17 January 2012 (Theatre Feature)

Words: Caomhan Keane

The great joy of award show season is how arbitrary the whole process is. With the Irish Times Theatre Awards, three judges witnessed 150 plays and then whittled down a short list of four nominees per category (12 in total). The results will have culture vultures doing a little dance and pitching a little fit as they peck through the spoils but, like dogs with a bone, they'll gnaw away at it, savouring the opportunity to indulge in any theatrical debate thrown their way.

The judges had a weaker field to choose from this year. The standard of work displayed, though still strong, just wasn't as high as in 2010, where a diamond Fringe bled into an equally as exciting Theatre Festival raising expectation to a pitch that just couldn't be hit. Much of what was presented seemed over familiar, undercooked and constrained by the twin forces of sycophancy and finance. There were terrific ideas which could have been gold. But too often the concept got praised whilst the execution escaped unscrutinised. And the prosaic approach to casting pressed the flower of performance long before it had the chance to bloom.

Charged with the task of telling shit from shinola the judges have done an admirable job, coming up with a list that represents both the independent and commercial sectors, pleasing the heavy hitters and award show stalwarts. The four provinces are represented with nods to Connaught's Fibin Teo, Blue Raincoat Theatre Company and the Galway Arts Festival and from Ulster- Lyric, Tinderbox and NI Opera.

Munster have to settle for two of the provinces favourite sons Mark O'Halloran (Trade) and Pat Kinevane (Silent) going head to head in the Best New Play category for their work with Dublin companies,
Thisispopbaby and Fishamble. They square off to Gavin Kostick and his Show in a Bag Fight Night, with Nancy Harris' scattered No Romance completing the set. Both were terrific and while my gut tells me O'Halloran will nudge this, my fingers are crossed for Kinevane.

The Judges Special Award recognises two companies, Landmark and Fabulous Beast, for sustained excellence and innovative theatrical presentation, as well as a theatre, The Lyric, for bringing new energy to Northern Irish theatre. Deserved praise. But seeing as Landmark and the Lyric have been recognised in other categories and Fabulous Beast won this award in 2003, it would have been nice to see the nomination go to someone, or something, that can't be heralded elsewhere.

Deirdre Davitt at Foras Na Gaeilge is the lifeblood of young Irish language companies when they are starting off, providing funding when the arts council would not. Fund: It was a fantastic initiative that allowed companies to appeal for money from the public to help mount productions that might struggle to make it to the stage without. And the Irish Theatre Institute unveiled the final phase of Playography Ireland this year, launching Playography na Gaeilge. I may be exposing my Gaelgor garter here but it's been an important year for the sector and that project, as a whole, was an astonishing undertaking, which should have been recognised.

The supporting categories left me flummoxed. Karen Ardiff's turn in Peer Gynt being lauded over her Plaza Suite co-stars Ali White and Eleanor Methven? Dearbhla Molloy and Ingrid Craigie's dual nomination for The Cripple of Inishmaan at the expense of Derbhle Crotty in The Field? All of these women turned in noteworthy performances, particularly Ardiff who skilfully played multiple parts while being leathered by Arthur Riordan's exhausting verse. But where is the nomination for Janet Moran's pitch perfect turn in Pineapple? Or her heart-breaking and hilarious performance in No Romance?

Also overlooked were Lorcan Cranitch in Pygmalion and Nick Dunning in Plaza Suite. I was delighted to see John Olohan nominated for Big Maggie and to see Amy Conroy up for Best Actress for Eternal Rising of the Sun. Her performance had an explosive quality. Erupting with rage in front of the audience; her hard front crumbled leaving a shattered, secret interior exposed.

But it was Aisling O'Sullivan who delivered the finest female performance of the year. Her Big Maggie was crude, her dyspeptic tone and punitive heart a suitable tonic for these austere times. It's likely, however, that her co-star, Pygmalion's Charlie Murphy, will be the winner, a triumph of technique over truth. Substitute her with Caoilfhion Dunne in Pineapple - where her neat portrayal of a dour, discerning single mother struck the perfect balance between self-deprecation and self-loathing, and the category would have been the better for it. I would also have switched Marie Mullen for Eileen Walsh. Her performance, in Request Programme, left me destroyed without her uttering a word.

The biggest shock came in Pat Kinevane's exclusion from Best Actor. His would-have-been opponents (Patrick O Kane for The Crucible, Phil Judge for Trade, Cillian Murphy in Misterman and Paul Reid for Man of Valour) insured that this is the strongest field in the competition. The astonishing physicality and subtle depths explored by these performers was a gale of fresh air to a congested performative landscape. But the category, as a whole, suffers from Kinevan's exclusion.

Pineapple and Raul's ommisions aside, all the major shows were given their dues this year. Pan Pan will be hoping to make it two out of two with their staging of the Beckett radio play All That Fall, with The Crucible and Misterman also in with a shot. But Laundry must surely take Best Production. Between it and World's End Lane, Anu have become a vital voice within Irish theatre, attacking the separate parts of our psyche - our logic, our convictions, our will and imagination - playing with convention to make us a party to the past. Each piece of their Monto cycle to date has been a transformative and affecting event that needs to be recognised at the highest level.

Full shortlist of award nominees here.