The newspaper has today confirmed the longlist for this year’s awards, with Billie Piper, James Norton and Ralph Fiennes among those nominated. Here is who has been nominated in some of the biggest categories – and predictions! 

Shows which have been nominated for this year’s awards all opened between November 22nd 2015 and September 30th 2016.

The ceremony announcing the winners will take place on November 13th, co-hosted by Sir Elton John and by Standard owner Evgeny Lebedev.

Best Actor: 

• Ian McKellen – No Man’s Land (Wyndham’s Theatre)
• Dominic Cooper – The Libertine (Theatre Royal Bath/ Theatre Royal Haymarket)
• O-T Fagbenle – Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom (National Theatre, Lyttelton)
• Ralph Fiennes – The Master Builder  (Old Vic)/Richard III (Almeida)
• Kenneth Branagh – The Entertainer (Garrick Theatre)
• James Norton – Bug (Found111)
• James McArdle, Platonov (Chichester Festival Theatre/National Theatre, Olivier)
• Simon McBurney, The Encounter (Edinburgh International Festival/Barbican)
• Stephen Rea, Cyprus Avenue (Royal Court, Jerwood Upstairs)
• Danny Sapani, Les Blancs (National Theatre, Olivier)
• Patrick Stewart, No Man’s Land (Wyndham’s)

Prediction? It really is anyone’s for the taking but for my money I’m prepared to bet that either Ian McKellen or Patrick Stewart will be hot favourites. 

Natasha Richardson Award for Best Actress: 

• Noma Dumezweni – Linda (Royal Court, Jerwood Downstairs)
• Janet McTeer – Les Liaisons Dangereuses (Donmar)
• Billie Piper – Yerma (Young Vic)
• Helen McCrory – The Deep Blue Sea (National Theatre, Lyttelton)
• Sophie Melville – Iphigenia in Splott (Sherman Cymru/National Theatre, Temporary Theatre)
• Gemma Arterton – Nell Gwynn (Apollo)

Prediction?: As much as I would love Gemma Arterton to win, I have a strong feeling that given the enthusiastic reaction to Billie Piper’s performance in Yerma, Piper will be awarded for her work. 

Best Musical Performance: 

• Jenna Russell – Grey Gardens (Southwark Playhouse)
• Rebecca Trehearn -Show Boat  (New London)
• Glenn Close – Sunset Boulevard (Coliseum)
• Andy Karl – Groundhog Day (Old Vic)
• Sheridan Smith – Funny Girl (Menier Chocolate Factor/Savoy Theatre)
• Gina Beck – Showboat (New London Theatre)
• Michael Xavier- Sunset Boulevard (Coliseum)
• Prediction?:  having adored Jenna Russell’s performance in Grey Gardens it would be fantastic to see her performance acknowledged in this way. 

Best Revival: 

• Les Blancs, National Theatre, Olivier (directed by Yaël Farber)
• Blue/Orange, Young Vic (dir Matthew Xia)
• Cleansed, National Theatre, Dorfman (dir Katie Mitchell)
• Les Liaisons Dangereuses, Donmar (dir Josie Rourke)
• Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom, National Theatre, Lyttelton (dir Dominic Cooke)
• No Man’s Land, Wyndham’s (dir Sean Mathias)
• Richard III, Almeida (dir Rupert Goold)
• Uncle Vanya, Almeida (dir Robert Icke)
• Yerma, Young Vic (dir Simon Stone)
• Young Chekhov: Platonov, Ivanov  & The Seagull, Chichester Festival Theatre/National Theatre, Olivier  (dir Jonathan Kent)

Prediction?:  a really tough category to choose from but I will say that Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom or Les Liaisons Dangereuses will do quite well. 

Emerging Talent Award: 

• Freya Mavor, Good Canary (Rose Kingston)
• Jaygann Ayeh, The Flick (National Theatre, Dorfman)
• Callie Cooke, Firebird (Hampstead Theatre Downstairs & Trafalgar Studios)
• Anthony Boyle, Harry Potter and the Cursed Child (Palace)
• Karla Crome, Linda (Royal Court, Jerwood Downstairs)
• Aoife Duffin, A Girl is a Half-formed Thing (Samuel Beckett Theatre, Dublin & Young Vic)/ The Taming of the Shrew (Shakespeare’s Globe)
• Tyrone Huntley, Jesus Christ Superstar (Regent’s Park Open Air Theatre)
• Adelle Leonce, Torn (Royal Court, Jerwood Upstairs)
• Sean Delaney, Labyrinth (Hampstead)

Prediction:? no question about it: Freya Mavor gave an absolutely spellbinding performance in Good Canary  – a performance that I’m still thinking about now! 

The full list of awards and nominations can be found here: http://www.standard.co.uk/goingout/theatre/evening-standard-theatre-awards-2016-the-longlist-a3372986.html