Clifton taylor’s design for four quartets, shortlisted for the etc award for dance © Maria Baranova
UK - The shortlist for the Theatre category of this year's Knight of Illumination (KOI) Awards has been announced.
The KOI Awards are dedicated to celebrating British and international lighting and video designers for their work in the UK. The KOI theatre judges, each serving a two-year term, are all leading UK critics. Neil Fisher, deputy arts editor of The Times and Tim Bano, lead critic of The Stage, both made their KOI judging debut. Louise Levene, dance critic for the Financial Times returned for the first year of her second term while Zoë Anderson, dance critic for The Dancing Times, opera critic George Hall and Britain’s longest-serving theatre critic Michael Billington completed the final year of their time on the Theatre panel. The judging was once again expertly overseen by founding chair of the theatre panel, critic and broadcaster David Benedict.
Drawing on their years of experience, and with technical insights provided by Bryan Raven of White Light, the judges chose the following nominees for this year’s KOI Theatre shortlist:

The PRG Award for Projection Design
Andrzej Goulding for Life of Pi, Sheffield Crucible
Joshua Pharo for The Shape of The Pain, Summerhall, Edinburgh
Jack Phelan for The Second Violinist, Landmark Productions, Irish National Opera

The ADB Award for Plays
Jessica Hung Han Yun for Equus, English Touring Theatre & Theatre Royal Stratford East
Aideen Malone for Death of a Salesman, Young Vic
Tom Visser for Europe, Donmar Warehouse

The Robert Juliat Award for Opera
Christopher Akerlind for Katya Kabanova, Scottish Opera
Mark Jonathan for Vanessa, Glyndebourne Festival Opera
Malcolm Rippeth for The Turn of the Screw, Garsington Opera

The ETC Award for Dance
Clifton Taylor for Four Quartets, The Barbican
Jennifer Tipton for Shostakovich Trilogy, San Francisco Ballet at Sadler’s Wells
Alastair West for Victoria, Northern Ballet

The Hawthorn Award for Musicals
Neil Austin for Company, Gielgud Theatre
Sherry Coenen for Operation Mincemeat, New Diorama
Jamie Platt for Mythic, Charing Cross Theatre

“This year’s long list of potential nominees in the dance, opera, musical and play categories was eye-wideningly long,” says KOI Theatre judges chair, David Benedict. “I’m delighted our shortlist reflects the vast range of work the judges have witnessed live throughout the year, on stages large and small up and down the country, and which spans emerging artists and legendary industry figures from here and the USA.”
Each of the winners will be awarded with the renowned KOI broadsword trophy at the ceremony and gala dinner, which takes place on 15 September 2019 at Hammersmith’s Eventim Apollo in London.
Submissions can still be made across all three categories for KOI’s sister awards, KOI-USA, via the website until 16 August, Friday.

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