard's celebration of the stage returns.

- By Nick Curtis

Founded in 1955, the Standard Theatre Awards are the oldest drama awards in the UK and have celebrated the finest actors, directors, writers, composers and designers on the London stage across eight decades.

At the first ceremony Waiting for Godot was named most controversial play, Richard Burton won best actor for Henry V and The Pajama Game was best musical.

This week we publish the shortlist for the 2025 Standard Theatre Awards, where contenders include Jamie Lloyd's Evita with Rachel Zegler and his Much Ado About Nothing with Tom Hiddleston and Hayley Atwell, and new plays by previous winners James Graham and Conor McPherson. Brendan Gleeson's performance in McPherson's revival of The Weir is up against Jonathan Bailey's Richard II in the best actor category, while Zegler will compete with Vanessa Williams in The Devil Wears Prada for best musical performance and Cate Blanchett is vying with Atwell in the best actress category, for her incredible performance as Arkadina in Chekhov's The Seagull at the Barbican.

The Standard's proprietor, Evgeny Lebedev, said: "It's a real honour and a privilege to be the torch bearer not only for The London Standard, but also for the great Standard Theatre Awards and their distinguished, vibrant history, while the West End - and beyond - remains the city's beating heart. This has been yet another exceptional year, and the shortlist stands as testament to the remarkable talent gracing our stages."